2024 Hall Cosplay Competition

Love to sew? Creating props? Make things glow?  The Anime USA Craftsmanship Competition is the place for you!

What is the Hall Cosplay Contest, you may ask? It’s a place where Cosplayers and costumers alike come together to show off their craftsmanship skills in their own one-on-one judging session. Creators, fabricators, seamstresses and tailors will be able to show off their amazing work to bring beloved characters and original ideas to life in this competition. Participants of the Hall Cosplay Contest also get the opportunity to join in the Masquerade to show off their hard work in a cosplay fashion show!

Interested in the specifics? Read on!

Anime USA Hall Cosplay: What you need to know –

Registration

• All skit group participants must have a valid Anime USA Badge (specialty badges such as press, dealers, panelist, etc., are also valid).
• Anime USA Staff are NOT allowed to register for the Hall Cosplay due to the time constraints and conflict of interest.
• You do not have to pre-register; however pre-registration does help us to know how many entries we will have prior.
  • Pre-con registration will be available online 
  • At-con registration will be available starting an hour before the judging blocks; we will also take entries during the blocks provided we have remaining time-slots.
  • All slots are first come, first served.
• Any contact information, such as names, emails, and phone numbers will be kept in confidence and not be shared beyond Cosplay Staff.
• Each participant or group may only be judged once on Friday, and once on Saturday. All pre-registered groups must check in at Cosplay HQ during check-in times to confirm your entry and appointments. Failure to do so will result in forfeiting your spot for the Hall Cosplay Contest.
• All Hall Cosplay Contest participants are encouraged to join us for the Fashion Show portion of the Masquerade.  This is not required – but we will be announcing all awards during the Masquerade – please be there to support your fellow competitors.

Craftsmanship Judging Guidelines

• To participate in the Hall Cosplay Contest at least 70% of the costume must be made by the person who is entering.
  • Back again at this year’s Anime USA! We are accepting original designs – being that the Craftsmanship Competition is based on workmanship there is no reason why we cannot judge what you have worked on.  Just make sure that you can explain how you made what you’ve been working on.  For instance, we will take all recreation costumes (Disney, Anime, Manga, Movies, etc…) as well as your own designs (steampunk, visual-kei, Lolita, fashion, etc…) So show us what you can do!
• Craftsmanship Judging is done by appointment on Friday and Saturday during Hall Cosplay Contest hours. Appointments are made during check-in.
• Progress pictures are not mandatory, however they do give our judges a better idea of what you went through to make your costume. If you are working on a recreation costume, we do advise you try to bring at least one picture of your character.  Not all of our judges may be versed in every series out there – having a picture of your character in the costume you are replicating is a great way to reference your costume.
• Costumes that are judged for the Hall Cosplay cannot compete for Masquerade Craftsmanship.
• Costumes that have previously won a major award at a previous Anime USA or at other conventions are not eligible to participate in the Hall Cosplay Contest , if you would like to walk in the fashion show – you can still feel free to do that by filling out the Fashion Show Registration form.

Division Categories

• Each entry’s appropriate category will be determined by the participant with the highest number of awards. For example: an entry consisting of 3 participants with zero major awards and 1 participant with 3 major novice awards won will be placed in the Journeyman category. The highest level member determines the division in which the group participates.
• Major awards include the following: Best Overall, Best of Division, Best in Show, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place.
• Minor awards include the following: Judge’s Choice, Honorable Mention, etc.

• Novice

• A contestant who has yet to compete.
• A contestant who has under 3 major awards in the Novice Division.
• The following people cannot enter Novice Division: A contestant who won a Major Award in Journeyman or Master Class, or a Novice who has won ‘Best in Show’ or ‘Best of Weekend’ at another competition.

• Journeyman
  • A contestant who has won at least three Major Awards in the Novice Division.
  • A contestant who has won at least one Major Award in the Journeyman Category.
  • The following people cannot enter Journeyman Division: A contestant who won a Major Award in Master Class, or a Journeyman who has won ‘Best in Show’ or ‘Best of Weekend’ at another competition.
• Master
  • A contestant who has won at least five major awards (Novice or Journeyman).
  • A contestant who has won at least a Major Award in the Master’s Category.
• Additional Notes
  • Contestants are allowed to jump up classes if they believe they are ready to compete at that level. A novice with no awards under their belt can compete as a Master if they wish.
  • However, once you have placed at a higher level, you can no longer go down.