Adult Cosplay Contest, Saturday at 2pm

Youth Cosplay Contest, Sunday at 1pm

Pre-registration and prejudging are required. Contestants can sign up in advance online or in-person during the convention at the Registration table by noon. Contestants will be judged on craftsmanship, so all costumes entered must be at least 70% handmade or made from scratch overall. Every contestant must attend prejudging before the contest to discuss their costume with the judges.

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SKILL DIVISION & CATEGORY GUIDELINES:
The Costume Competition is open to cosplayers of all skill levels. In the interest of fairness, contestants will be separated into divisions based on skill and experience. Contestants are expected to register under the division they believe fits them best. However, if you are unsure, or if the judges believe your work/experience dictates that you should be higher, they reserve the right to move contestants. Deciding factors include hours invested in the costume’s construction, techniques utilized, and years of cosplay/crafting experience. The divisions are as follows:

Junior/Youth:
This division is for any contestant 13 years old or under wearing a costume mostly made by themselves. Parents/guardians are allowed to assist with construction (such as when using a power tool, etc) but the majority of the costume must be made by the child competing. (Costumes entirely built by an adult but modeled by a child should be entered under the adult’s appropriate skill division.)

Novice:
Equivalent to Beginner. The Novice division is for any contestant who is new to cosplay and/or competing in major costume competitions. All contestants are eligible to compete in the Novice division unless they have competed and placed in the Novice/Beginner division or higher at a previous craftsmanship competition held at another convention.

Journeyman:
Equivalent to Intermediate. The Journeyman division is for any contestant who has been cosplaying and/or crafting for a few years (about 3 to 5 years) and has made a number of intermediate-level costumes. Contestants who fit this description but have either never competed in a craftsmanship competition before, or have competed but never placed in the Novice or Journeyman divisions at a previous competition are eligible to compete at this level.

Masters:
Equivalent to Advanced or Professional. The Masters division is for any contestant who has been cosplaying for many years (5 years or more) and has made a number of advanced-level costumes. Previous competition experience or placement is not required for this division as long as the costume entered demonstrates advanced construction techniques.

COSTUME GUIDELINES:
 ● All costumes entered must be at least 70% handmade (made from scratch) by the competitor.
 ● Store-bought costumes, or costumes consisting mostly of store-bought garments, are not allowed. This includes costumes from stores like Amazon, Spirit Halloween, Walmart, MicCostumes, EZ Cosplays, thrift stores, etc.
 ● The following store-bought items are allowed: wigs, notions, trims, belts, shoes, jewelry, and most accessories. Other items will be allowed at the discretion of the judges.
 ● Props are allowed to be store-bought. However, this will make them ineligible for the Best Prop award.
 ● Contestants are highly encouraged to bring reference and progress photos of their costume to pre-judging. These images should be in digital format (on the contestant’s personal phone or tablet device). Images should be assembled in a designated folder/album on the device so that no time is wasted sorting through photos during prejudging. Competitors in Journeyman and Masters are expected to bring multiple progress and reference photos.
 ● Commissioned costumes may only be entered if the creator of the costume is able to attend prejudging.

COMPETITION RULES:
 ● This contest is open to all attendees of SyracusePopCon with an event badge.
 ● One entry per person.
 ● No separate entries from the same person.
 ● There is a limit of 100 entries for Saturday Adult Contest, online pre-registration is encouraged.

 ● There is a limit of 50 entries for Sunday Youth Contest, all entrants receive a prize.

 ● Individual entries are limited to one person.
 ● All contestants must fill out the entry form.
 ● All costumes must come from an established cartoon, comic book, anime, video game, tabletop game, television show, manga, novel, movie, etc.
 ● All costumes must be PG-13 or less. Nudity and risqué costumes are not allowed.
 ● Bad behavior of any kind is not allowed. This includes, but is not limited to: trash talking, sabotage, poor sportsmanship, and bullying (in person or online). Improper behavior will get you removed from the competition and possibly the event.
 ● No harmful or potentially harmful materials are allowed. This includes, but is not limited to: water, cigarettes, flames, fireworks or sparklers, smoke, silly string, confetti, and any other substance that can be fired, launched, or dropped.
 ● All props and costumes used in the competition must adhere to our Prop and Costume Rules.
 ● Cosplay is NOT consent! Taking photos of other contestants while in line and/or backstage without consent is not allowed. Inappropriately touching or speaking to other contestants is not allowed and will result in disqualification and possible expulsion from the convention.

● $1000 dollar prize will be awarded to to top cosplay overall winner. There must be a minimum of 40 entries for the $1000 prize. If there are less than 40 entries, the prize will be $500.00 to the top winner.

 
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Contestants who register online will receive a confirmation email with their contestant number once their entry has been processed, which can take up to 48 hours. Once at the convention, contestants should check in at the Show Booth. This can be done at any time before the contest while the booth is open. 

In-person registration can be done at the Registration Booth once the convention begins. A volunteer or staff member will provide assistance. Check-in will be done simultaneously, so contestant numbers, prejudging information, and other updates will be given once registered.

Contestants registering at the event will be seen in order of arrival. The judges will speak to individual contestants for about 3-5 minutes. Please have any reference/progress photos ready to show. Once done with prejudging, you are free until it’s line-up time.

All contestants must be at the Main Stage for line-up at least 45 minutes prior to the start time as listed on the official schedule (or the provided updated time if applicable). Arrivals any time later than this may not be accommodated and may result in disqualification.

Contestants will line up and appear on stage according to their skill division line-up number (provided during registration). Once on stage, the Emcees will announce the contestant’s name and character. They will strike 3 poses and then exit. Contestants should find a seat in the audience to watch the rest of the contest. Anyone not present for the awards ceremony will be disqualified and will not receive the award if chosen. All photos and videos taken by event photographers are property of SyracusePopCon and will be uploaded to our website a few weeks after the convention.

If you have any questions, please email us at syracusepopcon@gmail.com.