SNAFU Con
Sierra Nevada Anime Fans Unite!
SNAFU Con is an anime convention in the Reno/Sparks area of Nevada. The 2023 con was November 17 - 19, 2023. The 2024 con has not been announced yet.
Read our full COVID-19 policy here.
Quicklinks:
Masquerade
Masquerade Policies
Thank you for your interest in SNAFU Con's Masquerade! The event will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 6:00PM PST. Please read through our policies and rules before entering. If there are any questions or comments reach out to Cosplay staff at [email protected]
Requirements for signup:
Masquerade Registration is through SNFAU Con's Registration Portal: Register Here
Requirements for signup:
- All entries must be registered for the convention and be able to provide their badge at the time of sign-in and judging.
- All participants must sign a performance waiver. Participants under 18 must have the waiver signed by a parent or guardian in advance. Copies will also be available on-site.
- Read, understand and comply with the listed convention, cosplay, and masquerade rules.
Masquerade Registration is through SNFAU Con's Registration Portal: Register Here
Rules
General Performance Rules:Walk-on entries are limited to 30 seconds. Skit entries are limited to 2 minutes. There can be exceptions for larger groups, but the group must contact Cosplay staff for advanced approval. Contents of the entries must adhere to a “General Audience” rating. Audio, background music, outfit and behavior cannot violate general ratings. I.E. No explicit gestures, nudity, swearing, mention of drugs, sex, or violence. Group entrees limited to 7 members. Entrees are only allowed to be in one performance. Entrees are limited to 1 costume per contestant. SNAFU Volunteers are allowed to enter the Masquerade. Their schedule must be clear for the rehearsal, judging, and the Masquerade itself. Staff cannot compete. All entrants must have some form of audio. If no audio is submitted, audio will be provided for you. Audio must be submitted via the Cosplay Masquerade Registration System or brought to the rehearsal where the audio tech will be there to assist you. Up to 30 words may be read by the MC as an introduction for your skit.
Costume & Prop Rules:Costumes and Props must adhere to the the SNAFU Con Dress Code Costumes must be able to leave the stage with you. Confetti, silly string, and other "messy" props are prohibited. No flashing lights, fire, flash powder, lasers, explosives, smoke or open flame of any kind.
Costume & Prop Rules:
Divisions
Entrants may always enter a higher division, but cannot enter a lower division. It is up to the discretion of the Judges or director to move participants into different categories based upon skill level, category attendance, etc,.
Novice
Novices are new to costume making and competing in Masquerades. Participants cannotenter the Novice division if:Participants are professionals in the sewing or costuming field. This includes if entries run a cosplay commission-based business. Participants have won major awards such as Best in Class or Best in Show at previous SNAFU Cons or other regional conventions. Participants have won multiple (3) awards at prior regional conventions. Master
Anyone may enter the Master division.
Youth
Anyone aged 13 or younger may enter the Youth division. Costumes fully designed and created by an adult must be entered in the adult’s appropriate skill division or entered as an exhibition piece.
Exhibition
If you do not wish to be judged you may enter as an exhibition piece. Your costume and presentation must still conform to all of the masquerade and convention policies.
Novice
Novices are new to costume making and competing in Masquerades. Participants cannotenter the Novice division if:
Anyone may enter the Master division.
Youth
Anyone aged 13 or younger may enter the Youth division. Costumes fully designed and created by an adult must be entered in the adult’s appropriate skill division or entered as an exhibition piece.
Exhibition
If you do not wish to be judged you may enter as an exhibition piece. Your costume and presentation must still conform to all of the masquerade and convention policies.
Craftsmanship Judging
Craftsmanship judging is open to participants competing in the skit or walk-on category. The entry may be judged as a group or as an individual. Participants must be present during judging prior to the Masquerade. If the entrant is not present at the time to be judged, entrees will be disqualified for a craftsmanship prize.
Craftsmanship Rules:Costumes must be inspired by an anime, manga, comic, video game, TV show, movie, web comic, or other form of media. Original designs must have concept sketches and be fully handmade. “Found Item” pieces are allowed to represent up to 20% of the costume. These are items that have been found at various retail establishments (i.e. gloves, shoes, belts, etc.,). These items may be altered or unaltered. Costumes, as a whole, must be made by a member of your group. Commissioned, rented, or full purchased costumes are not allowed and will not be judged. Entrants must provide a reference picture of the characters being portrayed. This can be done on site, or uploaded ahead of time on the Masquerade Registration.
Craftsmanship Rules:
Skits & Performances
Skits are open to individuals or groups of up to 7 individuals. Skits will consist of the entrant(s) doing a performance on stage while in costume. All participants must be in costume unless he/she is a stage hand/prop. Performances must adhere to the performance rules, con rules, and other rules as listed above.
Skits do not need to undergo Craftsmanship Judging. Microphones will NOT be provided for performances, all audio and dialogue must be pre-recorded and submitted via the Cosplay Masquerade registration system. All audio files must be in the .MP3 format. Please ensure your files work prior to submitting them.
Tech will not shorten your file for you, or start it at a specific point. Your file must be edited to precisely what the tech staff is to play. However, we recommend adding a 2-4 second buffer on each side of the file for the tech staff to fade in/out. Please tell us if you have or have not added that buffer when you register.
Skits do not need to undergo Craftsmanship Judging. Microphones will NOT be provided for performances, all audio and dialogue must be pre-recorded and submitted via the Cosplay Masquerade registration system. All audio files must be in the .MP3 format. Please ensure your files work prior to submitting them.
Tech will not shorten your file for you, or start it at a specific point. Your file must be edited to precisely what the tech staff is to play. However, we recommend adding a 2-4 second buffer on each side of the file for the tech staff to fade in/out. Please tell us if you have or have not added that buffer when you register.
Awards
Category winners are awarded prize baskets that include physical trophy award, gift cards, and of course, bragging rights. Awards may include but will not be limited to:
Awards and categories may be changed at the discretion of the judges, based on the quantity and quality of our entries.
- Best in Show - Best combined craftsmanship and performance scores.
- Best Master - Best combined craftsmanship and performance scores in the Master category (that did not win Best in Show). Best Novice - Best combined craftsmanship and performance scores in the Novice category (that did not win Best in Show).
- Best Youth - Best combined craftsmanship and performance scores in the Youth division (that did not win Best in Show).
- Best Performance - Best Performance score (that did not win Best in Show or Best in Class)
- Merit Awards - Given at the discretion of the Judges. (Examples are "Best use of Tin Foil," "Made the Judges Laugh," etc.)
Awards and categories may be changed at the discretion of the judges, based on the quantity and quality of our entries.
Questions/Comments
Please email us at [email protected]