Cosplay

Contest

The Cosplay Contest is an event held in the main events hall of our show. It showcases the talented individuals that have made costumes to wear in front of an audience! Contestants will be judged by a qualified panel of our cosplay-specific guests, and will get to parade across the stage during the event.

Prizes will be awarded to individuals of various skill and experience, based on qualifications put forth by our staff.

Cosplay Contest Sponsors

Cosplay Sign-Ups

Please fill out the cosplay sign up form

Contest Judges

Contest Rules

For a full list of contest rules available for download, please use the following link here.

Anime Oklahoma Cosplay Contest
Thank you for your interest in the 2024 Anime Oklahoma Cosplay Contest! We’re excited to
have you participate in our show.
Please take a look at the rules and information below and reach out to us at
cosplay@animeoklahoma if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to seeing
you!
Eligibility
• Entrants must have a valid Anime Oklahoma badge in order to participate.
• Entrants 12 and under must have their parents’ permission to enter, and must be accompanied
by a legal guardian or adult relative at rehearsal and the show.
• By entering this contest you agree to read and abide by all rules as posted and that failure to
do so will result in your disqualification from the contest and/or removal from the event.
• Anime Oklahoma Cosplay Staff reserve the right to refuse entry to anyone to the Cosplay
event for any reason.
• You must also have made at least 70% of your costume and be willing to participate in
craftsmanship judging. The only exception to this rule is for the Youth division.
General Rules and Information
● Costumes must adhere to the cosplay, costume, and dress policy. If your costume does
not meet this criteria, you may be asked to change or not permitted to walk the sage.
● Entrants with mobility impairments are welcome to provide their own handler or request
assistance from our cosplay staff for any stage of the cosplay contest process. If you
think you may need assistance, we encourage you to contact us in advance or request
assistance during the pre-judging process.
● 70%of the cosplay must be constructed or altered by the entrant. If you are modeling a
cosplay that someone else made, they MUST be with you at pre-judging for you to be
eligible for an award.
● There will be no skits for the 2024 show.
● Please remember we are a family convention and all entries must maintain a PG-13
rating and can have no excessive violence, sexual content, ect. This rule also applies to
the costume itself. We reserve the right to turn away any entry deemed inappropriate.
Not sure if you make the cut? Please ask and we will let you know if it is appropriate and
if not how you can make it so.
● Nothing is to be left on the stage. Any props you bring on stage with you must exit with
you. You will also not be permitted to throw anything you cannot easily take with you on
stage or at the audience. Examples include: props, glitter, petals, confetti, ect.
● For safety, any “battle” sequences or stunts are to be performed at 3/4 speed. You
MUST keep one foot on the stage at all times. Absolutely no jumping or leaping from the
stage. Anything breaking this rule must have prior approval from the Cosplay Director
and the convention.
● A maximumof 8(eight) people will be permitted on stage at a time. Competing in
multiple groups is NOT allowed.
● Please be sure to bring at least one color reference picture with you. While the judges
are highly skilled, it is unfair to ask them to know what every character is. Bringing a
reference picture will ensure that they can accurately judge you. If you are entering with
an original design, a drawing is fine. References cannot be guaranteed to be returned,
so please make sure you won’t miss it.
● Purchased or commissioned cosplays are NOT eligible for any awards and cannot be
entered into the contest. We will have an opportunity for these costumes to be on stage
during the halftime show. Please note that you must sign-up for this prior to the show
and show up for dress rehearsal to be part of the halftime show.
● Participation in the Cosplay Contest Rehearsal is required. Arriving after the rehearsal
will result in being removed from the contest.
● Be respectful to other cosplay entrants and the judges. Unruly or disruptive behavior
during pre-judging, backstage, or during the contest is not permitted and entrants
associated with this behavior will be disqualified.
● Entrants will not be notified if they have been disqualified, and judges are not permitted
to discuss the judging process or the results. This is to protect entrants, judges and staff
as well as to maintain the professionalism of the contest.
● All props must be approved by weapons check. If your cosplay has parts that extend
beyond arm’s length (e.g. wings), cause trouble walking up and down stairs, or vision
impairment, be sure to bring a handler(s) or address your concerns with cosplay staff.
● Sandbagging (i.e., entering a costume that has already won a major award at another
convention such as “Best in” categories) is grounds for disqualification and possible bans
from competing in the future.
● Please come to the line-up fed and hydrated, as you may not be able to leave the
pre-meeting before the show.
● The cosplay director(s) reserve the right to refuse or revoke entry to any entrant for any
reason.
Walk-On Rules
● We are not accepting music tracks for walk-ons this year.
● Walk-on entries will be limited to 30 seconds and may include up to 8 people.
● Walk-on entries are required to attend craftsmanship judging. If you skip this, you will not
be eligible to receive awards or participate in the contest.
Craftsmanship Judging
● All costumes must be made by the entrant(s) or credited to the creator(s) on the
entrant’s entry form. Creators not entering in costume must be present to receive
awards. Purchased costumes will not be allowed for craftsmanship judging.
● All walk-on entries must be at least 70% made or significantly modified from original
garments.
● When filling out the application, you must choose a one-hour block during which your
group will come in for judging. If your first choice is full, you will be asked to choose
another time slot.
● Each entry will be allowed 3 minutes to present their costume to the judges; groups of 2+
people will be allowed one minute for each additional group member (up to a maximum
of 6 minutes). Entries that go over their time limit may be disqualified. Please be
courteous to your fellow cosplayers and to your judges by keeping your presentation
brief!
● Pre-judging is NOT open to the public. Only participants, handlers, and
parents/guardians are allowed.
● Craftsmanship judging will take place in Cosplay HQ. Please arrive a few minutes early
to check in as entries for each block will be judged in the order they arrive. If you arrive
late, you may not have the chance to be rescheduled. If you find out in advance that you
will not be able to make your timeslot, please contact us. Entries that do not show up for
judging will be disqualified.
● There will be Saturday judging ONLY. You may check in to the contest either Friday
during open table hours or Saturday before your judging time.
● Reference images and progress binders used as part of craftsmanship presentations
must be picked up after the contest or they will be destroyed.
Awards
We are offering some amazing prizes which we will be updating closer to the convention!
● Best in Show- Best in Show is for the individual or group that has overall the most
outstanding craftsmanship and presence.
● Best Adult- Awarded to the best overall adult (13+ entry)
● Best Youth- Awarded to the best overall youth (under 13) entry
● Best Group- Awarded to the best group of 2 or more
● Judge’s Awards- Awarded at the individual judge’s discretion.
Note: Awards may be changed at the discretion of the judges and staff.
NOTE: Only trophies will be handed out on stage. Any other prizes must be picked up by the
winners immediately following the cosplay contest.
Pre-Judging
Pre-judging will take place on SATURDAY ONLY. Each block will be broken up into 1 hour slots.
Entries will request the hourly slot of their choice. Please arrive at the start of your time slot and
wait to be called into the judging room.
If you do not show up for prejudging by the time your slot is over we will assume you no longer
wish to participate and you will be dropped from the show. If you are unable to make your slot
for some reason please check in with us BEFOREHAND. If we are able, we will move you to a
different slot. If you are unable to make it to any prejudging slot but still wish to walk the stage,
you may walk during the halftime show.
Each entry will be given a maximum of 3 minutes with the judges. Groups over 2 will be given
an additional 1 minute per person up to six minutes. In order to ensure everyone gets a chance
to be judged fairly, we will be timing entries so please make sure to prepare what you want to
talk about in advance.
Lineup
Lineup will start 90 minutes before the show. You are required to be present in the lineup room
one hour before the start time of the show. This time will be reserved for going over rules and
getting everyone in order. Failure to show up will result in removal from the contest.
Sign Ups
We will be capping the show at 50 entries. We will be reserving 20 spots for Novice, 20 spots for
Journeyman, and 10 spots for Advanced.
If you do not make one of our entry slots, we encourage you to apply to our waitlist. Waitlisted
entries can check in on site to see if a space has opened up during the prejudging time slots.
Signing up in advance will allow you to request the date and hour of your prejudging slot;
however it will not guarantee you a specific time slot. We will do our best to accommodate
everyone. However, we can only fit so many people in any given time frame.
Once you sign up you will receive an email confirming your entrance and the day you will be
pre-judged, as well as an hourly time slot. You must check in at the cosplay table to receive and
confirm your pre-judging slot. If you have not checked in with us by the time your slot is over we
will assume you no longer wish to participate and you will be dropped from the show.
As long as slots are available you may also sign up for the show on site at the cosplay table. On
site sign-ups will be open Friday and Saturday, pending slot availability. Full hours to be
announced closer to the show.

Dress Code

• This is a family-friendly convention, please try to keep it as PG as possible. Excessively revealing clothing or costumes will not be permitted. Private areas must be covered with opaque (solid) cloth at all times. Guests in excessively revealing attire will be asked to change.
• Make sure your costume does not contour to private body parts. If it does, please wear extra undergarments as necessary.
• Men must also wear proper undergarments (this includes dance belts where applicable).
• If your costume requires a lot of exposed skin, consider wearing a nude bodysuit or opaque stockings.
• Ice skates (with or without the guards) are not allowed as either shoes OR props.
• No regular skates, wheeled shoes, or rollerblades allowed inside the event space.
• Shoes may be removed for photo shoots only, and must be worn at all other times. Socks do not count as shoes. A sturdy covering on the bottom of your foot is a must.
• Costumes that can be confused with local, state, or federal law enforcement of any kind are not allowed.
• No profanity or graphic sexual imagery may be displayed on costumes or clothing.
• Grossly offensive outfits, uniforms, or any cosplay with the intention of being of heavy shock value will be asked to change out or risk expulsion from the convention.
• No accessories that you could use to attach yourself, even temporarily, to another person is allowed. This includes, but is not limited to: handcuffs, leashes, ropes, etc.
• There is no profanity allowed on costumes or clothing during the convention.
• If a complaint is received about your costume or outfit the matter will be investigated and you may be asked to change.
• Make sure all pointy objects have been dulled so as not to cause harm to others.
• If wearing a large costume with wings or other large pieces that extend beyond your reach, are difficult to retract, or impair your vision then make sure you have a handler or two to assist you and/or be more aware of your surroundings.
• If you are asked for a photo, please make sure to move out of the flow of traffic. Blocking hallways/walkways is a violation of the fire safety regulations and you will be asked to move.
• Leave the judging to the judges.
• Remember we are here to have a good time and be respectful. Cosplay is not consent!
• If you are concerned about if your costume meets the convention regulations, please email cosplay@animeoklahoma.com