All cosplayers and worn cosplays participating in either event need to abide by all rules and regulations stated on the Rules page. Violating any of these rules and/or any of the following rules can result in disqualification from the contest.

PRIZES: First Place Beginner & First Place Advanced for the Craftsmanship Contest will be awarded with $50! 2nd & 3rd in both categories will receive awesome trophies and other swag!

In addition to those rules, entrants to either the Runway or Craftsmanship Contest are expected to:

• Have a Mini-Con 2024 badge and have paid for admission

• Be respectful and courteous to all other competitors and convention-goers. No foul play or bullying will be tolerated.

• Wear costumes that abide all cosplay policies stated on the Rules page.

Any accessibility/mobility aids, disabilities, or stuff of the like will not be counted against entrants. 

There may be a limit set on contestants if the number of them exceeds expectations. For now, all entrants are welcome and entries can be done at the event or online. But doing the forms online ahead of time is very appreciated! :D)

• BEGINNERS: Your costume must be at least 30-50% handmade or significantly altered by you. No storebought costumes.

• ADVANCED: Your costume must be at least 60-70% handmade or significantly altered by you. Again, no storebought costumes!

  • There's a lot of wiggle room on shoes and wigs - some things are beyond us.

• If a costume was commissioned or made for someone else, the maker of the costume is the entrant, and needs to be present. Please contact us on Discord or Instagram if this is the case.

• Please inform the judges if you received any major assistance in making the cosplay.

• Cosplays can be from almost any source, assuming it is not:

  • Hateful, racist, sexist, ableist, predatory, etc - you know the deal. 

  • Obscenely inappropriate or mature - this would have to be pretty out there. If your cosplay abides by our Cosplay Rules, the media probably does too.

• Please have references of your character when you go to your judging.

  • Physical references are preferred, but not required!

• If you need any assistance or accommodation for your mobility or visibility, please let us know.

• Arrive on time for Pre-Judging & the line-up before the contest.

  • Set an alarm, reminder, and/or a calendar event. Do all 3! They help. The person writing these rules completely missed their Galaxycon pre-judging because they were so lost in the sauce - so this advice is personal.

• No Show/ No Contact= Disqualification from the contest. We're good people, we promise - please keep us updated if you're in any challenging circumstances that might impact your ability to compete or attend.

• Respect the judges and their decisions - they're talented and respectable people in our community offering their time and knowledge to our event! Their decisions may not always align with yours, but trust and believe that they come from places of experience.

Any major contest questions or concerns can be directed to ialbino@ncsu.edu!

• Is there a prize? Are there prizes? What are the awards? I like shiny things.

  • There will be prizes for all awards! Specifics are being ironed out, but all cosplayers who receive an award will receive a physical token of that win! Some even cooler stuff for the top placers is in the works!

• How does judging work? Do you have any tips?

  • Cosplay Contest prejudging is a lot like an art critique. You bring your artwork (in this case, your cosplay) into a room of experts and explain to them the decisions, choices, and meticulous craft you put into it! 

  • Pre-judging windows are always quite short. Ours will be even shorter, around 2-3 minutes tops. Do your best to highlight the best parts of your cosplay in this time - don't get hung up on any negatives.

  • Plan ahead on what you're going to talk about! Judges can't read your mind - if you miss something, they might too!

  • If you've got the time, Build Books are a huge help. They're process books that showcase:

    • reference images of your character

    • progress photos of your cosplay

    • further details on certain aspects of your craft

  • Build Books aren't required, but judges certainly appreciate them! They also alleviate the some of the stress that comes from trying to talk about your work!

  • The judges are experts and talented people, and have cosplayed for years, but they are human, and they are good people! Stay confident & don't be too stressed - the point is to have fun and put your skills out there!

• I've never competed before. Should I enter?

  • We're doing our best to make sure this contest is as accessible as humanly possible! First-time contests can be intimidating, especially at larger cons - so we're making sure that this is a fun and fair experience for all levels of cosplay! So yes, you should if you want to!