Qualifications

The Northwest Master slave Contest is one of the five feeder contests (Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest, Midwest) to the International Master slave contest held at South Plains Leatherfest in Dallas, Texas each March. Winners of the Northwest Master slave Contest are required to enter the International contest and represent the Northwest Region at South Plains Leatherfest.

To qualify, contestants must have been in their current self-identified Master/slave or Owner/property relationship for a minimum of one full year, have each been a member of the Leather and/or M/s community for a minimum of 4 years, be at least 21 years of age by the application deadline, and live in the Northwest Region – Northern California (Fresno, Monterey, and Mono Counties & north), Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Reno/Sparks/Carson City, Nevada. The contest is open to pairs who identify as Master and slave or Owner and property regardless of race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The titles are not about a particular look, dress, body type, nor is there a required set of protocols that contestants are expected to follow. Contestants are not required to have a formal platform; however, questions from the judges regarding any specific plans or goals are appropriate.

Contestants are Judged in Five Areas

1. Interview with the judging panel (150 points)

2. Two-minute speech given on stage by each contestant (100 points)

3. Ten-minute educational presentation on an M/s topic (100 points)

4. Pop question answered on stage by each contestant (75 points)

5. The pair's M/s dynamic as observed by the judges throughout the contest weekend (75 points)

There are seven judges and the high and low scores in each category are eliminated. A perfect overall score would be 500. The contestant pair with the highest overall score is the winner.

Titleholder Responsibilities

The titleholders’ primary mission is to provide outreach and education to the Leather, Fetish/BDSM/Kink and M/s communities about the Master/slave lifestyle by attending and teaching at a minimum of four events during your title year. These events need not be large events. Attendance and participation at smaller events, such as for one's local dungeon or club, fulfill the requirement just as well as presentations at large weekend conferences.

The titleholders must also attend Northwest Leather Celebration the year following their victory and participate in the step down process. In addition to these responsibilities, the winners are required to provide quarterly activity and expense reports to the contest Owners. The travel fund is disbursed quarterly. Titleholders who serve less than a full year will not receive the entire year's travel fund.

With the sole exception of the International Master slave contest, the Northwest regional titleholders may not singly or as part of a pair, triad, etc. compete in any other title contest throughout the duration of their title year.

The titleholders must agree that during their regional title year and thereafter, they will not engage in interviews with or appear in 'vanilla' mainstream media (whether print, television, film, radio or internet based) to discuss or call attention to the Northwest Master slave Contest or the International Master slave Contest without the express written consent of the Owners/Producers of the Northwest Master slave Contest and the Owner/Producer of the International Master slave Contest.

In addition to promoting the Master/slave lifestyle and representing the Northwest region at the International Master slave contest, the winners are expected to promote Northwest Leather Celebration, the host event for the Northwest Master slave contest, as well as help recruit and encourage the following year's contestants.