RULES AND GUIDELINES

DESCRIPTION

“What if Lu Guang and Yoo Joonghyuk had to face off and dance to Blink Gone?”

Get ready to dance your way across universes with Doujin Dance Duo 2024! Grab your dance partner, choose your ultimate track, and prepare to compete in this year’s exciting competition. The Doujin Dance Duo is a unique dance-off where top performers face off in a battle of creativity and skill.

Duos must perform in cosplay, but here's the twist: the characters they portray must not come from the same series. However, the music is wide open— there are no song restrictions*! You can dance to both Japanese and mainstream tracks! Doujin Dance Duo happens on Day 3 of Cosplay Matsuri 2024, on December 30, 2024.

*Submitted music must not contain words or lyrics that could be offensive, disrespectful, inappropriate, or discriminatory to individuals or groups.
**All submitted songs are subject to approval.

DISCLAIMER

• Registration and participation in this contest constitute the performers gives the right and the authority to Cosplay.PH organizers/staff, its sponsors, and authorized press media to take pictures and/or videos of registered cosplayers, teams, 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.
• Cosplay.PH organizers and its staff and their relatives up to the 2nd degree of affinity or consanguinity are disqualified from participating in the competition. This includes parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, uncles, or aunts, first cousins, nephews or nieces, and brothers or sisters.
• By joining the contest, you also agree to us adding your email to our mailing system for marketing and promotions of future Cosplay.PH handled and organized events.

REGISTRATION

Contest registration is only available online.

To register online, please click HERE. Teams must provide the following details:

1. The member’s stage names and/or the duo’s name.
2. The legal name of each member.
3. The ages of each member.
4. The names of the characters that the members are cosplaying as.
5. The series from which the character(s) came.
6. The member’s or group leader’s working contact details (mobile phone, emergency contact AND email).
7. BGM for their performance.

NOTE:

• The information above must be truthful; falsifying any of the information will result in instant disqualification and the cosplayer will not be allowed to join the succeeding year's competition as an additional penalty. All registration information will be kept in the strictest of confidence and other cosplayers will not be informed whether a particular competitor has entered the contest or not.
• Online registrants are still REQUIRED to have an event ticket and confirm their participation for the contest on the day itself and are asked to approach the contest registration table ahead of time, otherwise FORFEITING their slot to give way to on-site registrants.
• Online registration for the Doujin Dance Duo will be closed by December 22, 2024, at 11:59PM. This is for us to finalize the list of online registrants. Entries received after the deadline, regardless, if the form accepts it, will be considered NULL and VOIDED.

DOUJIN DANCE DUO GUIDELINES

Contestants who register for the contest are expected to have read and understood these guidelines before completing registration.

Below enumerates what contestants can expect during the pre-contest, contest proper and awarding process.

Pre-Contest

1. Doujin Dance Duo is restricted to a maximum of twelve (12) pairs. There will be no on-site registrations. The Contest Team reserves the right to increase this number, should the team deem it necessary.
2. Doujin Dance Duo is open to ages 13 yrs. old and above. Only contestants who have tickets will be qualified to join.  There will be no additional registration fees to join the contest.

1. Contestants from ages 13 to 17 are allowed to join, given that they have a waiver signed by their parent/guardian; or they must be accompanied by them on the day of the registration.
2. Tickets can be purchased at TicketMAX.

3. Contestants are required to submit their performance BGM (see Background Music Guidelines) prior to the contest. Contestants will be given a maximum of three (3) minutes to perform on stage and song length must not exceed it. Exceeding the time limit will result in a score penalty,

1. All file submissions will be subject to review. If any issues arise, the contest team may request replacements.
2. Please be prepared to provide an alternate file.

4. Contestants must be in costume and must follow both Doujin Dance Duo (see  Cosplay Guidelines)  and general costume guidelines.

1. Characters cosplayed by pairs must not originate from the same series, but they can be from the same universe. In instances where characters with multiple versions across different universes, such as Marvel and DC Comics characters, contestants must specify the version they are portraying.
2. Messy props and acts that can cause property damage are not allowed in the contest (see General Guidelines for additional details).

5. On the day of the contest, confirmed online registrants are still REQUIRED to confirm their participation for the contest. They are asked to approach the contest registration table before 2:00 PM, otherwise FORFEITING their slot to give way to waitlisted registrants. Registration closes at 3:00 PM.
6. Upon confirmation on-site, contestants will be provided with a contestant number tag. This must be worn at all times when at the backstage area. Files submitted upon registration are final.
7. Contestants must be present at the holding area no later than 3:00 PM to prepare for the competition. Failure to arrive prior to the call time may be grounds for disqualification from the contest, regardless if said pair already has an ID number, indicating that he/she is participating in the contest.

Contest Proper

1. When the contestants first approach the stage, they may do a short interview with the host/MC to introduce themselves.
2. Contestants will be given a maximum of three (3) minutes to perform on stage. Exceeding the time limit will result in a score penalty

1. Contestants may also lip sync as part of their performance— this is highly encouraged, but not required. Thus, subject to approval, mic usage will be allowed for the contest but must be requested in advance.

3. At the end of the performance, one (1) judge at random may provide any insights they have regarding their performance.
4. For wait-listed registrants, they must be prepared to immediately provide a copy of their final files.

Awarding

Please take note of the following important procedures. Failure to follow these procedures will result in forfeiting your award. In which case, the next highest-scoring cosplayer will be awarded the prize instead.

1. The winners from previous days will no longer be allowed to join in the succeeding days.
2. The awarding ceremony will happen at 5:45 PM. Ensure that the contest team can reach you with the registered phone number you have provided if you are our winner.

1. The winner will be contacted at least 30-40 minutes before the awarding ceremony and must respond to the contest team within 10 minutes after the text message is sent to confirm they have received the message.

1. If there is a compelling reason for the cosplayer not to be present during the awarding ceremony, they will be required to inform an organizer beforehand and provide a proxy for themselves during the awarding ceremony.

2. The contacted winners must be present at the contest table by the time prescribed in the text message.

3. After the awarding ceremony, the winner will be escorted by a contest team representative to claim their cash prizes.

*Indicated times may be subject to change without prior notice; however, a proper announcement shall be made after informing registered contestants.

COSPLAY GUIDELINES

1. Characters cosplayed by pairs must not originate from the same series, but they can be from the same universe. In instances where characters with multiple versions across different universes, such as Marvel and DC Comics characters, contestants must specify the version they are portraying.

1. Examples of Acceptable Pairs: Captain America (Marvel) and Superman (DC), Diluc (Genshin) and Himeko (Honkai Impact 3rd), Miles Morales (Into the Spiderverse) and Peter Parker (The Amazing Spiderman), Shinra Kusakabe (Fire Force) and Soul Eater Evans (Soul Eater)
2. Examples of Unacceptable Pairs: Nanami Kento (Jujutsu Kaisen) and Haruta Shigemo (Jujutsu Kaisen), Iron Man (Avengers) and Black Widow (Avengers).

2. Contestants must be in costume during their performance, although the costume does not necessarily have to be from any specific series.

1. Cosplay Mashup of characters (i.e., Goku/Batman or Steampunk Sailor Moon) are allowed but must still adhere to Cosplay Guideline #1.
2. Genderbend costumes (i.e., Male Elsa or Female Mario) are allowed in the contest.
3. Original characters are not allowed.

3. Contestants must inform the Contest Team before December 24, 2024, if they will be changing their characters.

BACKGROUND MUSIC GUIDELINES

1. Your BGM shall not exceed a maximum of three (3) minutes. BGMs can be submitted during pre-registration or to follow, HOWEVER, must be sent on or before December 22, 2024, 11:59 PM. 
2. BGMs must be submitted in an MP3 format.
3. BGM submissions are considered final unless the Contest Team finds concerns with the submission.
4. Should the BGM provided by the contestant exceed the maximum three (3) minute time limit, the audio will fade out signaling the duo that the performance should be over. Should the duo continue with their performance beyond the three (3) minutes, judging penalties will be applied (see Judging Penalties below.)

GENERAL CONTEST GUIDELINES

1. Fanservice (i.e. yaoi, yuri, etc.) is allowed but should be “General Patronage”. Violation of the General Patronage rating as well as the following guidelines may be grounds for Cosplay.PH management to disqualify any participant on said grounds:

• Any obscenity, political messages, or endorsements.
• Hate symbols and/or speech.
• Excessive blood and gore.
• Any kind of extreme kind of fanservice (i.e. kissing, PDA, etc.) that is deemed inappropriate for minors; and
• Costumes or outfits that are too revealing (i.e. exposing private parts) are prohibited, if in cosplay.

• Scantily clad and/or sexy costumes or outfits are allowed but not encouraged.
• Cosplay.PH organizers have the right to refuse contestants to join, at their discretion, if they deemed the costume is too revealing.

2. All kinds of costume props must be handled with utmost care and must not be harmful to his/her fellow cosplayers, event staff, and event attendees. The following materials/props are prohibited due to the potential of harming fellow cosplayers, and staff, damage to property, or risk to public health safety:

• Any kind of sharp and/or bladed objects that will be used as costume props that could cut human flesh.
• Any kind of pyrotechnic equipment/s that will be used as costume props that could render damage to the venue and/or property.
• Any fragile material that could potentially break if mishandled, intentionally/unintentionally hit by something/someone, or used as props that could also affect the safety of staff members as well as other cosplayers (i.e. wind chimes, wine glass, etc.)
• Juuls, Vapes, or lit cigarettes are also not allowed.

3. The contests’ organizing team, Cosplay.PH’s organizers and its staff will not be held responsible for damage or injury resulting from mishandling and/or negligence of a cosplayer in his/her use of props/materials throughout the duration of the event.

4. Contestants under eighteen (18) years of age as of the event date must have their parent/s and/or legal guardian/s sign the waiver/image release form which will be distributed at the event.
5. The event organizers reserve the right to disqualify any cosplayer who ignores and/or violates any of the guidelines above also including but not limited to:

• Unsportsmanlike conduct towards other competitors
• “No Photography and video recording” policy (implemented at all times while at the backstage area, especially before the start of the contest)
• Unruly behavior toward other contestants, organizers, and staff.
• Disregarding any given resolution by any Cosplay.PH staff to a concern by the contestant

NOTE: Contestants will be informed should there be any changes to these guidelines. We encourage contestants to keep their communication lines open.

JUDGING CRITERIA

A panel of judges will judge the contest with the following criteria in mind:

1. Performance Quality (60%): Overall quality of the performance including choreography for dancers, creativity of performance, dynamism of steps, etc.
2. Costume Quality and Relevance (20%): The creativity of the costume being worn as well as how it complements the performance of the song.
3. Entertainment Value (20%): The level of entertainment the performance provides as well as overall crowd engagement.

JUDGING PENALTIES

In addition to the judging scores, penalties will be imposed on the following rule infractions:

1. Violating General and/or Cosplay Guidelines (5% Infraction): For every general and/or cosplay guideline not followed, a 5% score deduction will be applied.
2. Exceeding Time Limit (10% Infraction): For every one (1) minute or fraction thereof that the performance exceeds the time limit of one (1) minute, a 10% score deduction will be applied.
3. Un-sportsmanship like Conduct (10% Infraction): For actions that are demeaning to the organizers, staff, or judges or that incite conflict in the competition, a 10% score deduction will be applied. If this unsportsmanlike conduct continues, it may result in disqualification and ejection from the venue grounds. Multiple cases of un-sportsmanship like conduct or willful defamation of character of any of the organizers, staff, judges, or fellow competitors will result in a year-long suspension from any events organized by Cosplay.PH.
4. Intentional Violation of Contest Rules (20% Infraction plus 1-Season Suspension): For proven cases of cheating, dishonesty, and sabotage, a 20% score deduction will be applied. In addition, the offending contestant will be given a 1-Season Suspension where they will be unable to join the competition for the remainder of the competition as well as the next year's competition.

Doujin Dance Duo judges’ decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

AWARDS

At the end of the event, the scores will be tabulated, and the highest scores based on the judges will be determined. Additionally, winners of the Doujin Dance Duo will have a secured slot for Cosplay Mania Cup on Cosplay Mania 2025 but as individual invites/entries. The awards are as follows:

1. Doujin Dance Duo Champion: ₱ 2000 cash, and a Blue Lock Rin Itoshi and Hyoma Chigiri Cosplay
2. Doujin Dance Duo Runner-Up: ₱ 1000 cash

Rules are subject to change and revision without prior notice.

For any inquiries regarding the Doujin Dance Duo, pls contact us at: hello@cosplay.ph

Doujin Dance Duo Rules and Guidelines are the sole property of Cosplay.ph® and Cosplay Philippines®.

The guidelines cannot be copied and/or replicated and/or reproduced for any other event and/or contest without the consent and/or permission from its parent owners.