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Questions To Think About

Should their be theme's to contest? Should it be based on the con's overall theme for the year? Should it be based on the type of con (Anime, Syfy/Fantasy, gaming)?

Who should be allowed to enter the contest?

What are the rules for the outfit/props/wigs etc. that are entered? How much of the costume should be made? What shouldn't be counted? What types of outfits or props should be banned?

Who should be judging? What type of judges should there be?

Should there be scoring sheets and how should they be weighted? What should be on the sheets?

What type of stage presentation should there be? Do the competitors need to do a skit? Should there only be walk-ons? Should skits be vetted first?

What type of categories should there be? What levels should there be? What awards should be handed out?

Oh! This is fun!!!

Based on my experience, here's what I have:

-There should be different categories based on what you want judged, not just skill level. A pet peeve of mine is that in most competitions, armor makes are judged alongside fabric makes. Both of these types of cosplays require very different types of skills to complete.

-In terms of theming, that's always fun but it shouldn't extend to the entire contest unless it's a very small or very specific convention. For example, when I attend Rappig Crossing, I know that it is a convention dedicated to the Tales of series. As such, the cosplays entered into the contest should also be from Tales of and not Naruto.

-For larger events, there should be a kids division. For younger kids, they should not be required to have made their own costume and judged more for stage presence and for just having a good time.

-People entering specifically as a skit should not necessarily need to have made their cosplay, and thus would be judged for stage presentation alone. However, people CAN enter their cosplays into both craftsmanship AND presentation categories.

-There should be an option for people who want to get on stage but don't necessarily want to win anything. This is something that I sometimes do at small events. Smaller events draw newer cosplayers, and it can be scary to get on stage. I'll sometimes step in to break the ice and show them how its done. However, since I've been cosplaying for so long, it wouldn't necessarily be a fair competition for me to actually compete against them. But I still like the opportunity to show off my work.

I know there's more things I've thought of over the years, but these are the main points that come to mind.