COSPLAY CRAFTSMAN CONTEST

The Cosplay Craftsmanship contest is returning to Geek Out 2024! If you’ve ever wanted to have your work entered to win a prize, while also showing off your skills to other cosplayers, you should enter our competition and maybe even win Best in Show! 

If you’re interested in still showing off your cosplay but do not want to enter our competition you can STILL participate in our Masquerade! Walk across the stage with contestants and strut your stuff! 

What is the Cosplay Craftsmanship Contest?

The Cosplay Craftsmanship Contest allows cosplayers a chance to win awards for their hard work in crafting their cosplay! There are several levels to compete in as well as several prizes to win in each division! Winners will be announced at the end of the Masquerade. Prizes TBD
1st Place in Masters: $75
1st Place Journeyman: $50
1st Place Novice: $25
1st Place Juniors: Custom Geek Out Trophy
Judge’s Favorite
Honorable Mention
Best In Show
Certificates for all winners!
Fill out an application here to enter the Cosplay Craftsmanship Contest and be sure you read our rules before you do! 

MASQUERADE

The Masquerade is for all cosplayers to show off their craftsmanship and performances, even walk-ons can participate in the Masquerade!
This will be held Saturday evening of GeekOut. To participate, just show up 10 minutes before the event starts and take a walk across our stage!
Cosplayers will walk across stage and do a few poses for the audience, allow the audience to snap some photos, and then walk off. It’s a cosplay runway!

The Cosplay Competition entries will also be participating in the masquerade walk and winners will be announced at the end. 

GEEK OUT COSPLAY CRAFTSMANSHIP COMPETITION RULES 

The cosplay craftsmanship competition will be held on Friday and Saturday of Geek Out. Each participant must sign up prior to the convention in order to compete and each participant must show up for their time slot for prejudging, participants who do not show up for their time slot will be considered a forfeit from the competition.

Registration is REQUIRED for all categories, and participants must have purchased, at minimum, a Saturday pass for Geek Out.

Groups are limited to a maximum of SIX people. If a group has more than SIX members, they may petition the Expo Coordinator to allow the group to compete.

Participants may NOT compete with a costume that has previously won any Major Award at any convention

TYPES OF SKILL GROUPS

When signing up you must declare which skill group you are participating in. Below is a description and qualifications for each group.

Junior — Solely for participants 13 years of age or younger, regardless of awards or skill level. You may have won any number of awards and/or made any number of costumes.

Novice — Ages 13+; you may have won up to 2 Major Awards or 5 Minor Awards and made up 1-5 costumes

Journeyman — Ages 13+; you may have won 2—4 Major Awards or 5—10 Minor Awards, and have made 5—9 costumes

Master — Ages 13+; you may have won 4—6 Major Awards or 10—15 Minor Awards, and have made 9—11 costumes Closet Cosplay --- There will be a Closet Cosplay award this year. Anyone may enter this category. This is anything from modified clothes or partially made items! (As long as it is an official character, not an Original or otherwise!) You MUST have made or heavily modified 50% of your costume

Closet Cosplay -  This will be a brand new category for 2024! Anyone may enter this category; This is anything from modified clothes or partially made items! (As long as it is an official character, not an Original or otherwise!) You MUST have made or heavily modified 50% of your costume

COSPLAY GROUPS

A group must compete in the division of the HIGHEST skilled member. (Example: A group of 2 Novices & 1 Journeyman must compete as a group in the Journeyman Division)
You cannot compete in a division lower than you have already won an award in. If you have won Best in Division—Master, you cannot compete as a Journeyman, even if it is your only Major Award.
Major Awards are considered Best in Show, Best in Division, or the like.
Minor Awards are considered Honorable Mention, Merit Award, Judge’s Award, or the like.

CRAFTSMANSHIP

At least 60% of an entry’s costume (50% if competing in the Junior Division) must be handcrafted by the participant. Modification to purchased or commissioned costumes is not viewed as original work and does not qualify for the Craftsmanship contest.

No commissioned, purchased, or rented costumes. Costumes from costume shops, designer direct, auctions, CosPay, or any other store-bought costumes are prohibited and will negate individual/group eligibility (even if only one participant in a group has a disqualified costume) to compete in the Craftsmanship contest.
The costume’s creator(s) may have a model wearing the costume for the contest. In these cases, the creator(s) must be present for the pre-judging appointment, must be the owner of the costume and would be credited for any awards, not the model.

REGISTRATION AND APPOINTMENTS

Online Pre-Registration is open April 30th –May 31st
All Pre-Registration Forms MUST be received by before 11:59 PM EST on May 31st.

Links to the forms are available on the Geek Out website. If links are not working, please email:
hannon@geekout-hca.com

ALL Participants must submit a “Cosplay Competition Registration Form”. Once a form is received, an email will be sent with available appointment times. After an appointment time has been selected for judging and confirmed, a final email confirming the date and time will be sent.

In order for appointments to run on time, participants must check in with Cosplay Registration AT LEAST 10 minutes before their appointment block starts. Failure to check in within this time frame will be taken as a forfeit!

• Craftsmanship and Performance appointments will be scheduled on Friday and Saturday.

• Craftsmanship Individual entries will have a 5 minute judging period.

• Craftsmanship Group entries will have a 10 minute judging period.

• Some Reschedules/Changes are allowed during pre-reg, but please don’t abuse this.

After your pre-judging/audition appointment, you will receive your stage number. This is associated with your cosplay information and must be visible for your stage walk.

Please email hannon@geekout-hca.com if you have any questions or issues regarding Cosplay Pre-Registration!

THE PRE-JUDGING PROCESS

Participants will have a set amount of time to interview with a panel of judges experienced in sewing, wig styling, prop making, and armor building. Individual entries will have 6 minutes (4 minute interview & 2 minute deliberation) and Group entries will have 10 minutes (8 minute interview & 2 minute deliberation).

During the interview process, the judges will get close and go over the costume while asking about the crafting process, techniques, and materials used. Participant responses should be as quick and concise as possible so they may cover as much about their costume as they can.
Participants/Models for Craftsmanship MUST be in full costume and are REQUIRED to bring adequate printed reference materials for the judges to hold, review and compare for their pre-judging appointment, as well as adequate work in progress images!

Good references show (at the very least) the front and back, but side views are highly recommended as well. They may also have close ups of details and props. Examples of references include: screen captures, DVD covers, art books, PVC figurines, magazine articles, manga, colored printouts, etc. No outlets will be available for laptops and no computers be provided. Please come prepared! Lack of reference material or progress images WILL result in a score of 0 in the “Presentation” judging area.

Once time is called for the interview process, participants must promptly leave the judging area for the judges to deliberate your final score in private.

Ready to apply? Click HERE