Contests and Competitions

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Centerpiece Design Contest

Actually, this is part of our evil plan to have you help us decorate the MEET & GREET DESSERT PARTY – which starts at 7:00pm on Friday evening (which will include entertainment to be announced soon).

The Design-A-Centerpiece Competition is your opportunity to create a centerpiece that reflects your love for your favorite movie or TV series.

First, you need to bring your finished centerpiece with you to the Meet and Greet. We’ll help you put it on a table.

Following the party, the centerpieces will be on display in the Art Show so everyone at the convention can enjoy your masterpiece. Be clever, creative, and boldly go where no centerpiece has gone before! 

A special prize will be awarded to the winning centerpiece.

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Costume Contest

Compete for Prizes, Fame and Money (though perhaps not in that order)

Calling all Robots, Spacement, Jasons, Pirates, Lego Storm troopers and Fairy Creatures… and anyone else willing to work on putting together a great costume. It’s time to gear-up for your appearance on the StarFest Main Events Stage – the same one used by our Hollywood stars!

You’ll be the center of attention as you show off your costume creation in one of eight categories: Media Sci-Fi, Fantasy/Literary/Anime, Masters, Horror, Juniors, Children, Small Groups (2-6 people), and Large Groups (6-12 people).

There will be prizes, fame and accolades to the winners. Think of laying claim to hoards of fans rewarding you with thunderous applause – it’s time for you to get to work on your costume!!

What are you waiting for? It’s time to get your ticket to fame and fortune. Get your costume together!

You can enter the Costume Contest at the Convention Information Table Friday evening or all day Saturday (until 5:30pm). When a division is filled (as determined by the Costume Contest Staff), that category will be closed for additional entries.

Costume Presentation

1. All costumes must be ORIGINAL. If you bought or rented your costume as one unit (i.e. a Batman costume as opposed to purchasing your tights here, your cape there, and your leotard somewhere else and customizing it to fit your character) points cannot be given for anything except presentation.
2. All winning costumes must be retired. They may be scavenged for parts, but refurbishing doesn’t constitute a new costume.
3. Dramatic speeches, skits, and singing will be allowed. You may have a CD with your presentation. You will have 60 seconds.
   • If you have a CD with your presentation, you must make sure we know about it when you register and give it to us before 5:30pm Saturday. CDs can be collected immediately after the Contest or at Convention Information the next day. You can help us out by giving us a CD with only the music that you want played.
   • Cassette tapes will not be played in Main Events; if you need to use a tape, you will need to take your own player on stage with you. Make sure it runs on batteries since power will not be available.
4. A written description of your costume can be given to Kevin for reading while you present your costuming skills onstage. The description will be limited to a maximum of three bullet points, so make sure you know what you want to say. You will not be able to have something read if you choose to sing or say something yourself.
5. You must let us know if you are going to use any props and/or special effects. Figure if you can’t carry it on stage with you, it probably won’t be allowed. If there is any question about what can and can’t be done, you need to ask about it before the convention. We wouldn’t want you to invest in equipment you can’t use.

In this presentation, judges will be evaluating overall stage appearance and costuming skills. Your singing or speaking may detract from your overall score.

Things We Shouldn’t Have to Tell You

1. We strongly urge you to have a costume that is somewhat comfortable to wear. Sometimes you have to wait quite a long time before your turn, and we would hate to have you pass out before you were able to show off your creation. Be sensible — make sure your costume is well-ventilated.

2. NO NUDITY! No Band-Aids stuck in strategic places, no loin cloths that show too much, no see-through flimsy outfits that leave nothing to the imagination . . . if you feel you must flaunt it, do it in the privacy of your own home. All costumes will be viewed at the Contest Lineup. Because everyone has a different idea as to what constitutes a rather questionable outfit, the Contest Staff will have the final say. What they say goes! You can be disqualified and asked to leave the convention. (This is actually handed down from the entire Convention Staff and constitutes official policy for the whole convention. Please be forewarned that KathE is very serious about this rule being enforced.)

3. No offensive or coarse language (this is a family convention).

General Information

1. There will be one winner and runner up selected from each presentation in each category listed below. Costume Best of Show will be the highest judged costume from Media Science Fiction, Fantasy/Literary/Anime, Masters and Groups. The costume categories for this convention’s contest are:
   • Media Science Fiction — Costumes inspired by TV, movies, live or animated.
   • Fantasy/Literary/Anime — Costumes inspired by a Sci-fi/fantasy/anime book or characters (also Original characters)
   • Horror — Costumes inspired by Horror movies or characters
   • Masters — For costumers having placed in three StarCon/StarFest Contests.
   • Juniors — For young costumers 13-17 years of age.
   • Children — For young costumers 12 and under.
   • Small Groups — Any presentation containing 2-6 people on stage in costume (this includes all Sci-fi, literary, media, etc.)
   • Large Groups — Any presentation containing 7-12 people on stage in costume (this includes all Sci-fi, literary, media, etc.)

If there are some costumes that are qualified for more than one category, effort will be made to put them in the most appropriate category.

1. Prizes will be awarded during and just following the contest.

2. Contest lineup will be in the exercise room near the pool beginning 1 hour before the contest begins. Please do not arrive later than 15 minutes before the Contest is scheduled to start.

If you have any questions, just ask the staff at the Costume Contest Registration table.

Online Contest Entry Form

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Man of Steel Balcony Contest

Book your rooms at the Marriott now!

Everyone with balcony rooms in the Atrium of the Marriott Hotel is encouraged to decorate their balconies. There is nothing quite like walking into the Atrium during the convention and seeing all sorts of displays on the balconies in that huge open space venue.

The last few conventions, we have started handing out prizes to the best decorated balconies. This year, prizes will be awarded for two categories: “Studio Theme” and “Open Theme.” Great prizes will be given to the winners.

The “Open Theme” category is only limited by your imagination and good taste, nothing more than PG-13, remember StarFest is a family show. A prize packet will be given to the winner of this category.

The “Studio Theme” this year is ‘MAN OF STEEL’ balcony challenge.  In celebration of Superman’s 75th birthday, the studio is looking for the most creative and out-of-this-world tributes to a real Comic book hero and legend since 1938.  Look up in sky…I mean balconies.

Winners for both categories will have their names announced right before the Costume Showcase on Saturday evening.

Balcony Challenge Rules

1. The display should be ‘free standing’ or secured to the railing only. (masking tape can be used to secure the display -no duct tape, nails, screws, push pins, tacks, etc. into the walls -floor or ceiling)

1. The display cannot hang lower than the end of your balcony. It cannot obstruct the balcony below or be connected to adjoining balconies. (This is for safety reasons as we don’t want anyone climbing out over the railing and falling to their death). If you have a display that takes up two balconies you can enter them as one entry.

1. You can not paint the railing, ceiling, floor, or walls of the balcony area. No magic markers, glitter pens, or any kind of marker that would damage the decor. Remember it is to be left as you found it.

1. The displays must be ‘family-friendly”. When in doubt, ask. Anyone having a display that is deemed inappropriate will be asked to take it down. Remember this is fun!

1. Go to the Convention Information table at the Convention and pick up your entry number from Sharon.

1. Convention attendees will be looking for the most original, most creative, best designed displays possible. Attendees will be judging the entries on Saturday with the winners announced right before the Costume Showcase on Saturday night.

1. The railing is 152 inches across and 42 inches tall (that’s too the floor, not to the bottom rail). The space between the rails is 30 inches, and the space between the vertical bars is 5.5 inches. There’s also a sort of “lip” at the bottom of the balcony (caused by the thickness of the floor) that’s between 8 to 10 inches. Just remember, nothing can obstruct the balcony below.
   Floor to ceiling measures 8 feet exactly. The sprinkler pipe (which you are not allowed to hang things from, or otherwise obstruct) takes up about 4.5 inches, near the front of the balcony. Finally, the balcony is 44 inches deep.

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Talent Show

Perhaps your talent lies more along the lines of juggling, singing or magic than costuming? Sunday morning, on the Atrium Stage, we will hold the Starfest Talent Show. Everyone is invited to show off their talents.

We’ll have two separate categories: under 18 and 18 and older. Prizes will be awarded.

Sign up at Costume Contest Registration near Convention Information on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning of the convention and in the Atrium just before the show.