Cosplay Competition
Showcase your latest cosplay in our yearly main stage competition.
Welcome to this year’s WasabiCon Cosplay Competition! Have you been making something amazing? Looking for a chance to show your work off to the cosplay community? Well here is your chance. Come and join us for this year’s cosplay competition! We are very excited to see all of the amazing work you will bring this year.
There were so many amazing cosplays at last year’s show, we just knew we had to turn up the heat on this year’s competition. We’re doing things a little differently this year, so please read carefully.
Here are a couple of things to remember before you apply for this year’s competition.
SIGN-UP: 2023 sign-up is now closed. See you at the show!
PREJUDGING: Saturday from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM in Cosplay Corner (Pavilion East) (5 minutes per contestant)
EVENT DAY & TIME: Saturday at 5:00 PM; Contestants should arrive at 4:00 PM.
EVENT LOCATION: Main Events (Atrium Ballroom).
Competition Ruleset
- You must have purchased an entry into the convention in order to enter/present on stage for the Cosplay Competition.
- The Cosplay Competition is a family-oriented event. Please keep all costumes to a “PG-13″ rating i.e. no nudity or overly revealing attire.
- The competition is open to all ages, however if under the age of 18 contestants are required to have a parent or guardian with them at all times during the competition process.
- Your cosplay must be at least 80% made by you. You may purchase parts of a cosplay, but this must be disclosed during the judging process. If you are not the maker of your cosplay and modeling a cosplay on stage, the creator of the cosplay must be present with you upon entry. If the cosplay wins an award, the award will go to the creator of the costume.
- Your cosplay must be at least 70% complete at the time of submission.
- Only one cosplay may be entered per cosplayer.
- Cosplays are judged as solo artists, no groups.
- All weapons and props must conform with convention policies, hotel/conference center rules and local laws concerning carrying a weapon. If there is a question of doubt, don’t bring it. You can read our event rules, including our Props Policy, online at https://pdx.wasabicon.com/policies/
- Cosplay handlers are not allowed in prejudging or backstage areas (Does not apply to parents or guardians of underaged contestants).
- Green Mustard Entertainment, Inc. reserves the right to modify, update, or amend these rules at any time.
What to Expect
Making a cosplay is a lot of work, so here is what you should expect if you enter the competition.
- The application process is easy and will be open on this page on June 1st to enter this year’s cosplay competition!
- Once your application is submitted, it will be sent over to our panel of judges for review. They will be looking over all of the amazing submissions and choosing the top 25 to walk the show.
- The 25 finalists will be notified via email on July 15th with plenty of time to put the finishing touches on before the competition. This email will also contain a link for the finalists to signup for their prejudging spot at the show.
- Prejudging will be held from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM on Saturday in Cosplay Corner (Pavilion East) and will allow for five minutes per contestant. This is your chance to show the judges all your amazing work and tell them about your build.
- At 4:00 PM on Saturday, finalists will be asked to gather in Main Events (Atrium Ballroom) for a cosplay contestant photoshoot before the competition begins.
- At 5:00 PM on Saturday the Cosplay Competition begins. Contestants will be asked to walk across the stage, making three poses as they go. (We are unable to accept lighting or music requests. No skits please)
Categories
With so many amazing cosplays, it’s always hard to choose a winner! Awards will be given to the individuals that the judges select as first place in the following categories and, from those winners, they will select a grand champion. Additionally, three judge’s choice awards will be given.
- Armor
- Threadwork
- SFX
We think that a cosplay competition should have clear rules and expectations, including what the judges are looking for and the categories you may be competing in. The judges will place our top 25 contestants into categories based on the build and submission. Below you will find the rubric that the judges will be using to score all of your amazing submissions.
The Honest Cosplayer (Head Judge)
Provided by SMC Productions
Kristy Podelnyk aka the Honest Cosplayer, is an award-winning creator from the Pacific Northwest. A master of sewing, foamsmithing, and SFX, Kristy loves to create screen-based costumes that dazzle in design, feature intricate armor pieces, and incorporate practical stage effects. Kristy is well known for her background in teaching and passion for sharing the genuine trials, tribulations, and techniques for creating fantastical cosplays on social media.
Faeliae.kitsune
Provided by SMC Productions
Faeliae is a Portland-area local and PNW Guild of Cosplayers member who has been cosplaying for about 7 years. She has been honored to receive multiple awards since beginning her competitive cosplay journey, including 2nd Place Journeyman at LvlUp Expo 2022 (Las Vegas), Best Construction Intermediate during the 2022 Crunchyroll Hime’s Cosplay Cup, 2nd Place Intermediate at Rose City Comic Con 2022, and 1st Place Journeyman at LvlUp Expo 2023. Her personal areas of interest include kitsune cosplay, Hatsune Miku, lolita fashion, and kimono cosplay, with an overall focus on sewing and general aesthetics. Her favorite part of cosplay competitions is seeing everyone’s hard work come to life on stage!
VivSai
Provided by SMC Productions
VivSai is an award-winning cosplay armor designer, pattern maker, and fabricator in PNW. She has been designing and creating cosplay for many years and attends conventions all over the country. VivSai takes inspiration from comics, cartoons, games, and anime, paying great attention to detail to make every costume unique and show-stopping. Her many builds have won her some of the highest honors in cosplay. VivSai began her cosplay journey as a way to help with her ADHD. It worked great for her, and ever since she discovered cosplay, she has used the act of designing and crafting to help others that experience similar issues, or just everyday anxiety or stress. She uses a variety of Worbla and thermoplastics to create her unique armor pieces and incorporates EVA foam, W+T Foam, foam clay, and recently has expanded into sewing. VivSai is always looking for new techniques, and believes that there is always something new to master in the world of cosplay.
Check out this year’s Cosplay Competition Emcee!
Momma Sammu
Appearing Courtesy of The Pacific Northwest Guild of Cosplayers
