COSPLAY CENTRAL

The Cosplay Central Crown Championships is a Global Cosplay competition run by ReedPop. Unlike previous years, Australian Cosplayers will have the opportunity to be selected as a finalist to compete with a Global audience. The 2023 final will take place at C2E2, Chicago, USA.

The Australian leg of the Cosplay Crown Global Championships will be held on Sunday, October 9th at PAX Aus, which is being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).

The winner of the Australian leg will be crowned before they go on to compete in the international finals at C2E2 in Chicago.

The winner will receive:

• Trophy

• Two (2) weekend passes for C2E2, Chicago 2023.

• Return flight from Australian state capital airport to Chicago* to attend the Cosplay Central Crown Championships Final at C2E2, Chicago in August 2023, including up to 1 additional piece of hold luggage for costume transportation if required, up to a total included value of $5000 AUD

• Three (3) nights’ accommodation (arranged by C2E2)

• Two (2) weekend tickets to PAX Aus 2023

*All other costs are the responsibility of the winner, including the cost of any changes to booked travel, transfers to and from departure point and any Visa/ESTA related costs.

A prize will be offered for second place, with the contestant receiving:

• $500 AUD Voucher and Trophy; 

• Two (2) 3-day badges to PAX Aus 2023

All applications must be submitted on or before 11:59 AEDT, September 6th, 2022.

At application, entrants must submit a minimum of one (1) reference image, images of the costume they wish to enter (with allowance for minor unfinished elements) and a written description that may offer details about the design and construction process, materials and the choice of costume.

Group entries are not permitted as the Championships are open to singular entries only.

Unfortunately, entrants are only able to participate in the Championships once per year, wearing one costume. As a result, applicants must not register numerous times with different costumes. 

Entrants must have made the costume they are using in selection events and finals by themselves. In saying that, we understand that various elements throughout the process may have required assistance. Exceptions are made for simple tasks where a single person required assistance (holding things in place, etc.). Wigs, shoes, minor accessories and largely insignificant base layers such as leotards and pantyhose are permitted.

Costumes used for the Championships Qualifier or Final must not have been used for any previous international cosplay or costume final. Exceptions can be made for smaller, local conventions and events.

Firstly, all costumes should be in good taste and appropriate for a family-friendly show. Whilst no character is exactly off the cards, the general rules are as follows:  

• Costumes must provide enough coverage to be worn in public; 

• Costumes must steer clear from obscene or offensive imagery, including incentive or unnecessary use of makeup, nor endorse any form of hate or any hate group. Gore, graphic violence or other objectionable elements may also be grounds for disqualification as determined by the judges and organisers; 

• Costumes cannot promote alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or any use of the foregoing), any activities that may appear unsafe or dangerous or any particular political agenda or message;

• Costumes must not defame, misrepresent or contain disparaging remarks about Cosplay Central, ReedPop and their products, or other people, products or companies, or communicate messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or goodwill with which Cosplay Central and/or ReedPop intends to associate the Competition; 

• Costumes cannot depict, and cannot themselves, be in violation of any Australian or other applicable law.

The costume should not exceed 2.5m/8ft in any one dimension, and the entrant should be able to safely move in the costume with limited assistance and the costume must not impede the finalist’s ability to get on and off stage. The organisers reserve the right to intervene should they believe a costume is not safe to participate on stage.

Entrants must comply with the costume, weapons and props rules outlined by the event. All props will be subject to security checks upon entry to PAX Aus. 

The short answer is no.

All selected entrants are responsible for all expenses related to competing at PAX Aus, including all lodging and travel to and from the convention centre. All contestants must also purchase a badge valid for PAX Aus on Sunday, October 9th.

Costumes for the championships must represent an existing or recognisable character or element from the pop culture realms, including comic books, film and television, video games, anime, manga, theatre or fantasy. 

Though we acknowledge the time and effort that goes into these creations, characters or elements such as bands, musicians and drag acts are not eligible. 

The weighting for each of the judging criteria is as follows:

• Accuracy or Design and Ambition - 30%

• Construction - 70%

Costumes replicating published designs from comic books, film and television, video games, anime, manga, theatre or fantasy (including derivative designs by well-known concept artists that have been publicly available for at least 1 year and not directly commissioned by the finalist) will be judged on Accuracy, i.e. the detail and steps taken to create a costume that is accurate to the given reference material. 

Costumes inspired by existing characters but given an original twist, e.g. character mash-ups or interpreting a recognisable character in an alternative style, will be judged on the Design choices and decisions taken to create a cohesive costume.

We will be confirming our judges and host for the Australian leg of the Championships in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out for new details coming soon!

Entrants should prepare a stage presentation or performance to showcase their costumes on stage. This can be a simple presentation of the costume’s details and features or a scripted performance. 

Each entrant will be on stage for a minimum of one (1) minute to a maximum of two (2) minutes.

Entrants must provide their own music and any pre-recorded dialogue; This must not contain any copyrighted material including music, voice recording or sound effects. Any ‘royalty-free’ materials used must be free to use without credit. Background videos are not accepted; the stage screen is not available for video footage. 

Energetic performances will require further assurance regarding the skills of the performers, and we reserve the right to interrupt performances for safety reasons.