The Asylum
|UPDATES HAVE BEEN MADE TO COSTUME COMPETITION, STEAMBEAR COMPETITION AND EXHIBITS COMPETITION.
EXHIBITS COMPETITION
The steampunk world is so diverse and creative we found it impossible to divide up gadgets, gizmos, contraptions and mods into classes. Instead we will be awarding the following prizes:
The Pugin Award for Craftsmanship
The Rossetti Award for Aesthetics
The Brunel Award for Spirit of Steampunk
The Jules Verne Award for Ingenuity
There will also be certificates of commendation in the above classes.
Entries for the grand exhibition should be presented to reception between 10 and 10.30 along with a card. The face of the card should have a description of no more than 100 words. The reverse should have your name and ticket number.
THE COSTUME COMPETITIONS
If you would like to enter the costume competition you need to notify us on your arrival at the Asylum when you collect your pass. You should have prepared a piece of paper which includes your real name, your steampunk name if you prefer and a short description of no more than 100 words to be read out whilst you display your costume. You will be asked to report to the Green Room ten minutes before the costume competition which will be at 17:00 on Saturday. You will be required to take part in the costume parade on the stage in the main hall. Our judging panel will award points in the following categories "Overall Impression", "Quality of Execution" and "Interpretation". Once again there will be certificates of commendation as well as titles/prizes.
There will also be a special spot award for the best dressed couple attending the Empire Ball.
Of course the judges decisions are final. Prizes etc will be announced at a later date.
THE STEAMBEAR COMPETITION
To enter a bear into the steambear competition you need to submit the bear between 10.00 and 10.30 to reception. Your bear should be accompanied by a card with a description of up to 100 words on it. The reverse of the card should have your name and ticket number written on it. The competition will be judged by our judging panel and bears can be rescued at 17:00
THE CROQUET COMPETITION
The ruleset in use is http://www.croquet.org.uk/garden/gardenrules.html with the following additions;
1) No time displacement, chronomatic travelling or other forms of playing with causality. It is an altogether more pleasant experience for all if we do not have to spend time and effort recovering balls from last Wednesday or the Jurassic era.
2) All aetheric weaponry, lightning guns, disruptors, disintegrators and the like to be switched off or deactivated whilst playing. We would like to avoid Glass Crater syndrome when people lose their temper over missed shots.
3) No wagers, sidebets or challenges of honour are to be played out during regular play. This is to ensure that professionals and other yahoos are discouraged from taking matters too seriously. A record will be kept of players and their results, to be published after the event. If you insist on pursuing such a course please arrange a private match at another time with the Attendant.
4) The playing surface is to remain inviolate. Tunneling, undermining and summoning armies of mole-men during games will be frowned upon. Transgressors equipment will be seized and any summoned mole-men, morlocks or troglodytes repatriated back to their subterranean kingdoms at the players own expense. I am quite sure I need not extend this to any Rabbits who may be in attendance, but steps will be taken should it be necessary.
On a more general note, we would like to encourage doubles play and invite players to use the croquet pitch as a suitable locale to make new friends or renew previous acquaintances. There will be an Attendant present at the croquet with sufficient mallets for two pairs to play at anyone time, the Attendant will be there to ensure play is fair and the rules adhered to as well as letting people put their names down for games and recording results. Attendants may practice esoteric meditative techniques, to the uninitiated it often appears to be indistinguishable from sleeping in a deckchair. This is not so.
As stated before there are indeed two prizes on offer, the Vulcanus Trophy for the most steampunk mallet and the Queen Alice Cup for the anthropomorphic e.g. An umbrella or cane that converts to a mallet would be a suitable entry to the Vulcanus Trophy whereas a mallet in the form of a Flamingo or Boa Constrictor would be entered in the Queen Alice Cup. A Mallet can only be entered into the competition once it has played a full round of Croquet. Judging rules will be posted at a later date. Other medals and commendations can will be awarded at the organisers discretion and will be fully recognised by the appropriate imaginary authorities.
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
The competition is open to anyone, even people who are not attending the Asylum. The film must be of a steampunk appropriate theme to be considered for judging.
The closing date for entries is August 10th 2009.
Films should run a minimum of two minutes and thirty seconds and a maximum of seven minutes.
Whilst aesthetically sepia tint or black and white films are preferred this is not mandatory. In fact a mixture of sepia tone and colour representing hand tinted frames is encouraged.
Films may be shot in any format the director chooses but are to be submitted on DVD by post. The address for post can be obtained by emailling majortinker@aol.com.
Any material in the film including its soundtrack which may be copyright to people other than the person entering the film will disqualify the entry unless evidence of permission to use the material is also submitted.
Entrants accept that DVDs cannot be returned and the judging panel's decision is final and binding.
Entrants extend permission to show the films without fee or recompense and to publish the films on Youtube in the creation of a "Steampunk Channel". Full credits and recognition will be extended to the film makers.
Entrants also extend permission to the organisers to incorporate a portion of their work (no more than 20%) in any television programme or broadcast which may be made to promote the event or the world of Steampunk. The organisers will make every effort to ensure the film-maker(s) get full credit for their work.
The organisers reserve the right to show or not show films at their discretion.
Entrants are requested to grade their film in accordance with the British Board of Film Censors for information purposes. This is not, of course, legally relevant or binding.
