From the Land Beyond is proud to announce its first Sci-Fi/Horror Costume Contest, open to all ages and skill levels. So grab your spooky or spacey costumes, and strut your stuff on the stage!

Sign-Ups and judging will be held on-site Saturday, September 26th, from 12pm to 2:00pm. No further sign-ups will be allowed after 2pm, so don't miss out!

The costume contest will be limited to 30 entries, on a first come, first serve basis. Entries may be individuals or groups. (Group entries will be judged as an entire group, so members of the group will not be eligible for individual awards.) Craftsmanship Judging will be done immediately after sign-up, so please arrive in costume.

After judging is complete, all contestants will be allowed to participate in a catwalk style fashion show on the main events stage. After which, the contest winners will be announced, and prizes will be awarded.

a) All entries must be registered for the convention, and have their badges clearly displayed during contest sign-in and judging.

b) From the Land Beyond is a Sci-Fi and Horror convention, so it is expected that all costume entries will be related to Science Fiction, Horror, or both. Entries that don't fall into either genre will not be eligible for this contest.

c) This is a family friendly convention. Please, no nudity, or potential "wardrobe malfunctions". If your costume in determined to be too skimpy, or inappropriate for children, you will be asked to cover the offending portion before participating in the contest. Failure to do so will result in disqualification and possible ejection from the convention.

d) Costumes purchased as-is (store bought) or created by someone who is not a member of your group are ineligible for the costume contest. If it is determined during judging that your costume was not made in any part by you or a member of your group, your entry will be disqualified. (Our judges will recognize a purchased costume. So please, don't risk it.)

e) Youth costumes (13 years and under) made by a parent are eligible, as long as the parent is present at the time of judging.

f) Found item (piece meal) costumes are eligible, as long as they have been significantly modified* from their original form.

*An example of significantly modified: Purchasing a white dress shirt, dyeing it blue, then embellishing it with insignia.
An example of not significantly modified: Purchasing a white dress shirt, then squirting fake blood on it.

Awards Include:

• Best Craftsmanship: Sci-Fi
• Best Craftsmanship: Horror
• Best Craftsmanship: Cross Genre
• Best Youth Costume (Age 13 and Under)
• Outstanding Original Design
• Judge's Awards

NOTE: Costumes that have already won an award at in a previous contest are not eligible for Craftsmanship Judging. (Give the other guys a chance, ok?)

Our judges have been hand-picked based on their sewing and crafting expertise, and experience in the costuming field. However, they can't be expected to be familiar with every character and show out there. So please, help them out by bringing reference materials for your costume. A color printout is best, but black and white will do in a pinch. Don't bring something you can't afford to lose. FtLB and our judges are not responsible for keeping track of your possessions, and cannot be held responsible for lost items such as artbooks and action figures.

a) Any weapon that is permitted at the convention may appear on stage, subject to the same conditions it was given when it was peace-bonded. For example, a sword that was peace-bonded by zip-tying it into its sheath may appear on stage as long as it remains in the sheath. Any weapon not allowed at the convention will also not be allowed on stage.

b) No functional bladed or projectile weapon will be allowed on stage. This includes temporarily disabled Airsoft guns.

d) Weapons may not be brandished or otherwise pointed at anyone not on stage. (ie: the audience)

d) All weapons that will be carried on stage must be approved by the Costume Contest Director during sign-ups.

e) No throwing of any weapon (or anything else for that matter...) will be allowed on stage. This also includes things like glitter, fake blood, confetti, feathers, or sand. Basically, leave the stage the way you found it. Tossing an object in a controlled manner (eg: flipping a coin, juggling) is allowed, but must be cleared with the Costume Contest Director beforehand.

With your help, we can make this a safe and fun event for all. We look forward to seeing your creative costume ideas this September!