COSPLAY TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

General Mechanics, Rules and Procedure

Cosplay Tournament of Champions Overview

The Cosplay Tournament of Champions (TOrCH) is a cosplay costume and talent competition that aims to create an energetic and competitive arena for Cosplay on a truly national level by holding cosplay contests in target venues in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.  TOrCH Regional Qualifiers (RQ) will be held in key SM Malls all over the country to determine the best cosplayers of each region. Winners from the Regional Qualifiers get a chance to compete in the TOrCH Finals that will take place on Sunday, October 3, 2010 in Cosplay Mania X.

Definition of Terms

• Cosplay – abbreviated form of “Costume Play”, this involves dressing up and acting as one’s favourite fictional character. Usually, the outfits they wear for cosplaying are made by themselves.

• Cosplayer – a cosplay enthusiast / contestant in cosplay contests.

• Cosplay Contests – a costume, skill and talent competition where the accuracy, level of detail and craftsmanship of the costume created (basing from a fictional character), as well as the convincing portrayal of the character (via skits and performances) are measured and are the basis for determining winners.

• TOrCH – abbreviated form of Cosplay Tournament of Champions. Refers to both the Regional Qualifiers staged in selected venues throughout of the Philippines as well as the Finals that will be held during the culminating day of Cosplay Mania X.

• Regional Qualifiers (RQ) – refers to the preliminary TOrCH contest legs held in various SM Malls and SM Cyberzones across the country.

• TOrCH Finalists / Finalists – refers to the pair of Cosplayers who will emerge victorious during the Regional Qualifiers and who will compete in the finals to be held in Cosplay Mania X.

• TOrCH Finals – refers to the Grand Finals of TOrCH to be held on October 3, 2010 during the culminating day of Cosplay Mania X.

TOrCH Regional Qualifiers (RQ) Mechanics

1. The TOrCH Regional Qualifiers (RQ) is open to all Philippine residents aged 18 and above on or before the date of Cosplay Mania X.

2. Each RQ contestant entry will require a team of two (2) individuals. Both individuals must be in Cosplay Costumes from any one of the following genres: Anime, Tokusatsu (Metal Hero), Video Games, Movies or Comic Books. Both individuals must also be from the same series although characters may be mixed if there is an existing and official crossover of the characters (for instance, Batman and Superman had an official crossover called World's Finest.) Original or Fan-based (Dōjinshi) characters will be immediately disqualified.

TOrCH RQs shall be scheduled in key SM and SM Cyberzone venues in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao in the following venues and on the following dates:

• July 10 – SM Cagayan De Oro (Event Center)
• July 24 – SM Baguio (Atrium)
• August 7 – SM Clark (Cyberzone)
• August 22 – SM Cebu (Event Center)
• September 11 – SM Davao (Event Center)
• September 25 – SM Manila (Cyberzone)

3. Interested contestants may pre-register at the Cosplay Mania website (http://www.cosplaymania.com) or on the day of the event at the designated registration area. Upon registration, contestants shall be requested to provide the following: 

1. a fully filled out official registration form detailing the following:
• Team name/Alias
• Names of the contestants (as it appears on their ID/Passport)
• Birth dates of the contestants
• Characters they are cosplaying and from which series they are from
2. a signed image release, quitclaim and waiver;
3. a full-body reference photo of the two (2) characters that they will be competing as. This reference photo must be at least 10.16cm by 15.24cm (or 4 inches by 6 inches) and must be provided in color and must be in printed form. The reference photo must be of the original character, not the contestant dressed in costume;
4. [Optional] a CD soundtrack to be played during the performance.

Participants with incomplete requirements will not be allowed to register.

Pre-registrants must confirm their participation by approaching the TORCH registration on or before 1:00pm on the day of the contest.

If any one of the members of the competing team has already won in a previous RQ, he or she is automatically disqualified from participating in any of the other RQ legs.

Deadline for contest registration is at 2:00pm of the event date.

4. Skits involving extreme fan service (kissing and the like) and lewd, messy or obscene costumes will be immediately disqualified.
   
5. Cosplayers shall be held responsible for their props at all times. Any sharp and/or metal and pyrotechnic costume props are not allowed.  Messy props that can cause damage to the stage or surrounding area or that takes a long time to clean up is likewise disallowed. Cosplayers shall be liable for any damage or injury resulting from mishandling and/or negligence of a contestant in his/her use of props/materials throughout the duration of the event.
   
6. Contestants will be allotted a maximum of five (5) minutes of stage performance. Contestants who will have special requirements for their skit are advised to inform the organizers regarding their set-up during registration.  Otherwise, the contestants will be provided default background music.
   
7. Only a maximum of two (2) stage hands will be allowed to assist the contestants in their skit. They shall be required to wear black clothing and hood, and must only serve to assist, set up props or activate special effects. They must not be in costume.  Stage hands shall also assist in the quick clean-up after the performance.
   

8. Regional Qualifier Contestants will be judged according to the following criteria:

1. Performance (40%): Execution of Skit, creativity in action scenes, choreography and adherence to time limit;
2. Craftsmanship (45%): Costume accuracy, costume difficulty, innovativeness in use of materials and creativity in costume construction;
3. Overall Impact (15%): Appeal and total presentation of the character.
   

9. The Judges’ decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
   
10. At the end of the RQ leg, the pair with the highest scores shall be considered the RQ Winner and shall become a TOrCH Finalist. All TOrCH Finalists shall participate the TOrCH Championship Leg which will happen on Cosplay Mania X, October 3, 2010 at SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, Metro Manila.
    
    All TOrCH Finalists must be available to travel to Manila on October 1, 2010 for rehearsals and must stay until the evening of October 3, 2010 to participate in the TOrCH Finals.
    

11. A runner-up will also be determined for the pair garnering the next highest scores. Runners-up shall replace the RQ Winner in the event that they are unable to compete in the finals. TOrCH Finalists must notify the organizers of their unavailability with prior write notice via email to cosplaymania@gmail.com no later than September 15, 2010.
    
12. Prizes:

1. Each Team of RQ Winners will be awarded two (2) Brother Multi-Function Printer model DCP385C courtesy of Brother International Philippines which shall be given right after the announcement of winners.
2. RQ winners from Cebu, Davao and CDO shall be given two (2) roundtrip airline tickets while RQ winners from Clark and Baguio shall be given two (2) bus allowances to travel to Manila to compete in the Finals at Cosplay Mania X on October 3, 2010.
   Airport/Terminal fees, bus and airport transfers from their locality, excess baggage fees, airfare and accommodations of assistants, and food during the finalist’s stay in Manila shall not be covered by Cosplay Mania X and shall be shouldered by the finalists.
3. TOrCH Finalists will receive accommodations for two (2) for three (3) days and two (2) nights starting October 1, 2010 until October 3, 2010;
4. TOrCH Finalists will receive P4,000 cash per team which will be awarded on Cosplay Mania X on October 3, 2010;

13. Relatives of TOrCH organizers, marshals, volunteers, suppliers and company partners up to the 2^nd  degree of consanguinity or affinity are prohibited from joining this contest.
    
14. Registration and participation to the Cosplay Tournament of Champions constitutes that the cosplayer gives the right and the authority to Cosplay Tournament of Champions and Cosplay Mania X organizers/staff, its sponsors and authorized press media to take pictures and/or videos of registered cosplayers, cosplay groups and its members and will be the sole property of the organizers/staff, its sponsors and authorized press media to be used for future publications and/or advertising promotions.

TOrCH Finals Mechanics

1. All TOrCH Finalists (RQ Winners) must be ready to compete in the TOrCH Championship Leg on the 2^nd day of Cosplay Mania X to be held on October 3, 2010.
   

2. All TOrCH Finalists must submit the following on October 1, 2010 during rehearsals:

1. a signed image release, quitclaim and waiver;
2. a full-body reference photo of the two (2) characters that they will be competing as. This reference photo must be at least 10.16cm by 15.24cm (or 4 inches by 6 inches) and must be provided in color and must be in printed form. The reference photo must be of the original character, not the contestant dressed in costume;
3. a CD soundtrack to be played during the performance no longer than 5 minutes;
4. a Technical Script that may or may not include the following technical components that will be available during their performance:

• 1 Smoke Machine
• 1 Mist Machine
• 2 Par 64 Lights
• 2 Spotlights
• 4 Moving Heads

6.  [Optional] a Video in DVD format no longer than Five (5) minutes that will be shown on the elevated video wall positioned behind the stage.

3. TOrCH Finalists will be allowed to do any of the following for TOrCH Finals:

1. Revise or improve on existing costume used in RQ
2. Create or present a totally different set of costumes from the one used in RQ – provided that the following shall be submitted on October 1, 2010:
• Names of the new characters they are cosplaying and from which series they are from
• New reference photos

For the new costumes to be qualified, they must still adhere to the rules originally set in the RQ Qualifier.

4. TOrCH Finalist performances are limited to only Five (5) Minutes. Should their performance exceed the allotted time, ten (10) points per exceeding minute shall be deducted from their total score.
   
5. Skits involving extreme fan service (kissing and the like) and lewd, messy or obscene costumes will be disqualified.
   
6. Cosplayers shall be held responsible for their props at all times. Any sharp and/or metal and pyrotechnic costume props are not allowed.  Messy props that can cause damage to the stage or surrounding area or that takes a long time to clean up is likewise disallowed. Cosplayers shall be liable for any damage or injury resulting from mishandling and/or negligence of a contestant in his/her use of props/materials throughout the duration of the event.
   
7. Only a maximum of two (2) stage hands will be allowed to assist the contestants in their skit. They shall be required to wear black clothing and hood, and must only serve to assist, set up props or activate special effects. They must not be in costume.  Stage hands shall also assist in the quick clean-up after the performance.
   
8. TOrCH Finalists must be present in the Cosplay Holding Area in full costume by 1:00 pm on October 3, 2010. Finalists must be ready to have their costumes assessed by judges and answer any questions they might have.

9. TOrCH Finalists will be judged according to the following criteria:

1. Performance (40%): Production of performance and the creative elements as well as entertainment value;
2. Craftsmanship (45%): Workmanship and accuracy of the costume;
3. Interview (15%): How well the contestant answers questions posed by the judges.

10. The Judges’ decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
    
11. Prizes:

1. The Best Overall Winner will receive Php8,000.00 per member for a total of Php16,000.00 as well as two (2) units of Brother Sewing Machine LS2160 courtesy of Brother International Philippines.
2. The Runner Up Winner will receive Php4,000.00 per member for a total of Php8,000.00.

The prizes will be given during the announcement of winners.

11. Relatives of TOrCH organizers, marshals, volunteers, suppliers and company partners up to the 2^nd degree of consanguinity or affinity are prohibited from joining this contest.
    
12. Registration and participation to the Cosplay Tournament of Champions constitutes that the contestant gives the right and the authority to Cosplay Tournament of Champions and Cosplay Mania X organizers/staff, its sponsors and authorized press media to take pictures and/or videos of registered cosplayers, cosplay groups and its members and will be the sole property of the organizers/staff, its sponsors and authorized press media to be used for future publications and/or advertising promotions.

Per DTI-NCR Permit No. 4152 series of 2010