• All participants must have a valid LEVEL UP Ticket. No tickets will be provided to the participants.
• Only solo performances are allowed.
• Costumes from comics, manga, anime, video games, TV series, movies and cartoons may be represented.
• Participants under 14 years of age need a declaration of consent from their parents. 
• There is a minimum number of participants for a contest to be held.
• The jury's decision cannot be contested and is binding. It cannot be corrected retrospectively. Legal recourse is excluded.

Performance

• There are three marked spots on the stage for orientation, which can be used for posing, but these do not have to be used. Each participant can choose how they would like to design the performance.
• The stage must be kept clean (no use of liquids, paint, confetti, fireworks or similar items on the stage).
• Small props may be used, provided they can be set up and taken down quickly by the cosplayer and do not leave marks on the stage.
• The props must be taken off the stage quickly and completely after the performance.
• The props must stand on their own. Assistants or stagehands are not allowed.
• Animals are not allowed on stage.
• No objects may be thrown into the audience.
• The jury must not be involved in the performance.
• Audio, video and recordings for the performance must either be uploaded with the registration or sent in mp3 format to info@levelup-salzburg.at no later than one week in advance.

Costume

• The costume must be at least 80% self-made. This means that the main part must be made by the participants themselves or modified independently to such an extent (dyed, resewn, embroidered, altered, painted, or similar) that it can be considered their own work.
• Purchased stockings, shoes, accessories, headwear, etc. are fine, provided they do not constitute the main part of the costume.
• Any parts of the costume that are not homemade must be indicated under "Costume Notes" during registration.
• The costume must be suitable for minors and should cover the relevant parts of your body.
• Weapons, staffs, and hand props may be used on stage, but must comply with the applicable weapons rules of the event. No exceptions will be granted for performances.
• Sexual, racist, offensive and obscene acts, gestures and expressions are not allowed, neither in the performance nor on the costume itself.

General

• Regulated, fair and reasonable actions are the prerequisite for a successful competition, therefore we expect this from all participants.
• The instructions of the team on site must be followed.
• The stage may only be entered after being asked to do so and must be left immediately after the performance.
• The performance is limited to a maximum of 120 seconds (2 minutes).
• The costume is evaluated in advance by the jury members.
• The performance itself is not judged and serves to present the costume to the audience.
• The time and place for judging or performance will be announced in advance by email. Participants must arrive on time.
• The participants agree that any photo, audio and video material recorded during the performance may be used and distributed by the organizer without restriction and without compensation. 

• Any violation of these rules will lead to exclusion or disqualification.
• We reserve the right to conduct a pre-selection process in the event of too many applications.
• We reserve the right to exclude weapons or props from the performance if they do not comply with the weapons regulations.
• Rule violations that only come to light after the event may result in the revocation of prizes already awarded. In this case, a claim for compensation may be made against the affected participants.
• Depictions of extreme violence, self-mutilation or sexual content are not allowed and will result in disqualification.
• We reserve the right to change rules on site if necessary. However, the changes must be communicated to all participants immediately to give them the opportunity to adjust to the new situation.

Weapon rules

Prohibited weapons These items are not permitted on the event grounds or in the hall. Anyone attempting to do so risks having their ticket confiscated and being immediately banned from the premises. It makes no difference whether the person in question possesses a valid firearms license authorizing them to carry the weapon. Prohibited weapons include, for example:

• Real firearms, SoftAir and gas pistols (including unloaded and rendered inoperable), real or confusing ammunition (e.g., cartridges or hand grenades)
• Pyrotechnics and explosive devices (firecrackers, rockets, etc.)
• Throwing weapons (e.g. throwing stars, throwing arrows, throwing knives)
• Brass knuckles, manslayers, steel rods
• Strangle weapons (e.g. nunchucks)
• Cutting and stabbing weapons with sharp or blunt metal blades or points (e.g., katanas, swords, sabers, machetes, hatchets, morning stars, knives of all types except pocket knives)
• So-called prima facie weapons, firearms that can be mistaken for a real weapon (exception: at least 50% larger or smaller than the original, contain neon-colored materials).
• Acoustic or light emitting anti-personnel devices
• Laser pointer with an accessible emission limit of more than 1 mW
• Chemical weapons (including irritant gas and pepper spray)
• Items that are prohibited by Austrian law

Weapons that have passed the check You may use these items for photoshoots around the event grounds and, by prior arrangement, also for the cosplay contest. Please note, however, that if these weapons fail the security check, they will be prohibited on the premises, as they could cause problems or be dangerous to others. Repeatedly being seen with these weapons on the premises may result in exclusion from the event. Weapons that will be rejected include:

• Imitation weapons, where the predominant part is made of metal or wood / metal.
• Weapon imitations that are larger than 1.5 m.
• loose massive metal chains
• Edged weapons with blade substitutes made of wood, plastic, etc. (e.g., katanas, swords, sabers, machetes, axes, knives of all kinds except pocket knives)
• Rods or tubes made of hard materials such as metal, wood, hard plastic, fiberglass, and combinations thereof.
• Riding crops over 1 m in length, hand whips with measuring tape over 1.5 m, staff whips with handle over 1 m and measuring tape over 1.5 m in length
• Arrows of all types, regardless of material
• If you need a claimed weapon for the cosplay competition, please let us know. We will bring the weapon to the stage for you. Of course, prohibited weapons are excluded from this.

Permitted weapons These weapons may be carried by you throughout the entire event. We will mark them with a wristband. We are striving to find the most discreet solution possible. Permitted weapons include:

• Weapon imitations made of foam, rubber, cardboard, soft plastic and thermoplastic materials that, in combination, do not exceed 1.5 m in length
• LARP weapons ("Live Action Role Play" - generally foam or latex replicas with stabilization core)
• Throwing weapons, if they do not have a solid core and are made of soft, flexible materials
• Weapons and rods made of wood in combination with cardboard, plastic or other soft materials, as long as the wood content does not predominate.
• Blunted slash and thrust weapon imitations
• Shields that are not predominantly made of metal (up to a diameter of 80 cm)
• Rods for which it is clear that they are used only for stabilization
• Bow (without a real string, up to 1.5 m in length) and quiver
• Flexible and blunt arrows
• Riding crops, whips (if not mentioned among the offending weapons)

If you have any questions, please contact info@levelup-salzburg.at