WHAT CATEGORY SHOULD I CHOOSE?

This is entirely your own choice. As a guideline we would recommend that experienced cosplayers, cosplayers who have competed and gotten prizes at contests in the past, and people with education in sewing/design/other types of craft might want to consider the master category. However this is entirely up to you, and if you do not feel you can compete at the top level you are welcome to join the classic category. Likewise, beginners who are confident in their craft and stage ability are very welcome to compete in the master category. If you just want to show off on stage a bit with no hassle, go for the catwalk! If you want to do a show without worrying about craftsmanship or pre-judging, go for the performance category!

Protip: if you want to show off an amazing costume, OC or cool fashion outfit, check out our Style contest on Sunday!

WHEN, WHERE and HOW:

Info-meeting & Tech Talk:

On Friday there will be an information meeting for all participants in the CLASSIC, MASTER and DUO categories. Meet at the backstage meetup-point. If you're unsure how to get there, check our maps or ask the info stand. 

The meeting is not obligatory, but we sincerely advise all contestants to be there. If you are unable to attend yourself you are allowed to send a representative. Here we will go through all relevant information, answer questions and make sure you know what is going to happen. You will also be shown where you need to go for pre-judging.  You do not need to be in costume for this meeting.

After the meeting, you will be able to have quick chat with our tech crew to make sure we have everything right with your audiovisual and light cues. If you have not arrived yet, or if for some reason you need to leave earlier, we also have some time on Saturday during the pre-judging, so don't worry about missing out.

For the PERFORMANCE category, the info meeting will be on Sunday morning. The meeting point is the same as for the other categories.
You will also have some time to talk to our tech team about your show. and You will receive an  email with an exact schedule.

There is no info meeting for the CATWALK or STYLE category. Simply show up at the announced time and you will get all the necessary info. 

THE EXACT TIME OF THE INFO-MEETINGS WILL BE UPDATED HERE CLOSER TO THE EVENT.

Pre-judging:

Only the CLASSIC, MASTER and DUO categories will have a pre-judging. If you are not in those categories, please move on to the next point!

Costume pre-judging will take place from 10.00  to 12.00 on Saturday . After the signup deadline we will email you a schedule with individual judging times so you won’t have to wait too long. The lists will also be available at the info stand. It is your own responsibility to check the lists and make sure you are on time for your pre-judging. If you are not on time we cannot guarantee you will have time for judging, in which case you may be disqualified from the contest. As the convention opens at 11, contestants and their assistants will be allowed early entry to the venue on Saturday (from 09.45) Simply let the door guards know you are there for the contest. You will be informed where to go for pre-judging at the info-meeting, but of you are uncertain please make your way to the activity-stand and we will guide you.

Each contestant will have 5 minutes with the judges, where they get to take a closer look at your costumes and you can tell them a little bit about your process in crafting it. If you are uncertain of how this works, it will be covered in more detail at the info meeting. Please remember that our judges are very excited to be there and get to see your cosplay, and they are there to hype you up, not tear you down! If you are uncertain what to say or how to proceed in prejudging, they are there to help you out!

Stagewalk

Due to a tight schedule and a large amount of cosplayers going on stage throughout the con, we sadly are not able to have full technical rehearsals. However everyone will get some time to talk through your performance with the tech crew and stage hands, so you can feel safe that everything is in order. We will also make our stage and backstage areas available to you in the time between 10.00 and 11.00 on Saturday (CLASSIC, MASTER, DUO) and 10.30 - 11.30 on Sunday (PERFORMANCE), during which you may test out the stage, organize and store any stage props and otherwise prepare for your show.  

Simply tell the guards at the door that you are here for the contest and you will be let in. There will be no set schedule for this, so please share the space fairly! 

ON STAGE

Catwalk & Style

The catwalk consists of a cosplay catwalk for all contestants in all categories. Music will be played and you will get 10 - 20 seconds on stage to act/pose.You will not have access to a microphone or any other specific audio. If you cosplay with a group from the same series you are allowed to go on stage together, provided you send us a message along with the signup stating who you want to go with.

Meetup for the catwalk is 30 minutes before the catwalk start, at the Contest Meetup point.

Duo, Classic, Master

All contestants get to do a performance that should last between 1 and  3 minutes in length (1-4 for the duo and performance categories). You will have access to your own audio, video, microphones and light design (within reasonable limits, try to keep it simple). You will also be allowed to use an assistant on stage, either as a “stage ninja” or as a supporting character. However we want to make it clear that this is a solo contest and the assistant should only be there as a support. If your assistant is playing a supporting character role and the judges feel they take too much focus in the performance you will lose points. In the duo category the assistant can only be a stage ninja, not a supporting character.

PERFORMANCE RULES:

- We are a family friendly con. Innuendo is allowed, full on coarse sexual language is not. 
- Do not bring anything on stage that cannot be easily taken out again (such as water or confetti)
- No pyrotechnics or fire of any kind
- Stage props that are in violation of con rules may be used for the judging and on stage provided they are handed back to security or brought off the premises  afterwards. This does NOT include functional firearms or sharp metal blades!
- We can provide basic props such as tables and chairs. If you need any of this, please email us specific info on the numbers and types of items you need, and roughly where you want them placed on stage. You will be able to talk to our stage hands about this to get it just right!

Meetup for the contests are at the Contest Meetup Point. Exact times will be updated here closer to the event.

  

Performance

In this category you can have as many people on stage as you wish (keep in mind we have a limited number of microphones available). Your performance can be up to 4 minutes long. Otherwise, the rules for the categories above apply!

Meetup for the performance contest is at the Contest Meetup Point. Exact times will be updated here closer to the event.

JUDGES CRITERIA

The judges will look for the following:

Costume

- The overall look and cohesiveness of the costume
- Attention to detail
- The quality of the craftsmanship
- The level of difficulty
- Accuracy (how closely it follows the original design)

Performance

- Creativity
- Stage presence, acting and movement
- Choice, use and quality of audiovisual components (music, speech and/or sound effects, video etc.)
- Complimentary use of props, stage props and assistants (if any)
- Narrative choices and the overall impact of the performance

Factors like height, weight, body type and skin colour do not count towards the accuracy score. Likewise, a contestant will never be penalized for making health-related choices, such as wearing/not wearing glasses or contacts, or not wearing high heels for those unable to do so. 
Banzaicon does not allow the use of blackface in our contests.

In the CLASSIC and MASTER categories, costume will count for 60% of the score, performance for 40%. In the duo category the opposite numbers apply. 

Judging in CLASSIC and MASTER follow the same criteria, however they may show a slightly different focus, and judging in the master category will be somewhat stricter and expect a higher level of accuracy. This is due to a wish for a somewhat objective criteria of evaluation in an otherwise very subjective artform.

In the PERFORMANCE category, craftsmanship will not be judged, but the way your outfit/costume contributes to the show may be taken into account for your final score. 

SIGNUPS

You can only sign up to the contest online, not at the con. All sign ups close at midnight on the 1st of October, or earlier if the category is full. If there are few spaces left in any category we will post about it on our social media. By the 1st of October we must also have received your tech-specifications, audio or video file and reference images. If you do not send us this in time you will not be able to participate in the contest.

Once the form is sent in you should receive an email confirmation immediately, and then later an email from us with further info as well as instructions on how to send in your tech-info. Please check your spam filter if either of these do not arrive.

NB! If you sign up last minute you will need to have your audiovisuals ready immediately to send as soon as you receive our email!

To sign up, follow these two steps:

FILL IN THE FOLLOWING FORM - AVAILABLE ON THE 10th of July at 18.00!
Catwalk - is full and no longer accepting signups.
Style
Cosplay Classic - is full and no longer accepting signups.
Cosplay Master
Cosplay Duo
Performance - is full and no longer accepting signups.

IMPORTANT: Once you have sent the signup-form your place in the contest will be secured and you can send in your references and tech-specifications later, as long as you do so before the deadline.

Then await an email from us with some more information as well as a link to the form you will use to send us your practical and technical info.
Depending on which contest you are entering, you will need to prepare the following:

FOR CATWALK AND STYLE CONTESTANTS:
- You do not need to send us anything. Once you are signed up, you are good to go!

FOR CLASSIC, MASTER, DUO AND PERFORMANCE CONTESTANTS:

- 3-10 detailed reference images of the character you are cosplaying (in the outfit you are making), ideally from different angles and/or focusing on different details. If you cannot send us this many pictures because you are basing your costume on a design that is only depicted once, let us know.
NB! Performance-contestants do not need to send us reference images.

- An audio file in mp3 format, of no more than 3 minutes in length for CLASSIC and MASTER, 4 minutes for DUO and PERFORMANCE.
OR
- A video file in mp4 format, including the audio. Even if you just want a still image background it should be in a video file with the audio. We do not accept separate image/video and audio files!

- Instructions for light during the show, if you have any. Our tech-crew will do their best to accommodate your wishes, however they are only human and putting on a big show with no rehearsal, so please keep it relatively simple.

- The number and type of microphones you will need.

-Information about any large stage props you intend to bring, as well as any chairs or tables you wish to borrow from us.

PRIZE CEREMONY

The final results will be announced at our closing show on Sunday.

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In the signup form you will be asked for a code word, to confirm that you have seen and understood this info. The code word is: Spooky