• Rules: Cosplay Contests

    Here you can read more about our different types of cosplay contests:

    Cosplay Novice

    Cosplay Intermediate

    Cosplay Master

    Cosplay Performance

    Cosplay Walk On

     

    These are the translated rules, originally written in Swedish. In case there should be any inconsistencies, then the Swedish ones have precedence.

     

    Last update: 2024-09-09

  • Cosplay Novice 

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    About the Competition

    Cosplay Novice consists of a catwalk where you and the other competitors show yourselves and pose for the audience and judges. To participate in Novice, you must not have completed any sewing or similar craft education and you must not have won any prize in a previous major cosplay competition. You don't need to submit photos of your work process. You should have made your costume yourself, but some purchased items and modifications are allowed. The character you have chosen must be a fictional character from a published work. In other words, it is not allowed in this competition to compete with an Original Character. An Original Character is a character that you or someone else has created but that is not published. It is also not allowed to choose a character that only exists in reality.

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    Judging

    Novice generally has no pre-judging, instead, judging takes place during the actual show. A number of participants are then selected for a post-judging, which serves as an opportunity to get constructive criticism and tips from experienced cosplayers (for those who want it) and as further material to determine the winners.

     

    Prizes can be awarded in the following categories:

    • Grand Prize
    • Judges' Choice (each judge chooses one contestant)

  • Rules Cosplay Novice

    To be eligible for Novice, you must not have:

    • completed a course or worked in textiles, patterns, or any other cosplay-related craft.
    • won first prize in a cosplay competition at NärCon or a cosplay competition at another event with 30 or more participants.
    • competed in internationally large competitions such as NCC, WCS, ECG, ICL, or Cosplay-SM.

    If you meet any of these criteria, you must instead compete in Intermediate.

    Rules for the competition

    • Competitors must behave in a sportsmanlike manner towards other competitors, judges, and officials.
    • Competitors must not be late for rehearsals, the show, post-judging, or other announced times.
    • Competitors need to have made their costume themselves. Modified garments and a few purchased items in the costume are allowed.
    • Competitors must wear their costume on stage during the competition.
    • Competitors must be able to carry the entire costume and all accompanying props on and off the stage.
    • Competitors must have made the majority of their props themselves to be judged by the judges. If you bring props on stage that you didn't make yourself, this should be announced before the competition.
    • Competitors may not bring an assistant during the competition but must be able to make the final preparations themselves backstage before going on stage.
    • All information about the competitor's costume that they want the judges to see should be sent along with reference images and other media.

    Allowed costumes

    • The character must be portrayed in color on at least one reference image.
    • Competitors may not participate with "original characters" (a character without a professionally published template).
    • Competitors may not participate with a character that exists only in reality.
    • Competitors may participate with "genderbends" (a reinterpretation of the character as a different gender).
    • Competitors may participate with "gjinkas" (a reinterpretation of a non-human character as a human).
    • Competitors may participate with fan art versions of characters.

    Violation of these rules, the event's rules, or other obviously inappropriate behavior can result in disqualification from the competition.

    Scoring Categories

    Likeness to character (0–2 points):

    How well the competitor on stage with their created costume manages to portray the character they have chosen.

     

    Craftsmanship (0–8 points):

    An assessment of the costume's craftsmanship, how well-made it is. Each competitor called to post-judging is encouraged to describe how they went about creating it.

  • Cosplay Intermediate 

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    About the Competition

    Cosplay Intermediate consists of a catwalk where you and the other competitors show yourselves and pose for the audience and judges. You should be able to explain how your entire costume was created and any parts that you didn't make yourself. You don't need to submit photos of your work process. It is not allowed in this competition to compete with an Original Character. An Original Character is a character that you or someone else has created but that is not published. It is also not allowed to choose a character that only exists in reality.

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    Judging

    Intermediate generally has no pre-judging, instead, judging takes place during the actual show. A number of participants are then selected for a post-judging, which serves as an opportunity to get constructive criticism and tips from experienced cosplayers (for those who want it) and as further material to determine the winners.

     

    Prizes can be awarded in the following categories:

    • Grand Prize
    • Judges' Choice (each judge chooses one contestant)

  • Rules Cosplay Intermediate

    • Competitors must behave in a sportsmanlike manner towards other competitors, judges, and officials.
    • Competitors must not be late for rehearsals, the show, post-judging, or other announced times.
    • Competitors need to have made their costume themselves. Modified garments and a few purchased items in the costume are allowed.
    • Competitors must wear their costume on stage during the competition.
    • Competitors must be able to carry the entire costume and all accompanying props on and off the stage.
    • Competitors must have made the majority of their props themselves to be judged by the judges. If you bring props on stage that you didn't make yourself, this should be announced before the competition.
    • Competitors may not bring an assistant during the competition but must be able to make the final preparations themselves backstage before going on stage.
    • Competitors may only participate in one category of Novice, Intermediate, or Master and can only participate with one costume. This rule does not apply to Performance (it is perfectly fine to participate in, for example, Intermediate and then in Performance).
    • All information about the competitor's costume that they want the judges to see should be sent along with reference images and other media.

    Allowed costumes

    • The character must be portrayed in color on more than one reference image. Alternatively, one reference may be allowed if it is of such high resolution that parts of the image can be enlarged in the judges' assessment.
    • Competitors may not participate with costumes that have previously won first prize at NärCon in Cosplay Intermediate, Cosplay Master, or that have qualified for or participated in Cosplay-SM.
    • Competitors may not participate with "original characters" (a character without a professionally published template).
    • Competitors may not participate with a character that exists only in reality.
    • Competitors may not participate with "genderbends" (a reinterpretation of the character as a different gender).
    • Competitors may not participate with "gjinkas" (a reinterpretation of a non-human character as a human).
    • Competitors may not participate with fan art versions of characters.

    Violation of these rules, the event's rules, or other obviously inappropriate behavior can result in disqualification from the competition.

    Scoring Categories

    Likeness to character (0–2 points):

    How well the competitor on stage with their created costume manages to portray the character they have chosen.

     

    Craftsmanship (0–8 points):

    An assessment of the costume's craftsmanship, how well-made it is. Each competitor called to post-judging is encouraged to describe how they went about creating it.

  • Cosplay Master 

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    About the Competition

    Unlike Novice and Intermediate, Master is not a catwalk competition. It is instead a performance competition with pre-judging. Participants meet the judges before the competition to present their costume and be judged in craftsmanship, which accounts for 50% of the points. The rest of the points are awarded during the show, when participants showcase a performance they have written themselves and are judged on performance. In Master, there are no restrictions regarding previous experience, and anyone who wants to participate can register. The competition is suitable for those who aim to make their debut on the international stage and the top 3 at NärCon Sommar qualify directly for the Swedish Cosplay Championships, Cosplay-SM .

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    Judging

    The judging follows the same templates as Cosplay-SM with a point distribution of 50% craftsmanship and 50% performance. When creating your performance, you have access to playing your own sound and having an animation/image/video in the background on a large LED screen. We will create the graphics/video for your performance based on your specifications. You will be informed about details regarding graphics, technical specifications, etc. well in advance of the competition.

     

    Prizes can be awarded in the following categories:

    • 1st Prize
    • 2nd Prize
    • 3rd Prize

  • Rules Cosplay Master

    Rules for the competition

    • Competitors must behave in a sportsmanlike manner towards other competitors, judges, and officials.
    • Competitors must not be late for rehearsals, the show, post-judging, or other announced times.
    • Competitors must have created their costume from scratch. Shoes and tights are an exception to this rule.
    • Competitors must wear their costume on stage during the competition.
    • Competitors must be able to carry the entire costume and all accompanying props on and off the stage.
    • Stage props and effects may be purchased. If they are made by the competitor, this can be taken into account in the assessment during pre-judging if they are brought along.
    • Competitors are allowed to have costume changes or multiple costumes during their performance.
    • Competitors' performances should be between 90 and 150 seconds long and relate to their character.

    Assistants

    • Participants are allowed to have assistants who help during the competition.
    • Assistants may be part of the participant's performance.
    • It should be clear who is competing, and they should be the focus.
    • Assistants' costumes may be purchased. If they are made by the competitor, this can be taken into account in the assessment during pre-judging if they are brought along.

    Allowed costumes

    • The character must be portrayed in color on more than one reference image. Alternatively, one reference may be allowed if it is of such high resolution that parts of the image can be enlarged in the judges' assessment.
    • Competitors may not participate with costumes that have previously qualified for Cosplay-SM, participated in Cosplay-SM, or participated in NCC.
    • Competitors may not participate with "original characters" (a character without a professionally published template).
    • Competitors may not participate with a character that exists only in reality.
    • Competitors may not participate with "genderbends" (a reinterpretation of the character as a different gender).
    • Competitors may not participate with "gjinkas" (a reinterpretation of a non-human character as a human).
    • Competitors may not participate with fan art versions of characters.

    Violation of these rules, the event's rules, or other obviously inappropriate behavior can result in disqualification from the competition.

    Scoring Categories

    Technique (0–2 points):

    An assessment of how well the performance is implemented. This includes how the competitor planned their performance with the costume in mind.

     

    Likeness to character (0–2 points):

    How well the competitor on stage with their created costume manages to portray the character they have chosen.

     

    Performance (0–8 points):

    The competitor's ability to tell a story, create a connection with the audience, and how well they manage to communicate the character.

     

    Craftsmanship (0–8 points):

    An assessment of the costume's craftsmanship, how well-made it is. Each competitor called to post-judging is encouraged to describe how they went about creating it.

  • Cosplay Performance 

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    About the competition

    Performance is the competition for those who want to stand on stage and perform, either alone or together with others. You/you have 90-150 seconds to perform some kind of performance to entertain or captivate the audience. It is possible to use both your own sound and to display video/animation/images on a large LED screen.

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    Judging

    Performance has no pre-judging, instead, judging takes place during the actual show. You don't need to have made your costume yourself, and no one will examine the costume or its craftsmanship more closely, as all focus is instead on the performance.

     

    Prizes can be awarded in the following categories:

    • 1st Prize
    • 2nd Prize
    • 3rd Prize

  • Rules Cosplay Performance

    Rules for the competition

    • Competitors must behave in a sportsmanlike manner towards other competitors, judges, and officials.
    • Competitors must not be late for rehearsals, the show, or other announced times.
    • Competitors must be able to carry the entire costume and all accompanying props on and off the stage.
    • The costumes do not need to be made by those who are wearing them. It is therefore perfectly okay to participate in a purchased costume. In Performance, the focus is on the performance and the portrayal of the character.
    • Competitors are allowed to have costume changes or multiple costumes during their performance.
    • Competitors' performances should be between 90 and 150 seconds long and relate to their character.
    • Competitors may not participate with "original characters" (a character without a professionally published template).
    • Competitors may not participate with a character that exists only in reality.
    • Competitors may participate with "genderbends" (a reinterpretation of the character as a different gender).
    • Competitors may participate with "gjinkas" (a reinterpretation of a non-human character as a human).
    • Competitors may participate with fan art versions of characters.

    Violation of these rules, the event's rules, or other obviously inappropriate behavior can result in disqualification from the competition.

    Scoring Categories

    Technique (0–2 points):

    An assessment of how well the performance is implemented. This includes how the competitor planned their performance with the costume in mind.

     

    Performance (0–8 points):

    The competitor's ability to tell a story, create a connection with the audience, and how well they manage to communicate the character.

  • Cosplay Walk On

    Om showen

    Are you eager to show off your costume without competing? Then you should register for Walk On. Here you get the chance to walk a catwalk in your cosplay in front of a large audience without being judged on either craftsmanship or performance. It doesn't matter if you want to try being on stage for the first time or if you want to revive a costume you previously won a prize with - Walk On is about pure cosplay joy! This is also the best opportunity to go up on stage in pairs or groups and pose together.

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