Cosplay

Masquerade

What is a Cosplay Contest?

A cosplay contest is a chance for a cosplayer to showcase their home made cosplay! Get a chance to talk about your cosplay in front of talented cosplayer judges who all speciailize in one or more areas of cosplay. Have a chance to chat with the judges afterwards to see where you can learn and imrpove your craft! You'll have a fun time meeting other crafters and cheering each other on.

How it works
The day of the cosplay contest, the contestants will have to meet in the green room to wait their turn to be judged. You'll be given a return time to the stage in order to lineup in the correct order that we will be calling you on stage.

How to Enter
Contestants will be able to apply for the CSC Worlds Collide cosplay contest online through our Google Form. Applying does not guarantee a spot in the contest as it is not first come first serve.

Divisions
The divisions include:

  • 1st Place
  • 2nd Place
  • 3rd Place
  • Best Armour
  • Best Sewing
  • Judges Awards

Best in Show will represent Canada at The Nordic Cosplay Championship in Sweden!


For more information about the Nordic Cosplay Championship please click here
.

Eligibility and General Rules

  • Contestants have read all rules and will abide by rules, we strive for a fair contest, welcoming community, and proper sportsmanship
  • Cosplay contest participants must have a valid Sunday or Weekend World's Collide ticket to participate
  • Contestants must be 18 years of age or older by day of competition and must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
  • Contestants must be available to travel to Närcon 2025 in Sweden to represent Team Canada
  • Cosplays must be based on an official commercial source and must have an official reference picture with a full design (Comic, Manga, Books, Cartoons, Anime, Movies, TV-movies, Musicals, Videogames), meaning that the design cannot be an original character or based on fan art.
  • The costume may have participated in other costume competitions (except previous NCC)
  • All the contestants must be ready for the costumes’ pre-judging. The order of pre- judging will be chosen before the convention and a list will be given to the contestants. The contestant must be ready 30 minutes before their turn. Failure to do so may result in disqualification from the competition.
  • All contestants are to provide a buildbook for judges to reference during pre-judging
  • CSC staff and CSC cosplay contest judges reserve the right to refuse entry or participation to anyone for any reason. Contestants may be disqualified for not following the rules or any other behavior deemed inappropriate by the judges or event organizers
  • Participants may be photographed or filmed during the contest. By entering, participants agree to the use of their likeness for promotional purposes

Rubric

Craftsmanship (40% of score)

  • Costumes MUST be made entirely by the competitor with the exception of wigs, footwear, tights, undergarments, and electronics. No purchased, rented, or commissioned costumes may enter to compete
  • Costumes must adhere to cosplay policy and weapon check, failure to meet this criteria may result in disqualification from the contest
  • Cosplay Policy and Weapon check in Appendix A and B
  • The diversity of methods and materials will be valued, as long as they provide a better result. Judging will not provide significant additional scoring based on personal experiences or how big of a challenge it was for the contestant as a higher value is placed on the final product.
  • Self-patterning done by the contestant will be highly valued. While it is allowed to use existing patterns (includes sewing patterns, embroidery files, and 3D print files) as long as this accounts for less than 10% of the final costume, commissioned or store-bought patterns with no significant modifications or adaptations will deduct points from the craftsmanship score.
  • Manual sewing or embroidery will not be valued positively if the result is worse than what it could be with a machine. It will only be more valued if the manual work is of the same quality as what was done by machine.
  • The choice of materials accurate for the characters’ time period will be valued positively. For example, if the cosplay is from the Middle Ages, an accurate choice of fabric will be highly valued.
  • The cosplay will be compared to the reference picture, but the judges will not take into consideration the physical appearance of the participant.
  • Make-up and wig styling will be taken into consideration and have to be done by the contestant.
  • To avoid confusion, be aware that a simple cosplay with neat craftsmanship will have a higher grade than a massive costume with bad craftsmanship.

Performance (40% of Score)

  • The performance cannot last less than 90 seconds or more than 150 seconds without any exception but may be any length between 90-150 seconds.
  • It is prohibited to take the performance outside of the stage, e.g. to the area between stage and audience. However, running off stage at the end of the performance is allowed.
  • Stage props must be lightweight enough for 2-4 people to carry up on stage
  • Use of fire, water, or scattering of items requires permission from the stage crew. This must be acquired in advance.
  • Contestants should be able to walk in their cosplay without outside assistance. Stage helpers are allowed to help contestants on to the stage in case of steps or steep surfaces
  • It is allowed to use music, videos or dialogues from the original source. Other music, pre-recorded dialogue, or background videos are also allowed.
  • Performance content: is the performance understandable, how is the arc of the performance handled, how well it represents and suits the source material and character
  • Parody is allowed and will be judged on how cleverly it parodies the source material and character
  • The originality of the show and acting will be highly rated, as well as the body and facial expression
    • Body and face expression is an important aspect of the performance. Unless it’s because the character lacks any, not having body or facial expression will be lowly scored.
  • When it comes to cosplays of idols or characters of similar themes (Love Live, Vocaloid, etc.), the performance must contain something apart from official source dancing choreography or singing. If it occurs, dancing or lip-syncing should not last for more than 30 seconds. Playbacks of general songs are allowed. As an example, a group of Love Live cannot dance and lip-sync during all the performance, but a cosplayer of Charlie from Hazbin Hotel can perform her song while she is acting.
  • Erotic or pornographic scenes are forbidden, as well as any immoral acts unnatural for the character which could disrupt the order of the contest or disturb the audience.
  • If there are dialogues in the performance, contestants must provide a clean recording without noise, as the quality of such can deduct points for the performance.

Likeness to Character (20% of Score)

  • How well the contestant embodies the spirit of the character through their costume and performance




Apply