NärCon Sommar
Linköping, Sweden
Gyeonggi International Cosplay Festival
South Korea
Solo Category Winner:
Fantasy Basel
Basel, Switzerland
Duo Category Winners:
World Cosplay Summit 2025
Nagoya, Japan
Japan Expo
Paris, France
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Categories may be added or removed depending on the amount of competition available.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
If accepted, contestants must provide Video and Audio Files which will be played during their performance at the Contest.
Audio Requirements:
Image Requirements:
Video Requirements:
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.
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.
Categories may be added or removed at the discretion of the Contest Staff or award supplier.
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.
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.
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.
Contestants may use one or more assistants/stage ninjas in their performance.
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.
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 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.
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.
Qualifier will be scored as follows:
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.
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.
Winners’ Performance can be adjusted at the GICOF Competition in South Korea: their act may be between 2 minutes and 5 minutes.
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 must follow all of the general rules and guidelines. Applications can be for either solo competitors or duo groups.
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.
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.
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.
HolMat Cultural Exchange is judged on craftsmanship only:
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.
ECG Team USA will be selected by the jury members based on the following criteria:
Stage props are categorized into 3 sizes:
