THE GRAND INTERNATIONAL: A Showcase Event - Memorial Judging, Part 4 1960s – 1970s

Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a series of articles about NCA's famous Grand International Award (and the related costume awards) written by Pam Markel, immediate past president. To read the previous article, click here.

     Costumers Showcase, as it was finally named, underwent many changes as the NCA members drew from their competitive talents and created beautiful, challenging and outrageous costumes to enter in a variety of categories, in hopes of winning the top prize, The Grand International. The ‘60s and ‘70s brought additional awards given to the best of each category. These were named Memorial Awards and were presented for construction, usefulness and originality.

     Memorial awards in the 1960s began to take on changes and a more formal shape. The categories were sparse at first, with just a few options; most authentic single, most creative single, most creative group, most authentic group. In 1963, more categories were added to the judging. There were 16 categories which included groups, singles, most authentic copy, and most novel and interesting. Such categories as “Most Spectacular Single Woman” and “Best Costume by an Associate Member” were brand new and challenging.

      The Bal Masque Memorial Award entry rules changed drastically in 1964. There were seven basic categories with two distinctions.

  1. Authentic Copy Single/Group
  2. Creative Single/Group
  3. Comic Single/Group
  4. Most Novel Single/Group
  5. Most Spectacular Single/Group
  6. Best Makeup
  7. Grand International

     Categories one through five had the opportunity winning one of six awards, three awards for the single entry and 3 for the group entry. Awards were referred to as:

            3rd place Judges Award

            2nd place President’s Award

            1st place Trophy award

     The Makeup category had three awards 1st, 2nd and 3rd for combined single and group entries. There were specific rules for governing and judging these categories. They were as follows:

  1. Single entry – costume for one person only
  2. Group entry – costumes for two or more people
  3. Prizes won by persons attending the ball which were supplied by a Host firm or firms, will be awarded to the firm supplying the costume not the person wearing it.
  4. Associate members are invited to attend the Bal Masque in costume but were not permitted to compete for awards.
  5. Member firms can enter only 1 category and may also compete for the Makeup award.
  6. Judges awarded points for costumes based on the following:
  • Costume 1-75 pts
  • Makeup 1-10 pts
  • Presentation 1-15 pts.

     The 1970s Memorial Awards began to take a more sophisticated and memorable twist. It began with NCA member Bob Schultz and his wife Anne, from Van Beau Costumes in Royal Oak, Michigan. The Schultz’s were extremely interested in creating wonderful animal costumes. Bob served on the NCA Board of Directors. When he passed away, he left everything to the National Costumers Association. In his honor the NCA created the Memorial Fund, a means of providing scholarships and a business exchange program. In 1977, “The Robert Schultz Memorial Award for Animal/ Mascot” category in the Memorial Judging was born. As years passed the memorial awards were created without specific names associated with it, except for Makeup, which someone suggested being called the “Murl Daniels Award” because of his talent and dedication to the NCA.

      All the other Memorial Awards categories were given names during Dwayne Ibsen’s presidency (1994-96). To honor past costumers who created beautiful competition pieces, the National Costumers Association Board of Directors created a list of names and categories to be honored. Past President Dwayne Ibsen said, “At the time of Showcase, surviving relatives of those honored by the categories were invited to the President’s banquet. They were introduced and then in turn presented the Memorial Award to the winner in that category to honor their loved one.”

     The following Memorial Award Categories were developed beginning in the 1960s through the 1990s.

            1965: The Warren Hendricks Memorial Award for Outstanding Authentic Costume

            1973: The Percy Rubenstein Memorial Award for Outstanding Comedy Costume

            1977: The Robert Schultz Memorial Award for Outstanding Animal/ Mascot Costume

            1980/1983: The C. Arthur Landes & Joseph Landes Memorial Award for Outstanding Theatre                               Costume.

            1988: The Trosclair Family Memorial Award for Outstanding Commercial Costume

            1988: The Cliff Allen Memorial Award for Outstanding Fantasy Costume

            1988: The Abe Jacobson Memorial Award for Outstanding Masquerade Costume

            1988: The Helen Aune Memorial Award for Outstanding Spectacular Costume

            1989/1991: The Dorothy and La Mar Kerns Memorial Award for Outstanding First Showcase

            1991: The Charles and Elsie Van Riper Memorial Award for Outstanding Holiday Costume

            1991: The William Zauder Memorial Award for Outstanding Makeup

  • These dates were taken from the recorded history of the NCA. There could be discrepancies.

     From 1965-1977, the Memorial Costume Award entries grew more extravagant and elaborate. Mascots captured a lot of attention as well as entries of large groups. Before the formal member named awards were instituted, the awards given encompassed new categories such as “Blacklight Single, Color, and Non-Professional Makeup. “

      National Costumer Association members continually stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park with their designs and imaginations.  These costumes may have not won the illustrious Grand International showcase, but how magnificent they were.

      Next month, we will explain the various Memorial Awards categories in detail along with their founders. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

Your Past Presidents and Historians: Dwayne Ibsen and Pamela Markel