You can take part by using the online signup form and attaching a build book/construction notes. There may be limited spaces available on the day but we suggest signing up online beforehand to avoid disappointment. If you have signed up online you will be sent a confirmation email with all the details you need. We advise popping by the desk nice and early to check through your requirements. Please arrive at least half an hour before the competition is due to begin at the cosplay zone. See you at the Masquerade!

What do I do if I want to do more than just pose in character?

The standard entry is 3 poses to music. If you want to do a full performance, skit or dance then please note this must be no longer than 1 minute 30 seconds in length. The length of your performance, details and requirements must be written on your application form. Any cues, requirements and/or skilled performances need to be reviewed within good time before the show. Music, pre-made tracks and/or microphones may be used during your performance, but we cannot utilise video. We highly advise you visit the cosplay desk early to check through your requirements. If you do not visit the desk, your requirements for your performance may be refused. Please email us if you have any queries.

Any costume from any genre of cartoon, anime, manga, comic, video game, television, film, book, original characters, mash ups etc. may enter the Masquerade. Under 18’s will require parental consent.

Can I enter if my costume is handmade?

Yes, your cosplay counts as handmade if 70% of the costume elements are your own work and will qualify for Craftsmanship, Character Concept and Performance categories.

Can I enter if my costume is altered?

These places are limited and decided by the cosplay team. An altered costume will be eligible to receive points in the craftsmanship category only for those specific components but will qualify for Character Concept and Performance categories.

Cosplays will be judged across 3 main categories:

• Craftsmanship – 45%
• Performance – 45%
• Character concept – 10%

Craftsmanship 

How much you made yourself and how well you made each handmade, altered or adjusted element such as costume, props, accessories and makeup.

You can tell us how you’ve made/altered each element by using the breakdown section on your sign up form. Let us all know all those amazing details! You also should attach a build book or construction notes in the costume section of your sign up form. This should be no longer than 20 pages. We appreciate build books take time and some costume elements are not always finished on sign up so we do accept build books sent in at a later stage, however all build books MUST be sent by Saturday 18th of July in order to be seen by the judges.

Our judges will see both your application and build books before Saturday. Then on the day you will get an opportunity to chat to the judges and for them see your costume up close in a 2 minute slot. This is extended to 3 minutes if you are a duo or +1 minute per extra person in groups.

Performance

You’ve got up to 1 minute 30 seconds on stage to strut your stuff, be it posing in character, a dance routine or a full performance piece. Show us what you’ve got! Know what you want to do, be confident, use as much of the stage as you can and show us the character.

Character Concept 

Who are you cosplaying? What are their motivations? Where are they from? How well are these ideas communicated to us through performance/costume design?

The cosplays with the best chance of winning will have elements of all 3 categories:

• Well-made cosplay elements put together by you.
• A strong character concept so the judges can understand and know the character.
• An amazing performance that impresses the judges and wows the audience.

Will I get a chance to get judges feedback?

Afterwards please visit the masquerade area to ask the judges for feedback and advice or simply chat about your cosplay! Please be aware, the judges will have a break after the masquerade so may not be there immediately.

• All participants will require a valid General Admission ticket in order to enter the HYPER JAPAN venue and take part in any Cosplay content.
• Any participants in the Cosplay Contest and Masquerade can use the Priority Queue to enter the venue.
• All applications are checked over by the Cosplay Team for health and safety, this does not influence any judges’ decisions and you will be notified for competition confirmation.
• The Cosplay Contest is open to all ages, but entrants aged under 18 must have their entry form signed by a parent or guardian. If you look young for your age, please bring proof of age.
• Any groups entering the contest are restricted to a maximum of five members.
• Your costume does not need to be complete at the time of submission.
• Please provide a costume breakdown as to which elements of your costume are handmade, altered and which are brought. You can do this by following the costume breakdown section of your application form.
• In the event the first place winner cannot attend or wishes to forfeit the Hyper Japan Guesting Prize the prize will be awarded to second place and so on.
• First place prize winners may only forfeit the Hyper Japan Guesting Prize once if they wish to re-enter following events, as opposed to accepting the prize.
• No cash or alternative prize for the Hyper Japan Guesting Prize will be offered should the first place winner be unable to attend.
• No additional hotel places will be given to group entries of two or larger for the Hyper Japan Guesting Prize.
• All other prizes such as cash and items may be kept by the first place winner if they are unable to attend the Hyper Japan Guesting Prize and event.
• Please provide a costume build book or construction notes showing how your costume was made/altered. You can do this by attaching a pdf, word, g-drive link or similar to your application form or emailing us. You can include photos, videos or a link to a URL documenting the process.
• All build books must be sent by the deadline above in order to be guaranteed to be seen by the judges.
• Costumes must be appropriate for a family friendly convention and include enough body coverage to be worn in public and bearing no controversial signs or regalia.
• Please provide your full legal name on your sign up form, this is for health and safety only and a preferred name will be used where provided.
• We ask you to fully fill out your application form confirming any music cues, performance requests and medical conditions. If you require any assistance getting on or off stage, this must be noted in the sign up form. This is so we are aware in advance and the right help can be prepared for on the day.
• Application forms and/or reference pictures cannot be returned under any circumstances.
• All entrants must have a spare copy of their music track on USB.
• Previously placed costumes and/or costumes with low/minor alterations may be asked to not enter or enter unjudged, under our discretion instead.
• We reserve the right to decline or stop any performer at any time for any reason.
• Use of or performances that use the following will be immediately stopped and you may be disqualified from the competition or convention floor: Excessive/inappropriate language such as swearing. Committing an act which is viewed as something which may potentially harm yourself or others.
• You agree to be filmed and photographed during the event; all rights of this belong to the event organisers and/or Costume and Play.
• In order to keep up with latest advancements in social issues and concerns within the cosplay and competition community, Costume and Play reserve the right to alter the rules at any time. Rules for individual events may be amended at any time to maintain the safety of attendees and staff by venue staff or organisers.
• Rulesets and materials are provided for use to the event at the discretion of Costume and Play and cannot be copied or altered without prior permission from Costume and Play, except where doing so would constitute a threat to safety of the staff, attendees or other members of the public.
• Participants agree to take part and be featured in marketing and publicity material for Cross Media, HYPER JAPAN and Eat Japan as required, as well as external media viewable by the general public, including but not limited to newspapers, magazines and websites.
• All personal information collected via the application form will be protected by Cross Media and will not be provided to any third party outside of our staff and any services used for the organisation of the contest.
• Cross Media accepts no liability for any loss, damage, costs, expenses or claims suffered or incurred by any person as a consequence of any use of or inability to use this application process, the HYPER JAPAN website, or any related media content. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant and/or parents/guardian to confirm with Cross Media regarding any queries or questions they may have about application, selection and/or participation

Weapons and props must be approved by venue security staff before it’s allowed into the convention. This may include checks which will be carried out by the cosplay team. Decisions made by venue security and staff are final and these rules serve as a guide only.

The general rule is; ‘If you were hit with the prop, would it break before you do?’

If your answer is ‘no’ then it means that someone could get hurt were this to happen. If this is the case, we would recommend you leave it at home just so you are not disappointed.

When outside of the convention hall, please make sure you have a safe way to transport your props and that they are sufficiently covered. Take extra precaution when travelling through high traffic areas such as airports and railway stations, so as not to cause alarm or issue to others.

• Props must be created from softer materials such as foam or plastic.
• Wood props are allowed but must not be heavy, unwieldy or large to the point they may hurt or inconvenience others (eg, a baseball bat is not allowed, a small carved trinket will be.)
• Tougher and harder materials such as metal will not be allowed due to safety/hazard regulations.
• The dimensions of your costume can be no more than 2 metres high and 1.5 metres wide (including any props).
• Live weapons (including, but not limited to; deactivated guns, Airsoft, metal knives, swords, axes, live bows or slingshots, bokken, hanbo) are expressly prohibited, whether sheathed or peace bonded.
• No pyrotechnics, gas canisters, explosives (including cap-guns) or incendiary items.
• No weapons that can fire any sort of projectile, even foam darts or water, unless it can be shown to be empty and unable to be flled/or that only some parts have been used for the prop. Bow ‘strings’ must have enough slack to be incapable of firing any kind of projectile from them.
• No sharp points, protruding points or sharp edges, make sure they’re sanded, rounded, padded, covered or otherwise protected adequately.
• Prop guns need to have the tips brightly coloured and visible from a distance.
• You cannot perform any action which may lead event staff, attendees or members of the general public to believe you are in possession of a real live weapon.
• No Items presenting a ‘mess’ or ‘spill’ risk. The use of pyrotechnics, projectiles, flames, etc, are prohibited, as is any other effect that would leave mess or residue onstage (water, glitter, petals, confetti etc).
• The use of motorised transport or props as part of a costume such as scooters, rc cars, ect is forbidden with the exception of legitimate medical devices such as electric wheelchairs.

No exceptions will be made regardless of any special licences, training or memberships

Please be aware that these rules are here to ensure we have a safe event for both staff and attendees. If you have been asked to put your prop away, please do so. In an extreme case you may be escorted from the event.

If there is any doubt, please send photos and a description of the prop to cosplay@costumeandplay.co.uk.

• Any groups entering the contest are restricted to a maximum of five members.
• If a group becomes eligible for a prize, the prize will be split evenly among the members of the group where possible. Where a non-divisible prize is offered, it is the responsibility of the group to decide who will receive it.
• No additional hotel places will be given to group entries of two or larger for the Hyper Japan Guesting Prize.
• Any cash/sponsor prizes awarded after the event will be paid/sent directly to you. If you are under the age of 18 we will need to seek parental consent to award you a prize directly, we may request to send your prize to your parent/guardian in this case.
• Any prizes provided by third parties will be the sole responsibility of the group providing said prize. Costume and Play accepts no liability for the provision of these prizes. A list of all prizes not being supplied by Costume and Play for the event and the third party providing said prizes will be available upon request.
• Costume and Play handmade trophies are only awarded to first place winners. If the winner is a group, there will be one trophy only.
• No cash or alternative prize will be awarded in replacement of items such as (but not limited to) trophy, items, certificates, sponsor prizes etc.
• Due to the handmade nature of the trophies, postage and bank processing times a timescale of 8 weeks is set for the processing, sending and arrival of prizes. This starts the day following the concluding day of the event.
• Should any issue beyond our control arise that may extend the 8 week processing time (weather, postal/bank strikes, damage ect) all receiving applicants will be made aware of the situation and kept in contact until the situation is resolved.
• The judges may choose to award and honour/special mention or shout out above and beyond the listed categories.
• All judges’ decisions for any award/mention/honour are final.