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Cosplay Contest
for Construction

The Penti-con 2024 Cosplay Contest Rules

You must attend pre judging to be eligible for construction based awards. Pre judging times will be announced closer to the convention and entrants will be emailed.

We will do our best to confirm your entry into the contest within a week of your submission. If you have not heard back after a week, please email cosplay@thepenti-con.org for a follow up.

Sign ups will close on October 20th at midnight.  You should hear from us by the 23rd with your judging time/location. If we have reached our contestant capacity, we will notify you by email if you did not make it, and see if you wish to be on a waitlist.

If we have not reached our capacity, we will be allowing sign ups at the convention on the day of. We however encourage you to sign up beforehand to secure your spot, as well as ensure your custom audio track will be played.

 

You can enter as either an individual or as a group. The group will be judged as a whole if you wish to enter as a group, and only one award/ trophy will be given.

If you wish to enter individually, but do a group walk on/performance, that's allowed, just let us know and we'll discuss how this can be done and announced at the event. 

 

The maker of the costume must be present at judging time. Paid commissions are not allowed. If the maker is not wearing the costume they made, it will be treated as though the cosplayer is the model of the costume and the maker is the contestant. Both must appear on stage during the walk on portion of the show. Please advise in your application if this will be the case.

 

You must bring at least one (1) reference image of the costume from the source media (Anime, Game, Comic, etc). It must be full body, or as close as you can get. If it's not, please explain why during judging. 

 

Photos of the construction process or a build book to be presented at judging time are encouraged, but not required.

Construction Requirements

You must have made at least 60% of your costume to be able to enter.

Costumes made using primarily already made items will not be permitted unless heavily altered.

The judges can only judge you on what you made and parts you modified.

 

Examples:

  • A shirt or a pair of pants found at the thrift store and you dyed it. That would partially count as you altered the item. However the judges can only judge you on the dye job.

  • If you bought a piece of clothing and completely ripped it apart, and made it into something different than it was before, that would also partially count as you used the fabric. If there are any embellishments like patches or embroidery, those cannot be judged as they are not made by you.

  • If you bought a jacket and painted part of it, the judges can only judge you on the paint on that jacket. 

  • If you bought a prop 3D modelled by someone else, you will only be judged on how you finished it.

It does not matter if you're more screen accurate with a bought item. Someone who made more parts of their costume will always score better for construction. 

 

If you are reusing items from previous cosplays you have entered in The Penti-con Cosplay Contest in the past, you must be transparent about what has already been judged. Judges reserve the right to not judge those items, as they will have already been judged at the convention prior. If your costume meets the % made requirements without those items, you are perfectly fine to enter. If your costume does not, it is at the discretion of the Cosplay Contest Coordinator and Judges on whether you will be allowed to compete or eligible for awards.

 

Shapewear for example, such as corsets, binders, and compression shorts, is generally not taken into account for judging as it is an undergarment. If a participant has made these items and has not had them judged previously at the Penti-con, they are eligible for judging. Participants are not required to make these items however.

 

If you are unsure about anything regarding your costume, please email our cosplay contest coordinator at cosplay@thepenti-con.org

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PLEASE NOTE: Some of our categories have been renamed and revised this year, so please read carefully. 

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Awards available:
Best Wig
Best Special FX
Best Armoury Craft 
Best Needlework
Best Fibercraft
Best In Show

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In all categories judges will be evaluating the types of techniques used, how you applied those techniques, cleanliness of finishing, how your costume fits you, and overall appearance.

Judges reserve the right to evaluate your costume for a different category than requested if they feel you are better suited there. They also reserve the right to award as many or as few awards as they wish. In all categories judges will be using your reference images to see how well you replicated the design and techniques used to do so. This is NOT a look-alike contest, and costume accuracy refers to how well you made the items and how close they look to your reference image and how you made these pieces work and fit you. This is NOT judging how similar your physique is to the reference. 
 

Explanation of Categories

  • Best Wig:
    The best styled wig displayed by contestants. This cannot be a pre styled wig and all styling work must be done by the entrant. Wig does not need to be made by the contestant, only styled.

  • Best Special FX:
    The best Special FX displayed by contestants, This can include but is not limited to makeup, silicone work, and paint techniques.

  • Best Armoury Craft:
    The best constructed armour or non-needlework based costume, or prop displayed by contestants. If the item can be found in an armoury, it fits into this category.

  • Best Needlework:
    The best needlework displayed by contestants. This can include, but is not limited to sewing, embroidery, and applique.

  • Best Fibercraft:
    The best fibercraft displayed by contestants. Anything not commonly referred to as needlework would fit into this category. This includes but is not limited to felting, macrame, knitting, and crocheting. 

  • Best In Show:
    This is the top award that a contestant can win if they have shown excellence in multiple of the above categories. Award may be given to an individual or group who already won in one of the other categories, but is not required to.
     


 

Please note: because of close proximity of judging, we encourage masks to be worn. Please watch our social media for covid policies and event requirements as they may change based on health information available. If judges wish to look closer at your costume and flip seams or see the inside of your armour, they will ask before touching.

Walk-on Requirements

In addition to pre judging, you will be required to be on stage to show off your costume on stage. 

Walk ons will be limited to 45 seconds or less.

  • Please submit your custom walk on music in MP3 or WAV format, to be played while you take the stage when you fill out the sign-up form. If your music is longer than 45 seconds, it will not be played, no exceptions. Audacity is a great free software you can use to mix and cut audio.

  • File MUST have your cosplay name (as submitted on the sign up form) and character name (as submitted on the sign up form) as the file name. Example: SakuraElric-Junpei-Penti24walkon

    • Your cosplay name and character name MUST appear first on the file name.

 

Your walk on will also be judged and taken into account with the construction judging to factor into awards. Be sure to embody your character and show off your costume when you take to the stage.

 

Please include in your application a small description to be read out at the event during your walk on. This can be about your character or about your costume, whichever you see fit.

If you have any questions please feel free to email our cosplay contest coordinator at cosplay@thepenti-con.org and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

 

If your entry does not adhere to the above rules of submission, you will be asked to re-submit.

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Ready to enter? Click the link below!

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