{"id":779,"date":"2023-09-27T19:28:50","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T19:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/cc\/?page_id=779"},"modified":"2025-07-15T16:27:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T23:27:38","slug":"masquerade","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/cc\/things-to-do\/masquerade\/","title":{"rendered":"Masquerade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Comic-Con 2025 Masquerade has filled all of its contestant slots and the waiting list, and is not accepting any new online entries at this time. We appreciate the great enthusiasm for the event!<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Additional Awards Announced:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Costume Designers Guild, IATSE Local 892<\/strong>, is excited to once again present what they deem the best costume entry with a special CDG trophy and a $500<\/strong> gift certificate from International Silks and Woolens in Los Angeles. The Costume Designers Guild is a labor union representing costume designers, assistant costume designers, and costume illustrators working in motion pictures, TV, commercials, music videos, and new media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oksana Shore Award for Excellence in Craftsmanship<\/strong>. This returning award, arranged by costume designer Jennifer May Nickel, is given in the memory of Oksana Shore, an exceptionally talented tailor, pattern maker, and friend to many in the industry. A member of IATSE Local 479, she made costumes for film and TV that are cosplayed around the world, and her attention to detail and craftsmanship was superb. Gotham Knights, Legacies, Loki, Stranger Things, <\/em>and WandaVision <\/em>were just a few of her projects. <\/em>Her talent aside, she was a wonderful and caring person who worked to make the world a little better and brighter by helping her friends and family in Ukraine. This award is given to the entry that captures her spirit and skills of patterning. construction, and craftsmanship, and will include generous prizes from its sponsors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeding San Diego<\/strong>, the region\u2019s largest hunger relief and food rescue organization, will present a Most Heroic Young Fan Costume award. This award will celebrate the next generation of real-life heroes by honoring one young fan (under 18) whose costume most embodies the spirit of heroism through courage, creativity, compassion, or commitment to helping others. Their winner will receive a special Hunger Action Heroes Unite!<\/em> Classroom Hero Kit (valued at $350), plus $100<\/strong> in cash. Hunger Action Heroes Unite!<\/em> is their comic book and curriculum guide designed to teach kids about hunger and food waste, and to eliminate the stigma around asking for help (because even superheroes need help sometimes!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This year\u2019s Masquerade on-stage costume competition (or cosplay competition for those who favor that term), a tradition at the convention since 1974, will be Saturday evening, July 26, starting at 8:30 PM. The event celebrates not only the importance of costuming to the popular arts, but also the amazing costume creations that our attendees create and bring to the convention. The costume presentations, intermission entertainment, and then awards presentation will run about two and \u00bd hours and be set in the San Diego Convention Center\u2019s 3,900-seat Ballroom 20, with overflow seating available and large projection screens in the Sails Pavilion and in a second ballroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a dance or party as the name may imply, it is similar to the style of a talent show, set on a large stage in front of an audience, presenting amazing costumes crafted by our non-professional but still highly creative and talented attendees. Most costumes will be impressive re-creations from movies, television, anime, comic books, fantasy art, Broadway shows, and video games; others will be completely original designs from the imagination. Some entries will be solo costumes; others will be groups with a shared theme, and no purchased costumes are allowed. There is no additional cost to participate, or to have a seat in the audience, for anyone with a Comic-Con badge valid for Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do we title this event the Masquerade instead of simply a costume contest? Simply put, \u201cto masquerade\u201d means to portray someone other than yourself, and our contestants often bring to the stage as much performance imagination as they do design and crafting skills by portraying characters and creating presentations with specially selected music that create story, mood, drama, humor and more. Our giant high-definition projection screens and multiple cameras provide great close-up views of the costumes to everyone. Audience members need not wear a costume, but feel free to add to the fun and spirit of the event and dress in something unique and fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our emcee will again be the always entertaining five-time Hugo Award\u2013winning artist and writer Phil Foglio. Together with his wife, Kaja Foglio, he\u2019s created, published, and contributed to a variety of comics, art, and games in science fiction, fantasy, and steampunk genres through their company and website www.StudioFoglio.com, featuring their popular Girl Genius series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the costume presentations, while the judges tally their scores, the audience will be entertained by the Jedha Temple chapter of The Saber Guild<\/strong>, the largest not-for-profit Lucasfilm-recognized Star Wars lightsaber club in the world, thrilling us with an original Star Wars <\/em>storyline, great screen-accurate costumes, and impressive choreographed action. After their show, we will see the exceptionally talented Corps Dance Crew<\/strong> returning to our stage. The Corps, a non-professional entertainment group that melds cosplay, various modern dance styles, and lively popular music, perform all over Southern California to bring anime, comics, movies, and other pop culture to life, bringing new shows each year at Comic-Con, WonderCon, and many other conventions and other events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Masquerade tickets assure a seat, but are not required:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than see attendees stand in line for hours Saturday to be certain they get a seat, free tickets will be given out at 12 noon on Saturday to those lining up near Ballroom 20, and tickets will be available again from 3:00\u20135:00 PM at the Masquerade Desk until all are given out. Once you have your ticket, you are guaranteed a seat, and you can go enjoy other programming and line up later knowing there is a chair for you. After the ticket-holders line has gone into the ballroom, there is open seating for anyone who arrives until the room is filled, no ticket required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional badge holders who are program participants and a limited number of representatives of the press with verified credentials may obtain seating tickets ahead of time at the Masquerade Desk near Ballroom 20 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. And of course, special invited guests of the convention may request VIP seating. Attendees with special needs should visit the Deaf Services or Disabled Services Desks in the lobby of Hall A to learn about and reserve their special seating for the show. As always, there will be a signer for the hearing impaired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photography:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No flash photography is allowed of the stage presentations, but non-flash photography and video recording are welcome. There will be a flash-allowed Photo Area set in a nearby room where contestants will pose after their stage presentations, and photographers or press wishing Photo Area access should reserve a spot by writing to masq@comic-con.org or signing up at the Masquerade Desk at the convention if spots are still available then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Comic-Con International trophies to be awarded in various categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Comic-Con Masquerade trophy medallions, custom-designed for us by popular fantasy artist Sue Dawe and fabricated by the same company that produces awards for the Emmy\u00ae, Golden Globes\u00ae, and People’s Choice\u00ae Awards, are bestowed upon winners by the judges panel in categories of <\/em>Best in Show, Judges\u2019 Choice, Best Re-Creation, Best Original Design, Best Workmanship, Most Humorous, Most Beautiful,<\/em><\/strong> and<\/em> Best Young Fan<\/em><\/strong>. Those trophy winners will also receive free 4-day badges to Comic-Con International 2026!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Additional a<\/strong>wards:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several companies and organizations are generously supporting the event by offering cash and other prizes of their own, and will be awarding winners selected by their representatives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n