Winter Cosplay Championship

Nordic Cosplay Championship Team USA

NärCon Sommar
Linköping, Sweden

GICOF Team USA

Gyeonggi International Cosplay Festival
South Korea

HolMat Cultural Exchange

Solo Category Winner:
Fantasy Basel
Basel, Switzerland

Duo Category Winners:
World Cosplay Summit 2025
Nagoya, Japan

Extreme Cosplay Gathering

Japan Expo
Paris, France

Official Rules, Terms, and Conditions

Please read all the rules if you plan to enter into the Winter Cosplay Championship.
Feel free to click on the button matching to skip directly to the corresponding prize.

General Winter Cosplay Championship Official Rules

Welcome to The Winter Cosplay Championship, where the best Cosplayers in the USA take to the stage!

The Winter Cosplay Championship is multiple craftsmanship and/or performance competitions open to cosplay soloists, pairs, and groups of up to four competitors. Winners will be awarded national and/or international trip awards and special sponsor prizes.

This year, the WCC will be split across two days: Day 1 will be performance competitions (NCC, GICOF, ECG) and Day 2 will be craftsmanship walk on’s ( HolMat Cultural Exchange Solo and Duo) and Prize Announcements.

Day 1 will be Saturday, December 21st, 2024 and Day 2 will be Sunday, December 22nd, 2024.

We are thrilled to announce that the 2024 WCC will consist of qualifying rounds for:

Holiday Matsuri Cultural Exchange Cosplay Program 2025:

WCC’s Craftsmanship only competition now has a prize for both a solo and a pair entry! Competitors will be judged only on their craftsmanship and have the option to showcase their costume in a walk-on across our WCC stage.

The winner of the solo contest will travel to Basel, Switzerland to attend Fantasy Basel as a featured guest!

Winners of the Pair contest will travel to Nagoya, Japan, to experience the World Cosplay Summit 2025.

Flights, badges, and hotel stay are included to experience a prize unlike any other!

GICOF 2025:

A Craftsmanship and Performance Competition for pairs of cosplayers! The winning team will become GICOF Team USA 2025 and travel to South Korea to represent the United States at the Annual Gyeonggi International Cosplay Festival. Craftsmanship will comprise 30% of the overall score and performance will comprise 70% of the overall score for this contest.

Nordic Cosplay Championship 2025:

A contest for solo competitors with a breakdown of 50% Craftsmanship, 50% Performance which returns to Holiday Matsuri 2024 to select Team USA 2025! Held at NärCon Sommar in Linköping, Sweden, the NCC is a unique contest which has been held annually since 2012.

Extreme Cosplay Gathering (ECG) Season 13:

For the first time since its creation, the United States will have the opportunity to participate in this incredible craft and performance competition!

The Extreme Cosplay Gathering (ECG) is a contest for soloists, duos, and trios (with the option of a stage ninja) or a team of four (with no stage ninja). This contest is 50% craftsmanship and 50% performance. The winners will travel to Japan Expo in Paris, France to represent the United States.

Application

All applications must be submitted by October 27th, 2024. Last submission accepted will be October 27th, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. No late sign ups will be accepted and no sign ups will be permitted at the convention.

Each applicant/group may sign up for more than one contest provided they fit the criteria of the contest.

WCC’s Craftsmanship only competitions for 2024 are the HolMat Cultural Exchange. If an applicant/duo does not plan to participate with a performance, they may ONLY apply for the HolMat Cultural Exchange.

WCC’s Performance and craftsmanship competitions for 2024 are the Nordic Cosplay Championship, GICOF, and the Extreme Cosplay Gathering.

Solo Competitors for the Nordic Cosplay Championship may also apply for the HolMat Cultural Exchange Program Solo (as both allow solo competitors and have craftsmanship judging)

Duo Competitors for GICOF may also apply for the HolMat Cultural Exchange Duo (as both allow pair competitors and have craftsmanship judging)

Solos, Duos, Trios (with the option of a stage ninja) and Quartets may only sign up for ECG USA.

All Competitors are eligible for sponsored prizes regardless of which contest they submit for provided their costume meets the prize criteria. (ie: if a contestant does not have a wig, they would not be in consideration for a wig award)

Due to show limitations, not every entrant will be accepted as a contestant in the Winter Cosplay Championship.

As this is an intermediate/advanced cosplay contest, each entrant is required to submit at least one photograph of a finished example of previous cosplay work as well as progress pictures of their intended costume/costumes and, if performing, a description of their intended performance. Performance descriptions do not need to be heavily detailed but should be more than a single sentence or vague concept without a story outline (ie: characters dance on stage for 2 minutes to a song).

A video of cosplay performance rehearsal will be requested closer to the Event to help the Event video crew with the filming of the performance. This rehearsal video does not need to be in costume and will not be used by anyone outside of the cosplay and video crew teams.

If contestants have concerns or questions about their performance description, please contact wcc@holidaymatsuri.com for guidance.

Craftsmanship Judging

Craftsmanship Judging is a requirement of all contests for the WCC and will occur on Thursday, December 19th, 2024 from 3: 00 pm to 9:00 pm . All contestants are required to attend judging in order to compete in the contests.

Rehearsals and Prop/Set Building

Currently Rehearsal timing for Winter Cosplay Championship is TBD and will be confirmed upon acceptance of application.

Prop/Set Building for all Performances will be held in a location near the stage beginning on Friday , December 20th Location TBD, time TDB. Please note that props and set pieces should be sturdy enough to be moved easily by a stage ninja and/or cosplay staffers as this emulates the experience that competitors will have during competition.

Competition

You will be given a call time in which you will be required to appear backstage to be lined up and checked in for the Competition for either Day 1 or Day 2 of the competition. Any team that does not appear within one hour prior to the show start will be disqualified.

Awards/Prizes

Categories may be added or removed depending on the amount of competition available.

GICOF Team USA 2025 (Pair)
Nordic Cosplay Championship USA Representative 2025 (Solo)
ECG Season 13 Team USA (Solo, Pair, Trio, or Quartet)
HolMat Cosplay Cultural Exchange Program 2025 Solo
HolMat Cosplay Cultural Exchange Program 2025 Duo
Runner Up for GICOF Team USA 2025 (Pair)
Runner Up for Nordic Cosplay Championship 2025 (Solo)
Runner Up for ECG Season 13 Team USA (Solo, Pair, Trio, or Quartet)
Runner Up HolMat Cosplay Cultural Exchange Program 2025 Solo
Runner Up HolMat Cosplay Cultural Exchange Program 2025 Duo
Judges Awards (TBA)
Sponsor Awards (TBA)

Definitions

These rules provide expanded information on how specifically the Winter Cosplay Championship (hereafter referred to as the “Contest”) is run at the Event. Each contest within the WCC has unique rules and it is recommended all participants review and prepare for these contests using their best judgment. All questions about individual contests may be directed to amanda@holidaymatsuri.com / contests@holidaymatsuri.com . For rules not outlined explicitly in this section, please refer to the “General Rules” of each contest.

Participation Requirements

All participants must have a valid US passport which must be viewed by the Event and be 18 years or older prior to participating in the contest.

Participants must apply online by October 27th , 2024 to be qualified for the Contest. Last application accepted must be submitted by October 27th, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. All applicants must purchase a pass to the Event..

Applicants entering Contests with a performance requirement (GICOF, NCC,, and the ECG) should understand that contestants are required to perform a skit according to the criteria of the events for which they are applying in order to be eligible to win certain prizes. Please see the specifications below as to what is required to qualify for each international award.

Applicants entering Contests with only a craftsmanship requirement ( HolMat Cultural Exchange Solo and Duo) should understand that contestants are NOT required to perform a skit as a duo or a soloist in order to be eligible to win certain prizes. Please see the specifications below as to what is required to qualify for each international award.

Applicants may apply and compete for multiple qualifiers but may only win one qualifier each year. IE: your pairs team may sign up for GICOF and HolMat Cultural Exchange Cosplay Program but are only eligible to win one of those prizes – GICOF OR HolMat Cultural Exchange Cosplay Program.

Judges and Sponsor Awards may be given to participants at the discretion of the Judges or Sponsors however entry may receive more than one international qualifier prize/runner up award and one Judges or Sponsor prize.

Cosplay Preview Requirements

Every entry must include photo samples of your previous cosplay work. These photos must be of one completed cosplay that you have made and at least one work in-progress shots of cosplay you are currently working on for the event. The completed cosplay photos do not have to be of the cosplay that you are entering with.

No less than three and no more than six photographs must be provided with application.
All photographs must be GIF, JPG or PNG form and it is requested that the costume be clearly visible.

For applications that also require a performance, applicants must provide a video or written breakdown of the performance. If selected for the Contest, a combined background video with audio file will need to be submitted for review by the contest team no later than December 1st, 2024. Upon review, contestants will have 48 hours to complete any adjustments required by the contest team.

A video of the contestant’s cosplay performance rehearsal will be requested closer to the Event to help the Event video crew with the filming of the performance. This rehearsal video does not need to be in costume and will not be used by anyone outside of the cosplay and video crew teams.

Applicants will be confirmed via email and all requested items supplementary to the application will be requested directly to the email used for confirmation. Please keep an eye on your emails between submitting an application and the Event to receive confirmations and any communications/requests from the contest team.

Reference Requirements

Each Entry must include reference pictures of the cosplay.

Pictures must be official versions of the reference material; however if you wish, you may add additional personal sketches breaking down particular aspects of the design. These sketches MUST BE in addition to the official reference material

For the Nordic Cosplay Championships: You may select any pop-culture costume that is a fictional character which has a story/media connected to it. IE: You may not pick an original design such as Sakizou art as it is an art piece that does not have additional media beyond the image.
For the GICOF: You must select costumes which are from a Cartoon/Anime, Comic/Manga/Manhwa, Animated Movie or Video Game. It may not be an original character or original design.
HolMat Cultural Exchanger: You may select costumes which are from a Cartoon/Anime, Comic/Manga, Animated Movie, Video Game or any fictional pop-culture costume. You may use illustrations (such as Sakizou, Hannah Alexander, NoFlutter, Sunset Dragon) of existing characters or art which has at least 180 degree front references for accuracy in FULL COLOR but please note that selecting these illustration characters may disqualify you from other contest consideration in the WCC.
For the ECG: You may select costumes of characters from anime, manga, comics, video games, movies, TV series, comic books, J-Music, and stage musicals. Cosplays of dolls or figures must be from items officially produced by the license holder and are subject to the approval of the Cosplay Staff. Costumes must have official reference, therefore personal creations/fanarts are not allowed in the contest. Each entry will have to be submitted and validated by the Cosplay Staff. Participants wishing to participate as a duo, trio or quartet must wear costumes from characters of the same source material. (ie: costumes from Star Wars may not be in the same performance as costumes from One Piece) It is allowed to mix different iterations from the same license (ie: costumes from Star Wars (Episodes 1-9) and costumes from The Mandalorian)

WIP and At-Show Requirements

All entrants must provide a digital Build book no more than 15 pages long when they are accepted as a contestant. These Build books will be provided to the judges prior to pre-judging for them to review. A sample build book will be provided upon request. Printed versions of build books are not required but are welcome.

Background Video and Audio Provisions

If accepted, contestants must provide Video and Audio Files which will be played during their performance at the Contest.

Audio Requirements:

Audio File must be MP4, AVI or MPG (MPEG).
Audio File must be submitted to the Contest Team using a private link to the Contest Inbox by November 17th , 2024.
Audio File for the NCC must be no shorter than 90 seconds and no longer than 150 seconds and must only include the audio the contestant wishes to perform to.
Audio File for the GICOF must be no shorter than 90 seconds and no longer than 3 minutes and must only include the audio the contestant wishes to perform to.
Audio File must be of a standard codec, and must not require any external installs
Audio File for the ECG and HolMat Cultural Exchange Cosplay Program is dependent on the number of participants.
- Solo Participants have a 1 minute 30 second maximum.
- Duo Participants have a 2 minute 30 second maximum.
- Trio Participants have a 3 minute maximum.
- Quartet Participants have a 3 minute 30 second maximum.

Image Requirements:

Image Files must be GIF, JPG or PNG files in either 720p (1280 pixels wide, 720 pixels tall) or 1080p (1920 pixels wide, 1080 pixels tall) format.
Images must not include anything beyond a “PG” rating, which means, no nudity, no violence, no gore, no un-edited cursing.
Images must not include advertisements to any other convention, event, product or copyrighted images that do not belong to the contestants.

Video Requirements:

Video Files must be in MP4, AVI, MOV, or MPG (MPEG) format.
Video Files must be able to be played by “VLC Media Player” without any separate installs.
Video Files must be in 720p or 1080p format
Video Files must be 24, 30, or 60 FPS.
Video Files must not include advertisements to any other convention, event, or product.
Video Files must not include anything beyond a “PG” rating, which means, no nudity, no violence, no gore, no un-edited cursing.
If the Video contains the Audio that the group will be performing to, it may be submitted instead of submitting the Audio File.

Performance Stage Directions

Written stage directions and full audio/background video for the performance must be submitted by November 17th, 2024. This must include lighting requests for the contest and considerations for entering and exiting the stage.

Costume Requirements

All applicants must have made at least 80% of their costume by themselves or with their entry partners.

Any questions about the percentage of a cosplay should be directed to the Contest Staff for evaluation and review. Contest staff and Judges have the final say in whether or not a cosplay meets the requirements.

Commissioned cosplays and purchased cosplays are not permitted at the contest, and any person that is found to have purchased or commissioned their cosplay will be disqualified.

Awards

Categories may be added or removed at the discretion of the Contest Staff or award supplier.

GICOF Team USA 2025 (Pair)
Nordic Cosplay Championship USA Representative 2025 (Solo)
ECG Season 13 Team USA (Solo, Pair, Trio, or Quartet)
HolMat Cosplay Cultural Exchange Program 2025 Solo
HolMat Cosplay Cultural Exchange Program 2025 Duo
Runner Up for GICOF Team USA 2025 (Pair)
Runner Up for Nordic Cosplay Championship 2025 (Solo)
Runner Up for ECG Season 13 Team USA (Solo, Pair, Trio, or Quartet)
Runner Up HolMat Cosplay Cultural Exchange Program 2025 Solo
Runner Up HolMat Cosplay Cultural Exchange Program 2025 Duo
Judges Awards (TBA)
Sponsor Awards (TBA)

Please note: Winners of international travel must be eligible to redeem their prizes in 2025. It will be at the sole discretion of the Event if they will roll prizing over to the following year. Sufficient time and notice shall be considered and given to contestants to make any arrangements to travel upon their selection. If a contest winner can not or chooses not to redeem their prize, it will be provided to the Runner-up Contestant for that contest. Contest winners who are in groups may not exchange group members after their selection. If a group member declines to participate, the prize will be provided to the Runner-up Group for that contest. No cash value shall be given to contestants who can not or choose not to redeem their prize.

Nordic Cosplay Championship

General Description

The Nordic Cosplay Championship USA Qualifier is a contest for solo competitors. It has been held annually at NärCon Sommar in Linköping, Sweden since 2012.

The NCC is part of the 2024 Winter Cosplay Championship which will take place Saturday, December 21st, 2024, with the exact time TBD.

Your team needs to have valid badges to participate in the Winter Cosplay Championship and its contests.

Craftsmanship Pre-Judging is mandatory for all WCC events and will take place Thursday, December 19th, 2024 from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Failure to attend Craftsmanship Pre-Judging will result in disqualification from the WCC and its contests.

You must be 18 years or older on the date of the preliminaries to compete.

Prize:

Winners will receive one (1) round-trip flight to Linköping, Sweden for the winner and one (1) assistant. Flight airline and class will be determined by the Organizer. Organizer will pay baggage fees for up to one (1) carry-on and up to one (2) normal checked bags per person. Organizer will not be responsible for baggage fees for oversized or additional baggage. Winners may purchase any additional upgrades to their flights.

Performance Length:

Each contestant must prepare a performance which should be between 90 seconds and 150 seconds long. The time of the performance cannot be longer than 150 seconds, cannot be less than 90 seconds, but can be of any length in between 90–150 seconds.

Performance Backdrop:

For the Winter Cosplay Championship, the contestant must make their own digital backdrop and/or any additional physical backdrops.
Upon selection as representative, the NCC will create a video for the digital backdrop based on the contestants wishes for the event in Sweden.
Upon selection as representative, the contestant’s physical backdrops will be subject to changes following communication between the NCC and the contestant. The contestant must be available to answer questions regarding their performance to make the background video as good as possible for the NCC Finals.

Contestants may use the following:

Music
Background video
Pre-recorded dialogue
Stage props
Handheld props

On Stage:

It is prohibited to take the performance off of the stage. Ex: to the area between stage and audience or into the audience.
Your performance may end with you exiting the stage.
Stage props must be lightweight enough for 2-4 people to carry up on stage.
You may not have more than 3 stage prop items being set for your performance.
Contestants should be able to walk in their cosplay without outside assistance. Stage helpers are allowed to help contestants onto the stage in case of steps or steep surfaces.
Contestants may not use: Any items that can spill on the stage, like bubbles, glitter, confetti etc.
Contestants may not use: Live fire, dry ice, live steel weapons or other things that could be a danger to yourself or others or any items that go against the rules of the Holiday Matsuri Weapons Policy.

Contestants may use one or more assistants/stage ninjas in their performance.

Rules for Assistants/Stage Ninjas:

Assistants may:

Wear a costume which will not contribute to your craftsmanship score. This costume may be purchased.
Wear ‘stage ninja’ or ‘tech-blacks’ (all black clothing)
Appear on stage
Be on stage for the entire length of the performance
Have speaking/singing lines

Assistants may not:

Have a role equal to the contestant in the performance.
- It should be 100% obvious who is the contestant and who is the assistant.

All performances are subject to changes requested by the production if there is a concern for safety of the audience, crew, or the contestant.

The production will review all performances after receiving all related files and plans and will contact each contestant with questions regarding their performance as needed.

The Costume:

Costumes must be constructed by the contestants themselves and the contestant is expected to be able to give an account of how all details of their costume were made. Store-bought and modified costumes are not allowed for the competitor.

Contestants are allowed to compete with a new costume or one they have used in another cosplay contest provided it has not won a major award at another convention/cosplay contest (such as Best in Show, Best of Division, etc.) Please contact Holiday Matsuri directly if you require clarification of this rule.

The Character:

The character must be a fictional character from a published source. Published pictures of the character must exist for judges’ reference. Original designs and characters are not allowed.

It is recommended that the character is part of a story/narrative.

It is recommended that the character is not a ‘genderbend’ version or a ‘gjinka/human’ version of a character if this version of the character is not part of the original published source.

Gyeonggi International Cosplay Festival

General Description

The GICOF – Gyeonggi International Cosplay Festival is a Craftsmanship and Performance Competition for pairs of cosplayers. The winning team will become GICOF Team USA 2025 and travel to South Korea to represent the United States at the Annual Gyeonggi International Cosplay Festival.

Winners’ flights, accommodation, event tickets and luggage expenses will be covered in their prize package. Winners must be available for travel to Korea in September 2025, exact dates TBD.

The GICOF is part of the 2024 Winter Cosplay Championship which will take place Saturday, December 21st, 2024, with the exact time TBD.

Your team needs to have valid badges to participate in the Winter Cosplay Championship and its contests.

Craftsmanship Pre-Judging is mandatory for all WCC events and will take place Thursday, December 19th, 2024 from 3:00 pm to pm. Failure to attend Craftsmanship Pre-Judging will result in disqualification from the WCC and its contests.

Your team must be 18 years or older on the date of the preliminaries to compete.

Scoring

Qualifier will be scored as follows:

Craftsmanship: 30%
Performance: 70%

Specific Rules

Competitors for the GICOF are a team of two cosplayers wearing costumes from the same series.

Competitors must wear self-made costumes. Small store-bought props may be used, but they should be disclosed to the judges the exact source nature.

Your Cosplay must be from a Cartoon/Anime, Comic/Manga, Animated Movie or Game. It may not be a fictional character/original design that you design yourself. Please contact the event should you have any questions about your costume selection.

Performance

Competitors must perform an act on stage that is no shorter than 1 minute, 30 seconds, and no longer than 2 minutes, 30 seconds. Competitors must provide their own visual and audio. Competitors must use pre-recorded audio; microphones will not be provided to provide on-stage audio.

Competitors must follow the prop guidelines listed in the Holiday Matsuri Code of Conduct. Items that spill, such as bubbles, glitter, confetti, water, etc. may not be used. Fire, dry ice, live steel, or any other dangerous effects or items may not be used.

GICOF Winner Performance

Winners’ Performance can be adjusted at the GICOF Competition in South Korea: their act may be between 2 minutes and 5 minutes.

HolMat Cultural Exchange

General Description

The HolMat Cultural Exchange is a Craftsmanship Contest open to both solos and groups of two. Winners of this contest will experience cosplay outside of the United States, and meet cosplayers around the world.

The Solo winner of this contest will travel to Fantasy Basel in Basel ,Switzerland to participate as a featured guest. This price includes flights, accommodations, badges, and 2 baggage fees.

The Duo winners of this contest will travel to Nagoya, Japan to experience the World Cosplay Summit 2025. This price includes flights, accommodations, badges, and 2 baggage fees.

Applicants

Applicants must follow all of the general rules and guidelines. Applications can be for either solo competitors or duo groups.

Prize

Winners will receive one (1) round-trip flight per person. Flight, airline, and class will be determined by the Organizer. Organizer will pay baggage fees for up to one (1) carry-on and up to one (2) normal checked bag per person. Organizer will not be responsible for baggage fees for oversized or additional baggage. Winners may purchase any additional upgrades to their flights.

Prize includes hotel accommodation. Exact hotel and dates of the accommodations will be determined by the Organizer.

Prize Cancellation

In the event winners can not participate, the prizes may be allocated to runners up. In the event that runners up can not participate, no prizes will not be awarded.

Contest Overlap

Those that enter into the HolMat Cultural Exchange may ALSO apply to either GICOF or NCC-US, but not all three. If a HolMat Cultural Exchange applicant applies to GICOF, they must apply as a duo group and prepare a performance. If the HolMat Cultural Exchange applicant applies to NCC-US, they must apply as a solo competitor and prepare a performance.

If an Applicant wishes to apply to HolMat Cultural Exchange in addition to GICOF or NCC-US, they must compete on stage with a performance according to the guidelines in those competitions.

Please note that the ECG has no overlap with the HolMat Cultural Exchange for 2025.

Contest/Costume Guidelines

HolMat Cultural Exchange is judged on craftsmanship only:

Competitors only competing for HolMat Cultural Exchange will walk across the stage in your costume/cosplay to music you select. If the Competitors do not select music, it will be selected by the Organizer’s Competition Staff.
The walk on will not exceed 45 seconds, but Competitors will be required to stand on 3 points on stage to display their cosplays/costumes to the audience and judges.
Costumes/cosplays with mobility issues (oversized, fragile, complicated) cosplays may have their time and walk-on points adjusted, pending review from the Competition staff.

Applicants may enter with costumes/cosplays from any cartoon/anime, comic/manga, animated movie, video game, or fictional pop-culture reference. Applicants may enter with costumes/cosplays of original illustrations with no backing subject matter material, as long as you can provide a reference photo of at least 180 degrees front reference. References must be in full color. If Applicants select original illustration characters with no backing subject matter material, they will not be able to apply to other Qualifiers in this Competition.

Extreme Cosplay Gathering

General Participation Rules, Allowed Costumes, Number of Participants:

Participants taking part in this contest will participate as either a solo, duo, trio, or quartet.
Solo, duo and trio Participants have the option to make use of a Stage Ninja for their performance. (Please see ‘Stage Ninja regulations’ for further details).
Participants may perform in costumes representing characters from anime, manga, comics, video games, movies, TV series, comic books, J-Music, and stage musicals. The costumes must have official reference, therefore personal creations/fanarts are not allowed in the contest. Each entry will have to be submitted and validated by the Cosplay Staff and we welcome participants to reach out with any questions regarding their cosplay choice.
Figurines and dolls, if used as the main source material, must be produced from the original copyright owners, not from a third-party company using a license (ie: Disney Limited Edition Doll Series). Figurines and dolls may serve as additional references if they are identical to the original source. An approval from the Cosplay is mandatory when it comes to these questions to ensure the guidelines are respected.
Participants may enter as a solo, a duo, a trio, or a quartet.
- Participants wishing to participate as a duo, trio or quartet must wear costumes from characters of the same source material. (ie: costumes from Star Wars may not be in the same performance as costumes from One Piece)
- It is allowed to mix different iterations from the same license (ie: costumes from Star Wars (Episodes 1-9) and costumes from The Mandalorian)
Cosplay Staff and Cosplay Organizers have the final decision as to the validity of a source material and if it will be allowed in the contest.

Participation at Event:

The Participants and Representatives will have to confirm their participation to the Cosplay staff and, if selected, Cosplay Organizers, who will review their costumes and performance.
In case that the selected Representatives cannot attend the event, the first runner-up will take their spot.
The Participants’ and Stage Ninjas’ nationality must be the same from the country as the event (ie: USA). Participants of another nationality but holding a “Permanent residency card” (or equivalent document depending on the country legislation) are allowed to enter the selections from the country they live/reside in. However, they are not allowed to take part in the selections of another country, including the country of their original nationality, in the same season/year.
If selected, Participants will have to provide the documents and material requested by the Cosplay Staff or Cosplay Organizers. Failing to do so will result in penalties or disqualification.
For group Participants, one member will be designated the leader/main point of contact and will have the responsibility to send all the required documents and material to the Cosplay Organizers on behalf of their group.
The leader/main point of contact must respect and ensure the other members of the group respect the rules and instructions that may be given to them by the Cosplay Staff/Cosplay Organizers.
On the premises, the leader/main point of contact shall make sure that all the members are present and that all documents/media given for the performance work properly.

Performances, Time, Audio/Video:

The Participants are required to make a performance which would be suited for the ECG Finals for the qualifying round in a time configuration based on their number of participants.
Each configuration of participants has a different maximum performance time:
- Solo Participants have 1 minute 30 second maximum.
- Duo Participants have 2 minute 30 second maximum.
- Trio Participants have a 3 minute maximum.
- Quartet Participants have 3 minute 30 second maximum.
As the Stage Ninja doesn’t count in the number of Participants on stage, a solo Participant using a Stage Ninja will still have 1 minute 30 second maximum for their performance.
Audio and Video will be requested upon acceptance of application with additional information about screen, stage, and any requirements.
Participants are not allowed to use live microphones during their performance. While it is allowed to use the official voice and dubbing in your performance, it is highly recommended to record original voice over.

Stage Ninja regulations:

A Stage Ninja for the ECG is a person who will assist with a Participant’s performance while hidden on stage. This person is different from stage staff who assist with bringing items on and off the stage.
The Stage Ninja is someone selected by the Participants. The Cosplay Staff will not provide a Stage Ninja.
The Stage Ninja is an assistant on stage that can help the Participants in various ways. They may operate various devices or props, puppeteer stage props, assist with costume changes, and many other tasks imagined by the Participants, provided they remain hidden from audience view.
Stage Ninjas are not allowed to wear any costumes beyond solid colored clothing to blend into the performance.
Only one Stage Ninja is allowed per entry.
If the Stage Ninja is openly visible on stage by the audience, this will affect the performance score.
The choice to use a Stage Ninja may be different between the selections and the Finals. A Stage Ninja will be considered a ‘Representative’ for logistics matters if your entry is selected.
Selected representatives may not add a Stage Ninja if they qualify without one at the USA qualifier event. Should they decide to remove a Stage Ninja for their Finals performance, they must inform the Local and Finals Cosplay Organizers immediately.

Required Documents/Media:

A picture or illustration of good quality of the cosplayed character must be submitted with your application.
Upon acceptance into the WCC/ECG Qualifier, Cosplay Staff will request:
- Video and audio media in one of the allowed formats and lasting the allowed time for your configuration.
- Work in Progress pictures or a progress book of the costume(s) for the ECG Selection (up to a maximum of 15 pages).
- Review of additional requests (such as lighting cues) which are recommended but not mandatory for the qualifying round.
Applications will be invalidated, and the Participants disqualified if any of the documents required is not provided at a precise date given by the Cosplay Organizers.

Judging:

ECG Team USA will be selected by the jury members based on the following criteria:

Each Jury may give 60 points for the costume and 60 points for the performance.

For Costume Construction:

Accuracy (20): This criteria is about how faithful the Participants’ cosplays are compared with the official source; if all details, patterns, colors, shapes etc. are accurately recreated. This includes make-up, wigs, accessories, and hand props if relevant to the character. This criteria also covers how well the Participants have adapted different parts of the costume to their body. Please note that body size, complexion, or other physical characteristics of the Participants are not relevant when it comes to the Accuracy score.
Finishing details (20): This criteria is about the quality and precision of each aspect of the Participants’ craft and how well-finished every part of the cosplay is, including make-up, wigs, accessories, and hand props. The finishing of details, such as potential embellishments will have an impact on this score.
Complexity and techniques (20): This criteria is related to the different techniques used by the Participants to produce their cosplays and how well they are applied to the costume. The jury will evaluate the number of techniques used, their complexity, and their execution to give a score to the Participants. If many techniques are used but with poor execution, this will affect their score; just like a perfectly produced costume using few techniques or low complexity will also see this score affected. Embellishments can be used to display more techniques and skills and will be further discussed below.

For Performance Scoring:

Acting and Staging (30): This criteria is regarding the skill and successful execution of the Participants’ performance on stage. The score will reflect how invested and expressive the Participants are on stage, as well as how well they act, move, and interact. The Stage Ninja and the quality of their work on stage will also have an impact on this score.
Quality of Media and use of the stage props (10): This score refers to the quality of the media used for the Participants’ performance. The quality of the sound and/or video includes how clear and easy to understand it is for both the jury and the audience. This score will also include how well the stage props are used and interacted with on stage by the Participants or how the Participants worked around not having some stage props for their performance.
Creativity and Entertainment (20): This score is how inventive, original, entertaining, and well-thought-out a performance is. It covers how the video or sound are used to support the story told on stage and how well the stage props are used and designed for the performance. When applicable, it also covers how creative the use of the Stage Ninja is.

Additional Considerations for scoring:

Stage props are not included in the costume grading but will be considered and have an impact on the performance scores depending on their usefulness during the performance.
If the official source of the costume design is respected by the Participants, embellishments on costumes will be allowed and will be assessed by the jury’s expertise and discretion. These embellishments can come in many forms: strass/rhinestones, patterned fabrics/materials, textures, LEDs or other special effects, etc. All Shapes, designs, patterns, colors, details appearing on the official source design should be present on the created costumes to aim for the maximum score on the ‘Accuracy’ criteria, otherwise penalties shall apply. These embellishments can be used to display a further range of crafting skills and/or add extra effects for the sake of the performance. Depending on the embellishments, they may have an impact on the ‘Finishing detail’ and ‘Complexity and Techniques’ criteria. They are by no means mandatory and no Participants will be penalized for not adding any on their costume. Embellishments may not be used to replace an existing element of the official source.
The final criteria are “the balance”, representing the amount of effort made for the costume and the performance. If one of the criteria is completely overlooked, the balance will be negative; if efforts were made but could have been clearly improved the balance will be neutral; and finally, if the Participants gave their all in both domains the balance will be positive.
The cosplay presented during the costume judging must be identical to the ones used for the performance on stage. Any modifications will be penalized, this includes make up, special effects, props, accessories & shoes.
During the costume judging the costume must be worn the same way it will be worn once on stage for the performance.
Accessories or hand props not used during the stage performance will not be accepted for the costume judging.
Regarding the costume scoring: when comparing solo Participants with Participants in a group configuration, the score of the group will be the average of each individual costume according to the criteria above.
Apart from the costume used during their selections, each Participant is not allowed to enter the ECG Finals with a costume previously awarded by a selection or a prize at any other international competition event.
All costumes presented by the Participants must be hand-made at least 80%. For the duo, trio, and quartet, it is allowed that one or more Participants is the primary Crafter of the costumes for other members of the group, and for these members to not have taken part in the crafting process. Help from friends or relatives is tolerated as long as the majority of the work is done by the Participants. A Stage Ninja may not be the Crafter of a Participant’s costume. Any purchased or commissioned costume or parts will be rejected from entering.
Any part of the costume not made by the Participants will have to be declared and will be acceptable if it falls within the tolerated range. Failing to declare an item not made by participants will result in penalties or disqualification. This includes 3D models, embroidery patterns, electronic kits, and other kinds of patterns.
Each Participant must be 18 at the time they are selected.
Participants are not allowed to alter their skin tone with the intention of portraying or matching a character from a human ethnicity, existing or similar to an existing one, other than their own. This aspect of portrayal would have no impact on the scoring regarding accuracy to the original source material. Please contact staff if you have any questions regarding this rule.

Props and limitations:

Stage props are categorized into 3 sizes:

Big size props exceeding 20 kilos and require 2 staff to carry it in AND off the stage in one go in 15 seconds max.
Middle size props may not exceed 11 kilos and require 1 staff to carry it on AND off the stage in one go in 15 seconds max.
Small size props which can’t exceed 3 kilos and must be carried by the cosplayer on AND off the stage in one go in 15 seconds max if no staff is available.
Each entry at the final in France will have the help of up to 4 staff members max to carry the stage props in and off the stage. Please prepare for this maximum accordingly. Weapons and accessories held by hand do not count against this limit.
The Participants are responsible for the construction and resilience of their props/sets on the stage. These items must be solid and stable enough to be carried without special care.
Staff are the only ones to decide if a prop fits the rules and guidelines or not and reserve the right to remove props or items as they see fit for safety.

Safety:

Regarding safety issues, pyrotechnics (fireworks, firecrackers, lighters, inflamed or incandescent objects, candles) is forbidden.
Liquids are forbidden on stage (water guns, full bottles…), even in a closed container.
Steel weapons (sword and blade replicas) are forbidden, except the ones made by the Participants provided they are no threat to anyone.
Dropping or throwing confetti, glitters, feathers etc. is forbidden on stage.
The organization has the right to interrupt any performance that could be considered dangerous to the Participants or the nearby audience.

Disqualification:

Any Participant not complying with one of the articles from these rules exposes themselves to getting permanently disqualified.
Any Participant not complying with the Cosplay Organizers’ directions can be instantly disqualified.
Any Participant guilty of vandalism, theft, act of aggression (physical or verbal), offending behavior, or any other offense during the festival will be instantly and permanently disqualified. Pursuits will be enforced against them according to the current laws and rules.
Plagiarism regarding performances is not allowed. Participants are required to enter with an original project. Inspiration is encouraged and legitimate (from previous cosplay or other kinds of performances), but an obvious copy of an existing cosplay performance will result in disqualification. This sanction can happen post-event after a thorough investigation by the Cosplay Organizers and the ECG Officials. After investigation, the ECG Officials are the only ones with authority to arbitrate on the situation and act.

Additional Information:

Selected Participants are allowed to compete in a different costume than the one worn for the selections, provided that the Cosplay Organizers approve it. If they wish to do so, they will have to provide pictures of the characters and get approval.
The Participants must be able to come to France for a period of one week in early July.
All Participants shall cooperate in a positive way to ensure the success of all events.