For anyone who doesn't know about cosplay: Cosplay is like Halloween, but year-round. A cosplay contest is like a nerdy fashion show! Wanna cosplay? Awesome! We are totally down for cosplay! We live for cosplay. We even have a Cosplay (Costume) Contest! It doesn't matter if your cosplay was wrestled out of your closet in 5 minutes, hand-sewn and crafted, scouted out in Goodwill, or ordered off of Amazon--all are free to enter our contest, or cosplay as they so please.

The Woo-Con Cosplay Contest is a low-stress and fun way to participate in a cosplay contest. Cosplayers of all races, genders, skill levels and ages are welcome to join!

NOTE: These rules are from the 2017 Woo-Con Cosplay Contest, and we will update them accordingly as the 2018 Woo-Con Cosplay Contest is planned. Thank you for your patience!

In order to cosplay, do I have to enter the cosplay contest?

Not at all! The contest is completely optional. You can cosplay without competing, as long as your costume fits the rules from this page and our Info page. Go for it!

I want to compete! What do I do? How do I sign up?

Good question! Competing involves showing our judges your costume. More on that below. To compete, you need to talk to our helpful guides at the info desk, who will give you the rules (digital copy in the sidebar) and give you more information.

What categories are there for the contest?

Categories are (note: These may be subject to change)...

Cool! What are the rules?

Cosplay Contest Rules

Be Prepared!

• 1. Bring a reference! A reference is a picture of the character that you are cosplaying as. Without a reference, we cannot accurately judge your costume for craftsmanship. It would be beneficial to your score to bring as close a reference as possible, preferably as a color printout, but bringing figures, tablets, manga, books, laptops, etc., will also be accepted.
• • On the note of characters who fit multiple categories: Your category is dependent on the reference you bring. For example, if you cosplay as Captain America from Captain America: The First Avenger, you should bring screenshots or other materials from the film, not the comic. Likewise, if you cosplay as Cap from the Civil War arc in the comics, bring a reference from Civil War.


• 2. Be prepared to talk about your costume. Come in knowing what you want to say. Tell the judges everything about how you made your costume. Things you should talk about include fabric, construction methods, or any special methods you used to get around a problem in designing the costume. The judges will be there to help guide you in your costume judging.


• 3. The judges will look at your costume, along with your craftsmanship, up close. So, if you feel at all uncomfortable at any time, please feel free to let the judges know! They will be glad to listen. They won’t be angry. They want you to be comfortable!

General Cosplay Rules

Clothing

Woo-Con is a family-friendly event. Having no costume is considered as "No Costume". Absolutely no nudity. Please ensure that all costumes are properly secured at all times and are not prone to “indecent accidents”.
Short skirts, kilts, etc. must be accompanied by proper underwear. Ineffective underwear or a lack thereof constitutes indecent exposure. Offenders may be turned over to law enforcement. Clothing should at least cover what a 2-piece bikini or swim shorts would cover.

Weapons

No metal swords, knives, bayonets, cane-swords, and/or other objects made of metal, which have a sharp point or sharpened edge. No real or replica guns of any kind permitted.
Along with that...

• • NO Pellet guns, airsoft guns, mini or pistol crossbows, stun guns, darts or blowguns
• • NO replica metal weapons such as swords, katanas, naginatas, or knives