Let's not kid ourselves: dragon*con's annual Dawn contest is a brilliant excuse for some red-headed T&A for several thousand sex-starved male geeks.

For the rest of us, it's a chance to stand around for an evening, shake our heads in shock/derision/disbelief, and snap lots of photos for the folks back home who really haven't the foggiest idea of the enormity of what they're missing.

This slideshow of Dawn contestants [link removed in 2008] pretty much says it all. Be aware - all of the costumes are work-questionable at best, and there are several that are most definitely not worksafe.

You'll also never look at international safety orange in the same way again, but once you see the photo in question, you'll agree that that statement pretty much goes without saying.

Have I mentioned lately how much I adore dragon*con? I'm firmly convinced that it does not actually exist in my current reality.

It would explain a lot…