Registration
Registration for the Anime Matsuri 2018 Cosplay Contests begins on January 15th, 2018 and closes on February 28th, 2018, or when all slots are filled up. All audio/video media for the Contest is due on March 4, 2018.
There will be a total of 40 entries via online submission. Once the spots fill up online registration will close and a waiting list will be created.
Contest Rules
General
As participants in the contest are representatives of the community, positive behavior is expected. Any kind of harassment, including harassment on social media or improper conduct, will not be tolerated and will be grounds for dismissal from the convention as well as possible criminal charges.
The maximum number of participants allowed in a group is 8; this number includes stage ninjas or other non-competing helpers.
Changes to entries need to be emailed to cosplay@animematsuri.com. If you wish to change the entire entry, including series and/or characters, please submit a new entry and send an email to cosplay@animematsuri.com communicating the change in entry. No changes will be accepted after February 28th, 2018, midnight CST.
Costumes
All genres of costume are allowed, however original costumes are not allowed. Each costume must have an original source (e.g. movie, tv show, manga, video game, etc.).
All costumes must be at least 75% made or altered by the contestants themselves. If a contestant has help or has commissioned part of their costume the person must be present during pre-judging to have that part of the costume count towards their overall score.
No costume can have won a major (Best of) award at any convention or recognized event prior to AM; in addition, professional or industry personnel are restricted from entering. If you have any questions about this please contact us at cosplay@animematsuri.com.
Stage Presentation
Contestants will be given 2 minutes for stage presentation. While there is some leeway with time, if a contestant grossly disregards the time limit it will result in disqualification.
Performances must be PG: offensive language and/or vulgar performances are not allowed.
Dancing is only allowed if the choreography is completely original (no Hare Hare Yukai, Para-Para, etc.). Performances that include those dances or songs within are accepted as long as they are not the main concept.
Contestants must move at 3/4 speed for all combat and action sequences. Stunts must be approved by the Cosplay Staff.
Nothing is to be left on the stage after the performance including, but not limited to, glitter, confetti, and streamers. Liquids and pyrotechnics are not allowed.
Pre-Judging
NOTE CHANGE TO PRE-JUDGING: All pre-judging will occur Thursday March 29th; there will not be any pre-judging on Friday or Saturday.
Contestants must have their costumes with them for pre-judging. It is highly recommended that the full costume is worn, however this is not a requirement.
Pre-judging will take place during three time slots on Thursday. Each entry will be assigned a time of 5 minutes to meet with the judges for craftsmanship evaluation. Your time slot will be confirmed and emailed to the primary contact’s email approximately 2 weeks prior to the convention. Printed reference images and a WIP book for the judges are strongly encouraged, but is not required. If you are late or miss your assigned pre-judging time we cannot guarantee there will be another time available.
Media Requirements
DUE DATE: March 4, 2017, midnight CST
Required Items
Profile picture for the program guide and display
750 x 500 pixels
This photo does not need to be of the costume you will compete in. We ask that you submit a picture of high quality that does not have any text overlay.
Backdrop for the screen on stage
1920×1080 pixels minimum
Acceptable formats for the backdrop include MP3, avi, mp4, and jpeg.
You must own the licensing rights or have permission if it is copy-righted material.
If you are using a video you do not need to submit a backdrop.
Audio or Video
Video only: 1920×1080 pixels minimum
You must own the licensing rights or have permission if it is copy-righted material.
No longer than 2 minutes
Reference Picture
Naming Your Files
Replace ‘YourCosplayName’ with the pseudonym you submit with your entry.
YourCosplayNameBackdrop.jpg
YourCosplayNameProfile.jpg
YourCosplayNameVideo.mp4
YourCosplayNameAudio.mp3
YourCosplayNameReference.jpg
For large files that cannot be emailed please use Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive etc. and include the link in an email. Please note that submissions from YouTube and Soundcloud are not accepted.
All materials that will be used during the contest must be submitted by the deadline; failure to do so will result in your entry being dropped from the contest. If the submitted media is not to specification, convention staff reserve the right to replace the media with appropriate ones.
Divisions
Novice
The novice category is intended for cosplayers with little or no prior experience making costumes and/or people with little to no contest experience. No contestant can have won a major award (i.e. Best Craftsmanship, Best Performance, Best in category, etc.) at previous conventions and enter the novice division.
Intermediate
The intermediate category is intended for people with some experience making costumes and/or contest experience or having a few awards for costumes. No contestant can have won more than two major awards (i.e. Best Craftsmanship, Best Performance, Best in category, etc.) at previous conventions and enter the intermediate division.
Advanced
The Advanced category is intended for people with much experience in making costumes and/or contest experience or have won three or more major awards (i.e. Best Craftsmanship, Best Performance, Best in category, etc.) for costumes; however, anyone may register for this division.
Awards
Best in Show
Second Place Overall
Best Advanced
Advanced Second Place
Best Intermediate
Intermediate Second Place
Best Novice
Novice Second Place
Exemplary Prop
Exemplary Armor
Exemplary Sewing
Exemplary Wig
Exemplary Makeup
Exemplary Character Representation
Awards will be given through a point-based system. The scores of the highest contestants will be pulled for the top two awards, followed by the next highest scores in each division for awards #3-8. The Exemplary Awards will be given out regardless of score, but instead as a judge’s recognition of a particular element of the cosplay.
The judges will be using the following criteria to score:
Craftsmanship Pre-Judging:
Complexity: difficulty of design, materials used, and methods of construction
Execution: overall craftsmanship
Creativity: problem solving, uniqueness, details
Stage Presentation:
Physicality: embodiment of character, facial expressions, mood/feeling
Effectiveness: pacing/flow, theme, consistency, overall believability
Staging: use of space, blocking, and props/sets
Contact
If you have any questions or concerns that the rules do not answer for you, please e-mail cosplay@animematsuri.com and allow 24 hours for a response. Thank you for your efforts and good luck in the competition!
