Cosplay Contest Rules
Cosplay Contest Rules and Guidelines:
All cosplays must adhere to all Hazard Con safety rules and guidelines obtaining to obscenity and weapon/prop safety and protocol. If you are unsure your cosplay adheres to these rules please check here.
Hazard Con’s Cosplay Contest will be divided into 2 divisions. This is the page for the Novice Division.
Hazard Con’s Cosplay Contest will be divided into 2 divisions. This is the page for the Novice Division.
All Division Rules:
Hall cosplay is for cosplayers who wish to show off their craftsmanship skills! Judges will evaluate and rate each cosplay based on overall craftsmanship quality, complexity, and how well the costume functions and fits. Premade costumes are not permitted in this contest. If you would still like to show off your costume, please consider doing a walk-on at the beginning of the masquerade!
Judges' awards and honorable mentions do not count towards divisions. Hazardcon cosplay staff encourages participants to challenge themselves and use their best judgment when selecting the division they wish to participate in. Please also note that judges reserve the right to bump a cosplayer up in division if they deem it necessary. Judges will not demote participants to a lower division.
- Cosplayers of any age are welcome to participate, but please note that entrants ages 14 years or younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian as stated in Hazardcon’s Rules.
- Cosplays from any genre of fiction are permitted to compete.
- Judging will take place on Saturday of the convention. Please make sure you are able to attend for your judging time.
- All participants must be registered members attending the convention. Judges will check that all competing cosplayers have official Hazardcon 2023 badges.
- All cosplays must comply with the “Statement of Dress” section listed in Hazardcon’s rules.
- All props must also adhere to Hazardcon’s “Props/Weapons Policy”
- Cosplayers must have made at least 70% of the costume. If items were bought, they must be heavily modified by the cosplayer in some way or contribute very little to the overall outfit (Ex. socks)
- Costumes may be modeled by someone else, however the original crafter of the costume is considered the entrant and must be the one to submit the entry form. This person will also speak to the judges and be the person eligible for any awards, not the person wearing the costume.
- Group cosplays are permitted, however prizes may vary based on group size.
- Limit to 5 people per group cosplay
- Participants may not enter a costume that has been judged previously at a Hazardcon event.
- Reference material is not required, but failing to provide reference may affect your overall scores as judges may not be knowledgeable of the cosplayed character. For the best possible experience, please provide character reference images as well as Work in Progress photos during your evaluation.
- Fanart of existing characters is permitted, but reference images MUST be provided if competing with these types of costumes.
- Original characters are permitted but shall be judged on a case-by-case basis and are left to the discretion of the judging panel.
- Hall Cosplay will be split into 3 divisions as follows:
- Novice: New to costume making. Up to 9 costumes or no major awards
- Journeyman: Experienced with costume making. Roughly 10-19 costumes or 1-3 major awards
- Masters: Very experienced with costume making. Roughly 20+ costumes or 3+ awards
Judges' awards and honorable mentions do not count towards divisions. Hazardcon cosplay staff encourages participants to challenge themselves and use their best judgment when selecting the division they wish to participate in. Please also note that judges reserve the right to bump a cosplayer up in division if they deem it necessary. Judges will not demote participants to a lower division.
- Each participant will have 5 minutes with the judge’s panel to be interviewed and judged. Group cosplays may take up to 2 minutes per person longer.
- Awards for this event will be presented at the end of the masquerade. Attendance at this event is highly encouraged. Please note in your submission form if you cannot attend the masquerade so that we can inform you of your achievement should you place.
- Should your ability to attend the masquerade change from what was stated in your entry form, please notify a judge or staff member during your judging time.