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Conventions and Events

Awarding of scholarships at conventions, fairs, and other locations will resume in 2022 for scholarship dates beginning in 2023. If you would like to see Costume College Scholarships awarded at your event, please contact [email protected]. (Note that if your event doesn’t have a traditional masquerade or other in-place mechanism for awards, it may be more difficult to add that event to our program.)

General masquerade rules for conventions:

  • You must be a member of the convention to enter the masquerade
  • Masquerades are generally on Friday or Saturday nights
  • You may usually enter as many costumes as you can find persons to wear them
  • There are usually two competitions: presentation and workmanship. Costume College scholarships are awarded for workmanship
  • There is usually one Costume College scholarship offered per masquerade
  • Judges may elect not to award a scholarship, at their discretion

CGW Judges for masquerades are instructed to look for the person who could benefit most from a scholarship to Costume College. This usually means someone who is showing promise in their costume, but they’re not quite there. We don’t necessarily award to the very best costume we see. The judges will try to speak to each contestant to find out whether a contestant would be able to attend Costume College, and to determine if Costume College would be of benefit to them in their costuming journey and/or if the contestant would be interested in teaching at Costume College after they have had the opportunity to attend one of our events.

Currently, Masquerade Scholarship winners are awarded a Costumer’s Guild West one-year membership (online only), Costume College tuition, and one hotel night for use at either Costume College the following year or the year after that. (If the Costume College Scholarship is not used within two Costume Colleges following the award, the membership is returned to the Scholarship Fund.) Awardees must be at least 18 years of age when they attend Costume College.

Conventions where Costume College Scholarships *may* be awarded

Gallifrey One – Los Angeles

Wondercon  – Los Angeles

Costume Con (travels)

Comic-Con International: San Diego

Note that the conventions listed above have Masquerades where Costume College would like to award a scholarship. If you are a CGW member attending one of these conventions or you are involved with the running of the masquerade at one of these events, please contact the scholarship committee.