ECG UK Preliminaries at HYPER JAPAN APPLICATION FORM SOLOS and GROUPS

ECG UK Preliminaries at HYPER JAPAN
APPLICATION FORM – SOLOS AND GROUPS

Sunday, 27th July 2014

By submitting this form you agree with the terms and conditions listed in the Competition Rules. Please read the Competition Rules carefully and fully before applying. If you are aged 17, a parent or legal guardian must complete and sign a permission slip.

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

•Aged 17 or over at the time of application

•Resident in the UK and/or holder of a British passport

•Available to come to Earl’s Court 1, London on Sunday, 27th July 2014.

How to apply

Please make sure you meet all of the requirements listed in eligibility above. If you do, please complete the form below and send it, together with your reference pictures and audio file, to

* Application period opens: 9am, Saturday31st May 2014
* Application period closes: 12:59pm, Monday, 14th July 2014

Important! Notes on Application

1.Participants agree to take part and be featured in marketing and publicity material for Cross Media, Hyper Japan, Eat Japan, Sefa Event and their partners as required, as well as external media viewable by the general public, including but not limited to newspapers, magazines, television and websites.

2.Application forms and/or reference pictures cannot be returned under any circumstances.

3.Personal information collected via the application form will be used for no purpose other than the selection of cosplayers.

4.All personal information collected via the application form will be protected by Cross Media and Sefa Event, and will not be provided to any outside party.

5.Any application form found to contain false information will be removed from the selection process. Any cosplayer selected on the basis of false information will be forbidden to participate in the event.

6.Cross Media accepts no liability for any loss, damage, costs, expenses or claims suffered or incurred by any person as a consequence of any use of or inability to use this application process, the Hyper Japan website, or any related media content. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant and/or parents/guardian to confirm with Cross Media regarding any queries or questions they may have about application, selection and/or participation.

EUROPEAN COSPLAY GATHERING

UK PRELIMINARIES AT HYPER JAPAN- RULES

1. OVERVIEW

The European Cosplay Gathering (ECG) is a contest to select one solo cosplayer and one cosplay group to represent the UK at the ECG Finals in 2014. The selection will take place at HYPER JAPAN, Earls Court 1, London on Sunday 27th July 2014.

2. PRIZE

One individual and one group will be chosen to represent the United Kingdom at the European Cosplay Gathering Final, taking place at Japan Expo in Paris, France in July 2015.

The winning contestants will receive an expenses paid trip to Paris, including transport, hotel for up to 5 nights, VIP pass to Japan Expo, some meal costs and of course – the chance to represent their country at the 2014European Cosplay Gathering final!

3. ELIGIBILITY

a)The competition is open to cosplayers who are resident in the UKand will be aged18 or over by 1st June 2015.

b)Signed parental permission is required forcosplayers aged 17 at the time of application.

c)Cosplayers can enter the competition as individuals, or as a group of 2-3 people.

d)Contestants must be available to travel to the ECG final, taking place at Japan Expo in Paris, France during the first weekend of July 2015. Dates may be subject to change.

e)Contestants may only enter once per year - they cannot enter the same category twice, or enter both the group and individual categories within the same year, for example.

f)If a contestant is a resident of the UK but a citizen of another EU country participating in ECG, by entering the UK selection they automatically forfeit their right to compete in their home country for that year. However, they may compete again the following year.

4. COSTUME THEMES

a)Contestants can enter costumes based on animation, comics, video games, movies and TV series from any country. Costumes based on Japanese music acts are also allowed.

b)All costumes must be based on an existing source. Original designs and fanart are not allowed in the contest.

c)Costumes must be at least 75% handmade by the contest themself. Any parts not made by the contestant (i.e. handmade by their friends and family) should be declared during judging.

d)The winning contestants should each bring 2-3 costumes with them to France – one of for the press conference and photo shoots, and one for the competition.

5. JUDGING

a)The jury will be made up of media guests and respected cosplayers. The winners will be chosen based on 50% costume and 50% performance.

b)Costumes are judged on their detail, conception, technical ability and resemblance to the original source.

c)Performances will be judged on their originality, entertainment value, direction and execution.

d)Points will be deducted for teams who do not follow the rules or who arrive late without pre-warning the cosplay team.

6. PRE-JUDGING

All contestants are asked to attend a pre-judging session at HYPER JAPAN on the day of the contest.

a)Each entry will be given a separate timeslot for their judging session via email. Contestants must be ready in their costumes and arrive at the cosplay desk at least 10 minutes before the time given.

b)Each team will have a chance to show their costumes to the judges and explainhow they made it.

6. PROGRESS BOOK

All contestants must prepare a progress book, to be brought with them on the day and given to the judges during the pre-judging. This is just so the judges can find out more about how your costume was made.

a)The book should contain 5 progress photos per costume, and some notes to show how the costume was constructed.

b)Contestants can add extras to the book, such as extra photos, pattern or fabric samples, if they wish.

c)Progress books must be in hard copy (i.e. printed or written). Digital formats will not be accepted.

d)The progress books will be used by the judges during the whole selection process and may be sent to the WCS or ECG organisers. We can’t guarantee that progress books will be returned to the contestants.

Contestants who can’t make a progress book (for example, if they are entering a costume which has already been constructed) can still enter but they must contact the HYPER JAPAN Cosplay Team in

7. PERFORMANCE

a)Solo contestants have 1 minute to perform on stage. Groups will have 2 minutes 30 seconds to perform on stage.

b)Contestants must be able to perform and operate their costumes by themselves, without the help of others.

c)Contestants may have 1 helper to accompany them during pre-judging but helpers are NOT allowed backstage during the contest (except in the case of contestants with a disability).

d)The HYPER JAPAN Cosplay Team will be responsible for setting up cosplayers’ props on stage, and adjusting lighting and sound etc. Please list the details of your performance on the entry form, including any props or equipment used.

e)Contestants are NOT allowed to use video footage with their performance at the selection at HYPER JAPAN, but they can do so at the ECG Final in Paris.

f)Any props or special effects used must comply with health and safety regulations. Banned effects include pyrotechnics, liquids, sharp/breakable objects, metal weaponry and laser pointers.

g)Streamers and feathers are allowed in a small quantity. You may NOT throw any materials which dirty or damage the stage – banned materials include confetti, glitter, sequins and powder.

h)The total maximum weight allowed for all props and sets used on stage is 40kg. Props and sets must pre-assembled backstage by the contestants themselves. Each individual piece must small and light enough to be carried on stage by 1-2 people.

i)Performances must be suitable for a family audience. No swearing or sexual references please.

j)Please refrain from using derogatory comments or gestures during your performance which relate to real-life individuals or companies.

k)HYPER JAPAN reserves the right to refuse or interrupt any performance which infringes on decency, safety or copyright regulations.

l)If you have any questions about your performance, please contact the HYPER JAPAN Cosplay Team

8. AUDIO

a)Each entry must provide an audio file for their performance, which should be emailed to together with their application.

b)Only MP3 audio files may be used. Other file types will not be accepted.

c)For speaking performances, it’s recommended to make a high quality recording of your dialogue. However, if microphones are needed on stage, up to two handheld microphones may be used.

9. WEAPONS AND PROPS

a)Contestants can use large and small props as part of their performance.

b)Props can be carried around HYPER JAPAN, as long as they are no longer than 1.5m, made from a lightweight material and have all sharp edges rounded off.

c)Gun and blade replicas, as well as props which are larger / heavier than this, can be used on stage but must be stored at the Cosplay Desk until the time of your performance.

10. PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS

a)Contestants who are British citizens must be the holder of a valid passport by April 2015at the latest.

b)Contestants who live in the UK but are not British citizens can take part but they must have the relevant visa or permit to be able to travel to France.

c)If you have any questions about documents needed, pleasecontact the HYPER JAPAN Cosplay Team as soon as possible.

11. ECG FINAL: DOCUMENTATION

All documentation and audio CDs for the winning team must be submitted to the ECG organisers by May 1st 2015 at the latest. Items to be submitted are as follows:

• Copy of passport (and other accompanying documents, if necessary)
• Performance script
• Picture of character(s) on which costume(s) are based
• Music file (MP3 format only) OR Video file (AVI, MPG, WMV format only)

Any other documentation requested by the organisers must be submitted in a timely fashion.

12.ADDITIONAL RULES FOR THE ECG FINAL IN PARIS

a)The order of performances will be determined by a random draw once all contestants have arrived in France.

b)Contestants can change their costume and performance for the final if they wish, but it must be agreed by the ECG and HYPER JAPAN organisers.

c)At the final in France, a representative of HYPER JAPAN may accompany the participating cosplayers backstage. However, contestants cannot be assisted by the organiser or anyone else during their performance.

d)It is forbidden to rehearse in a public area.

e)Equipment and accessories are limited in size and weight to the maximum load that can be carried by the contestants and one organizer in one go, from the backstage area to the stage.

f)Weapons (sword and blade replicas) are not permitted, unless they have been made by the contestants themselves and comply with health and safety regulations.

g)All excess baggage at the airport due to the weight of the costumes will be paid for by the participant, and not by the organisers. One alternative wouldbe to ship the costumes to France prior to the Finals, but the shipping fees will be entirely paid for by the participant. Contestants are asked to keep this in mind when making and registering their costumes.

h)Participating cosplayers must co-operate with the ECG organisers while in France. This includes attending all necessary press conferences, photo shoots and promotional activities.

i)Contestants who do not follow the rules or ECG organisers’ instructions, may be immediately and permanently disqualified.

13. CONDUCT

a)All contestants are asked to act in a respectful manner to staff and other contestants. Any form of physical or verbal violence, vandalism or theft will result in immediate disqualification.

b)Contestants are asked to be aware of their surroundings and behave with caution, especially while on stage and when carrying props. HYPER JAPAN and ECG are not responsible for any injury or damage caused as a result of reckless behaviour ormisconduct.

13. IMAGE COPYRIGHT

a)You may be filmed or photographed during the competition. HYPER JAPAN, the European Cosplay Gathering and their partners reserve the right to use your image for promotional purposes. By entering the competition you agree to this.

b)Parental permission for filming and photography is required for entrants aged 17 at the time of the competition.

14. DISCLAIMER

ECG, HYPER JAPAN and the HYPER JAPAN Cosplay Team reserve the right to amend or update the rules at any time.

ECG ENTRY FORM – SOLOS AND GROUPS

Fields with an asterisk* are compulsory.

TEAM AND COSTUME INFORMATION

Team Name (if applicable)*
Character(s)*
Series / Source*
If you would like a short introduction read out, please write it here:

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Please give details of your performance, including accurate timings, script and as much detail as possible (you can use extra sheets if necessary)*
Please list all props and set pieces used in your performance (including approximate size, if known) / 1.
2.
3.
4.
Will you need microphones?
Up to 2 handheld mics are available for use on stage. / Y / N

ENTRANT DETAILS: Solo Entry / Team Member 1 (Groups)

Name*
Preferred nickname (if applicable)
Address*
Email* / Tel*
Nationality* / Date of Birth*
If you have a disability or any requirements which may affect your performance on stage, please list here.
About Yourself

ENTRANT DETAILS – Team Member 2 (Groups)

Name*
Preferred nickname (if applicable)
Address*
Email* / Tel*
Nationality* / Date of Birth*
If you have a disability or any requirements which may affect your performance on stage, please list here.
About Yourself

ENTRANT DETAILS – Team Member 3 (Groups)

Name*
Preferred nickname (if applicable)
Address*
Email* / Tel*
Nationality* / Date of Birth*
Occupation
Website/blog
If you have a disability or any requirements which may affect your performance on stage, please list here.
About Yourself

CHECKLIST (please read carefully and tick all boxes)*

We will ask you to sign the form on the day for our records.

 I understand that photographs/video taken of me during the HYPER JAPAN UK Cosplay Award can be used wholly or in part by Cross Media, TV Aichi or Sefa Event for any reasonable use. Use of the photographs/video may also be sold, granted or transferred to third parties at the discretion of Cross Media.

 I have read this form carefully and fully and acknowledge myself to be bound to the terms and conditions contained herein and in the accompanying rules and guidelines.

 I have attached an audio file (MP3 or WMA) and labelled reference pictures of each character.

On the day of the competition, I agree to bring a progress book (including costume reference pictures and progress report) and any other supporting documents as required. I understand that my application will be invalid unless I present all the required documents.

Signed:

(Solo Entry / Team Member 1)……………………..………………………………. Date…………………………………………

(Team Member 2)……………….……….……………………………………………. Date…………………………………………

(Team Member 3)……………….…….………………………………………………. Date…………………………………………