Policies

We are a kid-friendly and family-friendly event, and we want to make sure everyone has a good time and enjoys the con in a friendly and safe environment. 

 

Attendees must respect common sense rules for public behavior, personal interaction, common courtesy, and respect for personal space and private property.

​

• No harassing, bullying or any other kind of offensive behavior - we are really serious about it! 

• Respect other people’s personal space and ask permission before photographing, touching, or in any way making contact with anyone else.

• No smoking or vaping.

• No alcohol.

• No drugs.

• No selling of bootleg products.

• No public display of mature content.

• No hate speech or discrimination of any group in any form.

• No political messages in any form. 

• No pets (except service animals).

• No real weapons are allowed as a part of your costume. All props must be safe for wearing around people (no sharp edges). 

• No littering.

• No property damage.

• Photographs and/or video will be taken at the event. By taking part in this event you grant Gem State Comic Con full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/video filming, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for publicity. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity, social media, and press releases.

• All guests, vendors and programming are subject to change.

• All tickets sales are final and are not subject to refund. If you purchased your ticket but can't attend the convention, you can transfer your ticket to another person before the convention. 

• Tickets can't be copied or duplicated. 

• All attendees must wear a wristband at all times.

• Children under the age of 13 must be supervised by a parent/guardian at all times.

• Gem State Comic Con reserves the right to revoke, without refund, the badge of any attendee not in compliance with this policy. All violations will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

• Gem State Comic Con reserves the right to refuse service to anyone without explaining the reason.

​

​

COSPLAY CONTEST RULES:

 

1. Participation in the Cosplay Contest is free for all Gem State Comic Con attendees. For participation in the Cosplay Contest, registration is required. Cosplayers interested in competing in the cosplay contest can sign up at Gem Star's table at the event starting at 10 am.

 

2. Gem State Comic Con and Cosplay Contest are family-friendly events. All costumes must cover "swimsuit areas" – no nudity. Full body-paint costumes are not eligible for craftsmanship.

 

3. Gem State Comic Con and Cosplay Contest and safe and PG-13 friendly environment. Any participant exhibiting hate speech and behavior towards any group will be disqualified from the competition and asked to leave the event. Language and hand gestures on stage have to be in compliance with the PG-13 rule. Violators may be disqualified from the competition.

 

4. The contest is open to characters from published works; movies, TV shows, comic books, cartoons, video games, and card games, as well as cross-over characters.

 

5. The contest will be held in 3 categories: Baby+ (age 0 to 5), Kids (ages 6 to 16), and Adults (ages 17 and up).

 

6. Each contestant may only enter one costume into the competition and can be in only one Category.

 

7. Judgement criteria: Visual Design, Creativity, Craftsmanship, Overall Image and Presentation.

 

8. Store-bought costumes are eligible to enter. However, preference will be given to crafted costumes. Exception may be given in the Baby+ and Kids Categories.

 

9. Contestants are not allowed to throw anything off the stage, or use anything on stage that will leave a mess. This includes (but is not limited to) liquids, glitter, and confetti. No pyrotechnics, fire, explosive devices, live animals, or similar special effects can be used during the competition.

 

10. No real weapons are allowed to be used as part of costumes. Prohibited: metal blades whether sharp or blunt e.g. swords, axes, and knives; actual guns, rifles, or artillery; heavy bats;  toughened plastic training sword; explosives and incendiary devices; functional strung bows or crossbows, sharp arrows or bolts; heavy gas canisters; protruding nails or other sharp items; laser pointers. All prop weapons must be safe to be worn in public.

 

11. All contestants must be present at the beginning of the Cosplay Contest. No-shows are not eligible to compete event if the registration form was filled out.

 

12. All events at Gem State Comic Con including the cosplay contest, have the potential to be photographed/filmed/recorded in some fashion. These recordings may be used in future galleries or promotions. Signing up for, and/or attending, any cosplay event is done with the understanding that recording could occur at any time, and permission is tacitly given for the participant's likeness to be used.

 

13. Top three places in each Category will be awarded with prizes. Grand Prize for the 1st Place in the Adult Category is $500 cash.