Category Question

[fleur_fraise]

This question is open to any advice people have for me, but I'd like to hear from the higher-ups too haha.

So three of my friends (nyahaha, shanime_panda, kit2kit) and I are planning to enter the cosplay contest this year as four of the witches from Umineko.

We're just a bit confused as to how to enter since we're all different ages and levels. For instance:
Me- adult journeyman
nyahaha- minor journeyman
shanime_panda- adult novice
kit2kit- minor novice

Here are the options available (in my mind):

Option 1.
Everyone enters separately. As far as I know we can all still walk together, but we'll be judged separately. This would be awkward though because we'll probably all help each other with different parts of the costumes and we might not all win.

Option 2.
Bump everyone up to Journeyman. This seems a little unfair to shanime and kit2kit though, since they've never entered a contest before. We also might have to split by age, so it'd be shanime and I and then nyahaha and kit2kit.

Option 3.
Bump everyone down to Novice. Again, this is kind of unfair since the costumes are so elaborate and I wouldn't consider us "beginners". Also nyahaha and I won this category last year, and I know there was a problem last year with a girl entering a category she had already won before and the judges refused to judge her. I don't want that to happen to us.

I'm thinking Option 2 is our best bet right now, but we'll still probably be awarded (if we win) by minor and adult and not as a whole group.
For reference, shanime and I are 18 and nyahaha and kit2kit will both be 17.

Any advice/suggestions for us?

[Sui Fong]

well im not anyone "higher-up" or official, but i'll put my 2 cents in here.
i see ur problem, and admit it kinda sux. i think that option 2 is ur best bet, but ur right, it's not fair to them. from what u say tho, it doesn't really sound like there is another option.

[Runa]

(1) typically in a "mixed ages" group, we essentially take the average of the entrants' ages and round off to lump everyone together in one group or another. In your case, the 4 of you would be rated as an Adult group (we don't separate groups into multiple categories).  So that "fixes" that question.

(2) as for the Journeyman vs Novice rating...that is a tough call. Since you are all working together on the costumes, you could enter as Journeyman group.  

If you chose to enter individually, you would be allowed to walk on together... so that is also an option (but group entry might be better since we're running low on slots for costume entries...)

(3) you should consider entering a skit     We've got an over-abundance of walk-ons (costume only) entries and ONE skit entry so far. By entering a skit, you increase your chances of winning something (and help us make the cosplay event be more than just a "fashion" show). Also, remember: the skit is UP TO 3.5 minutes long (really short skits are preferred! So a 1 minute skit would allow you to have plenty of stage time to show off your costumes.

[fleur_fraise]

Putting everyone as adult journeyman was what I thought we'd do.  Also we're actually thinking of a skit, we just need to finalize the details and get it down! We're looking for music actually haha.

Thank you so much for answering my question!

[Runa]

You can still send in your skit entry form now        (changes are allowed at a later date if something does change)

We don't collect the audio files until the time of the Technical walk-through (and then you will be handing the CD directly to the sound crew to ensure that the person who's going to have to play that sound file has it in his hands.)