Northwest Leather Celebration

Frequently Asked Questions

A lot of folks may be unfamiliar with the Northwest Master/slave competition. This should answer some of the questions you might have:

1. What is a Master/slave contest how does it work?
   From the Judges Manual for IM/s:
   
   Basic Philosophy for the International Master/slave Contest and Titles
   
   The producers of the International Master/slave Contest are committed to providing the leather/BDSM community with an International Master and an International slave who will represent the Master/slave community and lifestyle with integrity and competence. The holders of the International Master and International slave titles will be the spokespersons for the Master/slave community, and as such, one of the most important attributes of the titleholders should be the ability to clearly and effectively communicate what it means to them to live and identify as Master or slave.
   
   It is expected that the holders of the titles will take every opportunity to educate the leather/BDSM community on the Master/slave lifestyle, and will actively seek out venues that will allow them to speak on Master/slave issues, whether that be through speeches, seminar presentations, participation on panel discussions, writing articles, etc.
   
   The International Master and slave titles are not about a particular “look,” dress, body type, gender or sexual orientation. There is no required set of protocols that International Master and slave are expected to follow.
   
   Contestants are not required to have a formal “platform”; however, questions from the judges regarding any specific plans or goals the contestants might have should they win the titles are quite appropriate.
   
2. Who are the producers of the Northwest Master/slave contest?
   
   The producer for the Northwest Master/slave contest is smOdyssey, Inc.
   
3. On what basis are the contestants judged?
   
   Contestants are judged in five areas:
   
   i. an interview with the judging panel
   ii. a two minute speech (by each Master and each slave) given to a live audience
   iii. Presentation, a short (10 minute) synopsis of a seminar or class to be given by the M/s couple at Leather events
   iv. “Pop Questions” answers to randomly selected questions are given by each Master and slave on stage during the contest
   v. M/s dynamic – observed by the judges throughout the contest weekend. This is a subjective measure of the degree to which each competing couple models an identifiable M/s dynamic.
   
4. What are the Regional Contests?
   
   The IM/s contest is organized into five regions:
   
   A. Great Lakes
   B. Northeast
   C. Southeast
   D. Southwest
   E. Northwest (the newest and final region to join the contest)
   
   Please see TIL's website for a map showing the boundaries of each region and for a brief history of the past IM/s contest winners. This site also contains links to each of the existing regional contests.
   
5. Is the Northwest Master/slave contest weekend any fun or is it just a bunch of boring speeches?
   
   First and foremost the speeches really are not boring. They are brief, very well written and beautifully delivered but more to the point the Northwest Master/slave contest is a full leather weekend. There is a mix of both M/s –D/s track seminars and Leather/SM seminars, entertainment, play parties and more.
   
6. Do I need to be in a Master/slave relationship to attend?
   
   Absolutely not, only a percentage of attendees at South Plains Leather Fest, Southwest Leather Conference, Great Lakes Leather Alliance, Northwest Master-slave, Together in Leather (southeast) practice M/s. The IM/s contest and its regional feeder contests are held in conjunction with established broad based leather events.
   
7. When will this event occur?
   
   This event will occur April 17-19, 2009.