Cosplay @ Youmacon Rules
Cosplay Competitions
Cosplay Skits
- No metal weapons, real firearms, or props loaded with high velocity projectiles are allowed. Realistic weapon props may be peace bonded at the discretion of security or Masquerade staff.
- Props should be carried and posed with in a way that does not inconvenience or risk injury to other attendees.
- Costumes must be tasteful and cover appropriate areas of the body. Shoes must be worn in public areas of the convention for your own safety.
- What is illegal outside the convention is still illegal inside the convention.
Youmacon Cosplay Department statement on AI use in regards to the cosplay competitions:
- The use of Generative AI in contest entries is strictly prohibited. This includes but is not limited to AI generated build books, performance audio/video assets, character art, 3D print files, performance scripts, sewing patterns, etc. If you would like clarification on if a specific tool is considered Generative AI and not allowed, please email cosplay@youmacon.com.
General Masquerade/International Cosplay Contest Rules
- All the general cosplay rules above apply.
- Costumes from both Japanese and Western media are welcome in the competitions. This includes anime, games, comic books, manga or other media such as Korean media, sentai, music, J-rock, etc.
- Original designs based on established media, such as Pokemon gijinka-type designs or fanart alternative designs are permitted in competition, but specific reference images must be provided. Original characters regardless of media are not permitted. The international contests do not allow original designs or gijinka of any kind, but CWM and ICL allow all Sakizo designs and ICL allows Hannah Alexander designs of existing characters.
- Entrants must be registered attendees of Youmacon and present a badge at cosplay check-in.
- Participants must fill out a cosplay registration form with legitimate information for award purposes.
- Participants’ costumes and props must be able to traverse the 6’ wide backstage hallway.
- Skits may not exceed a PG-13 rating.
- Groups may not exceed 8 people.
- No jumping onto or off the stage or acrobatics.
- No throwing items off the stage.
- Clean up after yourself. Do not leave anything behind on the stage.
- Stage combat will be allowed only if approved by the Cosplay DH after a demonstration during skit approval.
- No special effects/pyrotechnics. Electronic flashes are permitted only if okayed by Masquerade staff. An announcement will be made to attendees at the start of your skit.
- No live singing will be permitted.
- Skits may only include a maximum of 60% dancing if the dancing does not also include narrative storytelling. There should be a story being told.
- No surprises.
- Costumes or skits that have won a major award (Novice, Journeyman, Master, Best in Show, etc) at other events are ineligible to win another award at the same skill level. You must enter the next skill level up. You must have made improvements or changes provable by before and after photos presented in your progress binder to re-enter a costume with a category award or higher. Prior awards must be disclosed to the judging panel.
- Entrants may enter both the International Preliminaries and Youmacon Masquerade with the same costume and presentation. The events are integrated which means entrants will be able to opt in for international awards while still being considered for Youmacon Masquerade awards.
- Although entrants can opt in for all applicable awards, International winners can only win the one award between the two. For example: one individual entrant cannot win Youmacon’s Best in Show and an international solo award. The judges will determine which contestant will receive each award. Awards for the Hall Contest are separate and can be won in addition to Masquerade/International awards for separate costumes. Additionally, entrants can win awards for both Masquerade Craftsmanship and Performance if they enter both. Youmacon has two panels of judges for the Integrated Cosplay Contest (one panel for craftsmanship/international, and one panel for performance).
The International contests will run together with the Youmacon Masquerade. Call time for the green room is the same time for all other masquerade entrants. The green room is located in Huntington Place Grand Riverview Ballroom B (subject to change).
Masquerade/International Cosplay Contest
- The Masquerade is a Saturday evening Main Event consisting of skit performances and craftsmanship presentations. The masquerade also houses the International cosplay contests. Skits can enter for performance, craftsmanship, or both, but only those entering BOTH categories are eligible to win Best in Show. You can also model your costume in front of an audience by entering as a walk-on for craftsmanship judging.
- The Best in Show winners (those who excel in BOTH craftsmanship AND performance) will win $500 (for the group, not per person), FREE ADMISSION to Youmacon 2026 plus a fabulous trophy. Those winning in Best Craftsmanship and Best Performance will also win $250 (for the group) as well as a fabulous trophy. Those who win the best in their respective categories will also receive a fabulous trophy.
- The International prizes available are International Cosplay League (ICL): a trip to Madrid, Spain for one pair (duo) of cosplayers and one solo cosplayer. Cosplay World Masters (CWM): a trip to Lisbon, Portugal for one solo cosplayer.
- In addition to the trophies and cash prizes, winning entrants will also receive prizes from our contest sponsors (sponsors differ from year to year and will be announced on the website/social media/at the masquerade).
- Masquerade entrants can opt-in for international awards without losing the eligibility to compete for Masquerade awards. The international judging panel will be one and the same with the Masquerade craftsmanship judging panel.
- Masquerade and International participants should be at the Green Room, Huntington Grand Riverview Ballroom B, at 3pm (time and room subject to change) with their badges for dress/tech rehearsal.
- While waiting for the Masquerade to start, drinks and snacks will be provided for participants. Once the Masquerade begins, participants will be guided to the stage for their walk-on or performance. Once they are finished on stage, they will return to the Green Room to await awards.
- Awards for both Hall Cosplay and the Masquerade/International will be given out at the end of the Masquerade.
- All contestants entering for CWM SOLOS are required to have a stage presentation of at least 90 seconds in length and no longer than 2:00, for which you will provide your own audio.
- All contestants entering for ICL DUO and are required to present a stage presentation that is 2:30 in length.
- Contestants for ICL SOLOS are not required to have a stage presentation.
- Solo contestants may enter both CWM Solo and ICL Solo but they must have the stage presentation to qualify for CWM Solo.
Hall Cosplay Contest
- The Hall Cosplay Contest gives cosplayers a chance to get their craftsmanship judged without the pressures of an audience. This is also a chance to get additional costumes judged. Hall cosplay is craftsmanship only, and competitors are not required to appear on stage during the Masquerade. You may enter Hall with one costume per day and enter a completely different costume in the Masquerade/International Costume Contest as well. One craftsmanship award can be won per costume, meaning one person can enter three different costumes and win three craftsmanship awards. (ie Friday Hall craftsmanship, Saturday Hall craftsmanship, and a masquerade award).
- Registration form(s) for Hall cosplay must be submitted in order to obtain a judging time slot. Please see the Craftsmanship rules below; the same rules apply to the Hall competition.
- Costumes in the Hall Cosplay contest must be able to traverse the Youmacon hallways.
- Hall Cosplay awards will be announced at the end of the Masquerade.
- Hall Cosplay participants may watch the Masquerade from the Green Room (Huntington Place Grand Riverview Ballroom B, room subject to change) if they wish. Those who do not wish to watch the Masquerade may check in with us in the Green Room periodically to find out when awards will be announced. You may also watch the Masquerade from the audience.
All attendees who wish to enter their costume in a contest require a judging appointment. You may enter either or both Friday and Saturday Hall Cosplay contests, and/or the integrated Masquerade/International, provided that you have a different costume for each. Again, ONLY Masquerade/International entrants will appear on stage during the Masquerade.
**SIGN-UPS are changing for 2025.**
Signups for the contests open no sooner than 90 days before the convention.
Signups for the contests open no sooner than 90 days before the convention.
For 2025, skits will only be taken in pre-registration format. We will no longer allow walk-up entries to perform skits. There has been an influx of entries with non-compliant audio that have to be corrected by the cosplay/tech team. Going forward all audio will be required in advance of the contest. All contestants will be responsible for making sure their audio meets our requirements.
All skit approvals will be done via video submissions. This gives participants more time to adapt their entry if any issues are presented.
Craftsmanship Only and Hall Craftsmanship entries may sign up either at con or in advance. Online signups for walk-ons will close when we reach 75% capacity. An announcement will be made if we close online signups early due to capacity. You are encouraged to sign-up online if you plan to participate. If, after signing up, you decide to drop out for any reason, please email the Cosplay DH to drop out. cosplay@youmacon.com
***In the event we receive more entries than we have space, we reserve the right to jury entries based on the amount of crafting work already completed and/or the strength of the narrative of the performance. As the possibility of this happening is high, please have progress images ready to submit with your entry form.***
Please follow the links below to the forms for the Masquerade/International and Hall competition:
We will use these forms to assign judging times. A confirmation email will be sent out to each entrant with their assigned time slot. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO CHECK-IN WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE CONVENTION. Please report to the Cosplay Registration booth on Level 2 of Huntington outside the judging room (259) on Friday between 3pm and 9pm (room and times subject to change). Failure to check in will result in your spot being forfeit and made available for at-con signups. If you have extenuating circumstances that prevent you from checking in, please advise the Cosplay DH in advance. We are open to working around any scheduling issues as long as we are made aware of them. Any remaining spots will be available at the convention.
There will be a Cosplay Registration table on Level 2 of Huntington outside room 259 (room subject to change). There you can find the required forms, as well as the list of available appointment times.
Craftsmanship Judging
- During craftsmanship judging, our judges will evaluate the quality and accuracy of the costume(s).
- Costumes CANNOT be judged for craftsmanship if they were primarily store-bought or commissioned. Children 12 and under are exempt from this rule. If modeling someone else’s work, the person who constructed the costume MUST be present.
- You must provide a reference for your costume. A picture, a figure, whatever. (We prefer paper references that we can keep.) While smartphones and tablets are great, please do NOT rely on these as your primary sources for reference photos. The judges are not familiar with every series or video game. References are needed to check accuracy. Lack of a reference will hurt your chances at winning higher awards.
- Contestants opting-in for International must present a progress book of no less than 5 pages, and no more than 30 pages. You must have at least one physical copy of your progress book.
- In regards to presenting 3D modeled items, custom printed fabrics, pepakura files, etc. If you created the file or image for these items, or if you purchased the file, please advise the judges.
- The judges WILL inspect your costume up close. Be prepared to have your costume touched and be asked to show specific details.
- Entrants will only have 5 minutes per judging session (up to 10 minutes for larger groups). So, if you have something special that you wish to highlight to the judges, make sure to point it out whether they ask you about it or not.
- The judges will ask you questions about your costume. Be prepared to answer truthfully and accurately.
- Please DO NOT act in character while your costume is being judged. It is unnecessary. Save it for the stage.
- BE CONFIDENT. Please don’t tell the judges what you did wrong. They want to know all the wonderful things you did right. Remember, don’t be shy! They want to hear about all your hard work!
- Be sure to show up to your judging appointment a few minutes early in your costume. If you miss your appointment, you may be rescheduled, time permitting, no guarantees.
- Remember to try your best, be courteous, and have fun!
Skill Level Categories
Contestants will enter in one of these skill level categories:
Novice: Cosplayers with no prior awards
Journeyman: Cosplayers with 1-5 awards
Master: Cosplayers with 6 or more awards
Youth: Cosplayers age 14 and under
Staff: Youmacon staff members
Novice: Cosplayers with no prior awards
Journeyman: Cosplayers with 1-5 awards
Master: Cosplayers with 6 or more awards
Youth: Cosplayers age 14 and under
Staff: Youmacon staff members
Categories are based on any type of previous major award, craftsmanship or presentation. Division qualifications are subject to change to ensure even award distribution. Honorable Mention/Judges awards do not count toward your skill level category.
Skit Approval
- Cosplay staff will evaluate skits for time and content.
- You will be responsible for emailing your pre-screening video (mp4) and complete mp3 audio file to cosplay@youmacon.com by the deadline, 09/30/2025.
- You may use official audio from your source material or record your own. But audio must be provided by you, the entrant. It is permissible to receive help creating your audio.
- You will need to perform your presentation “full out”, or as you intend to perform it onstage. If your performance is not perfect, don’t worry about it. Our screening team can also give you pointers to improve your presentation as they are experienced performers.
- Please be sure to perform all tricks/stage combat/dance/gimmicks in your video. You may surprise the audience but please do not surprise our cosplay team. We must be aware of all actions happening on our stage.
- It is okay if one of the people in your skit group can’t be in the filmed version, but we ask you to have a stand in.
- You DO NOT have to be in costume for skit approval.
- If your skit is NOT approved, we WILL give you time to correct it. We love skits, and we want to give everyone a chance to participate.
- Please make note of any cues or stage directions when submitting your skit approval email. Our team will confirm again with you in person. (ie: Kuwabara starts offstage and enters with the music.)
- You must include an introduction for your skit. If you do not include one we will write one for you. The team will consult with you on this before the event.
- At this time, we do not have maximum dimensions for skit props and sets. However, you are responsible for management of your items at all times. Youmacon is not liable for any broken or stolen items. You will be given a place to store them and build them on the day of the show. There will be people to bring them on and offstage. You MUST remove your items at the end of the show. We will not dispose of your items for you.
- Your friends and family can assist you in creating props and sets for the stage. However, keep in mind that if you win an international award these items will have to fly to the world competition. Do your best to keep them light and portable. Extra or oversized baggage is the responsibility of the cosplayer/team.
Time Allotments for Presentation For Skits
1 person = 2 minutes
2 people = 2:30 minutes
3 to 8 people = 3 minutes
International SOLO = 90 seconds to 120 seconds.
International DUO = No longer than 2:30.
Please note that these are guidelines and there is room for reasonable accommodation. If you have a question about your skit length or content please contact cosplay@youmacon.com
Pre-Recorded Audio & Music
- All performance participants are required to pre-record audio to ensure content will not be changed and that they are able to be heard by the audience and judges. You may not sing or speak live with a microphone.
- We accept audio submissions in MP3 file format ONLY.
- You must provide your audio in the email with your screening video by the deadline of 09/30/2025.
- It is recommended you bring a flash drive with your audio in the event that a catastrophe happens and our tech files are lost.All of your audio must be fully edited and prepared before being submitted to us. We WILL NOT edit audio in any way and what you give us is what we play.
- All of your audio must be fully edited and prepared before being submitted to us. We WILL NOT edit audio in any way and what you give us is what we play.
- We cannot “just play a youtube video”. Don’t ask us.
- Please label the files CLEARLY with your skit title, group name, and series.
