• The Competition only allows solo entries and team entries up to a maximum of 3 individuals.
• For all entrants participating as a team, all characters must be from the same series or source material.
• Participant(s) must arrive at the Main Hall at least 30 minutes before the Masquerade begins for check in and set up. If you are not present during this time, your entry may be disqualified.
• Each participant(s) must compete with the costume they declared on their registration form, unless a change has been agreed to with explicit permission from the Kitacon organisers.
• When the participant(s) are being pre-judged or are on stage, all other Kitacon costume and prop rules apply.
• Participant(s) must have a valid Kitacon ticket to enter the Cosplay Competition.

• Costumes for the Kitacon Cosplay Competition must be from an officially published or broadcast source. They may not be an original design or a design based on derivative works not endorsed by the copyright holder, including use and holding of props not in association with the official source material.
• Each participant(s) must enter with the costume they declared on their registration form, unless a change has been agreed to with explicit permission from the Kitacon organisers.
• Costumes must provide enough body coverage to be worn in public and should be in good taste.
• Costumes must not exceed two metres in any dimension. This excludes any parts that can be collapsed to a smaller size and kept collapsed when traversing through the convention building (e.g. wings and props).
• The participant(s) must be able to move freely and safely onto the stage unassisted and potentially ascend a small flight of stairs to get onto the stage. If the stairs may be an issue, please email cosplay@kitacon.org so that we see what we can do to assist and accommodate the participant(s).
• The participant(s) costume or props cannot be built on stage.
• When the participant(s) are on stage, all other Kitacon costume and prop rules apply.
• Kitacon reserves the right to intervene in the case of attire or costumes with the following: insensitive or unnecessary use of makeup, profanities or sexual acts; inciting of hate or crime; and uniforms, emblems, or flags of organisations responsible for crimes against humanity.
• The use of makeup and prosthetics to depict another realistic race is prohibited. If you have any concerns about a costume choice, please email cosplay@kitacon.org.
• If stilts or platforms are a part of the costume, this must be declared in the application as this may potentially violate the health and safety policy. Please contact cosplay@kitacon.org for further information.
• Kitacon has the right to refuse any entry at registration if it is deemed inappropriate or in breach of rules outlined here.
• If you require any assistance getting both on and off stage, this must be noted in “Additional requirements” section of the sign up form. This is so we will be aware in advance and can provide the right help on the day.
• Kitacon Organisers reserve the right of final decision on any matters pertaining to the Cosplay Competition that are not covered by the rules.
• All costumes must be at least 75% handmade by the participant(s). Any help received from friends or family must be declared during registration and pre-judging.
• It is acceptable to use bought wigs, shoes and spectacles as long as they are not customised on purchase or commissioned. Any customisation such as wig-styling or shoe modification must be the sole work of the participant(s).

• The jury will consist of a panel of advanced crafters, specifically selected by the Kitacon organisers with varied skills.
• The Kitacon organisers have the right to modify any member of the jury without prior notice.
• The decision of the jury will be final.
• The scores will be split between two categories - Costume and Performance - and the scoring scheme is as follows:
  • Costume (80%)
    • Accuracy (30%)
    • Craftsmanship & Finishing (30%)
    • Complexity & Diversity of Techniques (20%)
  • Showmanship (20%)
    • Stage Presence (5%)
    • Entertainment (5%)
    • Delivery (5%)
    • Creativity (5%)
• The costume segment will be judged by the jury prior to the main stage event (known as pre-judging) on the same day as the competition show.
• Pre-judging slots will be allocated to each participant(s) prior to the event.
• Participant(s) must be physically signed in at Cosplay HQ before cut off at 12:00 on Saturday 10th August 2024.
• Participant(s) can sign in on the Friday 9th August and the Saturday 10th August before the cut off time.
• The participant(s) must be fully ready upon arrival for their pre-judging time, including full assembly of props and being fully changed into costume.
• Stage props are not required to be judged, however any item taken into pre-judging with the participant(s) shall be presumed to be part of the costume assessment and be taken into account for the score.
• The Showmanship segment will be judged by the selected jury during the Kitacon Cosplay Competition show on the main stage.

• Competition entries must be between 1 minutes 00 seconds and 2 minutes 30 seconds in duration.
• No entry may consist of any offensive language, hate speech or behaviour deemed inappropriate/vulgar.
• Confetti, glitter, projectiles, pyrotechnics and liquids are forbidden on stage.
• Kitacon has the right to interrupt/cease any entry that could be a danger to the participant(s), Kitacon staff and audience members.
• Stage helpers or assistants (sometimes known as stage ninjas) are not allowed on stage during your entry.
• You may bring one stage assistant (so long as they are not competing with you) to help with your props or costume backstage only.
• General convention health and safety rules apply.

• Stage props must be made to be carried on and off the stage, either by the participant(s) or with the help of others.
• When it is your turn on stage, 2 members of staff will be available to assist with placement of your props.
• All stage props must be less than 15 kg.
• There is a maximum of 2 props in total per entry.
• The largest a prop dimension may be is (W)1 metre x (L)1.5 metre x (H)1 metre. Weight limit still applies.
• Stage helpers are not allowed on stage to assist with props during your entry.
• There will be 30 seconds of set up time permitted for props between entries.
• Any items/props for the Competition as part of the participant(s) entry are the sole responsibility of the participant(s).

• All competition participant(s) must submit images from the official source material of the costume as a reference.
• All materials must be submitted via the appropriate methods provided by Kitacon.
• Any material sent without request from the Kitacon organisers will not be accepted.
• The deadline for material submissions is Sunday 28th July at 12:00 pm.
• A minimum of 6 photos and a maximum of 10 photos showing proof of construction of the costume, must be submitted by the deadline date.The costume is not required to be completed for the submission deadline. More can be brought on the day for the benefit of the judging panel.
• For reference image(s) of the character you are cosplaying:
  • Any additional reference images not submitted by the deadline may be brought to pre-judging. We recommend a minimum of 2 images (front and back of character), so the jury has a clear representation of the character to score for the accuracy category.
  • Images of the participant(s) wearing the cosplay are not classed as reference images and will not be accepted.
  • Each image must be in a separate file with a format of jpg, jpeg or png.
  • Files must be clearly named with the prefix of “INITIALS_CHARACTER_FILENAME”, such as “KC_ALICE_REFERENCE1.jpg” or “KC_ALICE_WIP1.jpeg”.

• All files must be submitted via the appropriate methods provided by Kitacon.
• Any files sent without request from the Kitacon organisers will not be accepted.
• The deadline for submissions is Sunday 28th July at 12:00.
• All audio must be pre-recorded for your entry — live singing, etc. will not be accepted.
• Audio length must be longer than roughly 1 minute and 00 seconds.
• Audio length must not exceed 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
• Audio files must be in MP3 (.mp3) format.
• Files must be clearly named with the prefix of “INITIALS_CHARACTER_FILENAME”, such as "KC_ALICE_PERFORMANCE.mp3”.

• The Kitacon Cosplay Competition will award prizes for both 1st Place and a single Runner-Up.
• Prizes will be announced by Kitacon organisers closer to the date.
• Prizes may be altered by the Kitacon organisers without prior notice.

• Failure to comply with these rules may result in disqualification of the participant(s).
• Failure to comply with Kitacon organisers or venue staff during the event may result to the disqualification of the participant(s).
• Kitacon have the right to disqualify any participant(s) at their own discretion.
• Every participant(s) guilty of vandalism, theft, acts of aggression against either towards Kitacon organisers, staff, venue staff or attendees (physical or verbal), or any other behaviour deemed inappropriate before, during or after the event, will be instantly and permanently disqualified.
• All illegal behaviour will be pursued and prosecuted to the full extent of the laws.

• Kitacon is not responsible for:
  • Technical faults or failures of any kind, including but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions or disconnections in network hardware or software.
  • Unauthorised human intervention in any part of the application process or the Kitacon Cosplay Competition event.

If there are any unique circumstances or questions not covered here, contact cosplay@kitacon.org and we’ll respond as soon as possible.