Costume
Contest Info.

Carnevale! Venice Beach 2009
Costume Contest Information

What would any carnevale be without colorful, festive costumes? That’s why Dogtown Artists Group, the organizers of Carnevale! Venice Beach 2009, invite you to join the festivities and fun dressed in your most extravagant costumes!

To help encourage participation, Dogtown Artists Group is once again hosting our annual Carnevale! Costume Contest during the event. Come strut your stuff on stage for fun and the chance to win fabulous prizes. Entries will be judged on consistency with the carnevale-style theme, creativity, originality, presentation and audience impact.

All attendees who wish to enter the costume contest must register at the Carnevale! Venice Beach 2009 Information Booth any time between Noon and 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6th, the day of the event. There will be a brief organizational meeting for participants with the Costume Contest Coordinator at 6:45 p.m., just prior to the start of contest. After a preliminary round of judging at 7:00 p.m., the final round of costume judging will begin at 8:00 p.m.

Costume Contest Rules

1. All participants will be required to go on stage to show off their costume. The Master of Ceremonies will announce the participant's name; give a brief description of the costume and the name of the designer.

2. All participants should expect to be photographed both on and off-stage, by both video and still photography. Dogtown Artists Group may use any photograph taken of you in costume for any purpose, including without limitation in promotional materials and on merchandize. Your participation in the Carnevale! Venice Beach 2009 Costume Contest is your consent to be photographed, and your consent to the use of the photographs by Dogtown Artists Group.

3. You will be permitted a maximum of one minute on stage. Generally, the shorter the presentation the better it will be received by the audience. During your presentation, be sure the judges and the crowd have the opportunity to view your costume from all sides and that you draw particular attention to any unique or interesting aspect of the costume design or construction. Dogtown Artists Group may shorten the permitted time, depending upon how many people participate in the costume contest. You will be informed of the exact maximum allotted time at the pre-contest organizational meeting. If you exceed the allotted time, you may be disqualified from receiving any prizes.

4. Costumes that won an award at a prior Carnevale! Venice Beach celebration are not permitted to compete. However, you as the winner are not ineligible; only the winning costume. Feel free to enter with another costume or if you wish, wow the crowd with last year’s award-winner and we’ll introduce you to the crowd as a prior winner.

5. You must advise the Costume Coordinator no later than when you register for the costume contest if you will be using any special effects during your presentation.

6. Please leave the stage the way you found it. Remember to remove any props, costume pieces, etc. which you may have discarded during your time on stage.

7. No messy or sticky substances (wet, dry or oily) are allowed as part of the costume or presentation.

8. The use of pyrotechnics, including but not limited to, fire, flash powder, explosives, smoke bombs or fireworks are not allowed as part of the costume contest.

9. Other than beads, candy, confetti or other small harmless objects, contestants should not throw items from the stage into the audience or at the judges. Projectiles of any sort are not allowed.

10. Except in the case of seeing-eye and other animal guides, no live animals will be allowed on stage.

11. Costumes with electric power requirements must be self-contained. There will be no access to electrical outlets on stage.

12. Parents are required to accompany the child during the events. Small children must be under the control of a responsible adult at all times.

13. Surprise the audience, not the Carnevale! Venice Beach staff and volunteers. If you are planning something completely different, please let the Costume Coordinator know well in advance. All such information will be held in the strictest confidence. We wouldn’t want to ruin your surprise.

14. No nudity is permitted. Persons wearing costumes which are lewd, obscene or offensive will not be permitted to participate in the Costume Contest or appear on stage. Whether a costume is lewd, obscene or offensive shall be in the sole discretion of the Costume Coordinator.

15. Except in the case of seeing-eye and other animal guides, no live animals will be allowed on stage.

16. Any participant who requires assistance ascending to the stage or walking on stage should alert the Costume Coordinator at or before registration of any necessary accommodations.

17. The violation of any of these rules may disqualify you from receiving a prize, and may disqualify you from participating in future Carnevale! Venice Beach costume competitions, in the sole discretion of Dogtown Artists Group. 

One final note, the Costume Coordinator has full and final authority over all aspects of the Costume Contest including the right to waive any of the above rules if the costumer can convince her of the merits of doing so.

If you need clarification or have question, please send email to CostumeContest@Carnevale.US.