The range of international cosplay championships is constantly growing, and the rules and judging criteria vary. The panelists, including WCS 2012 Teams from Finland and Denmark, discuss how these different competitions value different things and why you shouldn't approach all of them the same way

1. From NCC to ECC to WCS
International Cosplay Competitions and
Why They're Nothing Like Those at Home
Samie Correll, Josefine Hansen, Maiju Härkönen, Maija
Melanen & Elina Rimpiläinen

2. vs.

Finnish cosplay scene focuses on
costume
◦ Performance often just “something
extra”

Danes are all about the
performance
◦ A good costume “something extra”
◦ Costume may be altered to suit the
performance

3. “EuroCosplay organises a costume oriented contest with countries from all
over Europe sending a representative hoping to be crowned
European Cosplay Champion.”
Over 40 cosplayers from XX
participating countries, including
one from Finland and two from
Denmark
 Finals annually in London, UK
 International judges from outside
of Europe


4. 
Judging criteria:
◦ Accuracy 40%
◦ Construction 40%
◦ Performance 20%

Costume > Performance

5. Participants from the Nordic
countries (except for Iceland)
 Solo competition
 Finals in Linköping, Sweden
 Judges from the participating
countries

◦ “The contestants will be judged on
craftsmanship, performance and
likeness. Craftsmanship being the most
important and likeness being the least.”

6. European Cosplay Gathering
“The European Cosplay Gathering is a cosplay
contest on European scale, but also a way for
cosplayers to meet new friends sharing the
same passion!”

12 participating countries
◦ Finland is not invited because
Benjamin is so French and doesn’t
like us
Solo & group
 Finals in Paris, France


7. 10 points for costume, 10 points
for show
 Five judges from the participating
countries


8. Others

China International Cartoon and
Animation Festival (CICAF)
◦ Denmark and the Netherlands only
European participants

Cosplay World Masters
◦ Participants from an odd number of
countries, finals in a different
country each year

9. WCS
“In the true spirit of cosplay.”

10. 



Biggest and longest running of the
international cosplay competitions
24 participating countries, some of
them as “observers”
Finals annually in Nagoya, Japan
Judges Japanese otaku celebrities
(voice actors, manga artists,
singers, Furuya Tooru etc.)

11. Each judge awards a maximum
of 10 pts for costume, 10 pts for
accuracy and 5 points for fidelity
to original
 Additional audience votes in 2012


12. 
Entertainment event
◦ Competition itself is only a small
part of the event
◦ An epic performance is valued above
a great costume

Scoring seems to mysteriously
favour certain countries

13. 
A great social mixer/place to
meet cosplayers from around the
world
◦ Platform for international
collaboration