When: June 1st- August 31st, 2023

Cosplay Contest Submissions

Calling all cosplayers and creators! This is the official rule set for the 2023 FanX® Cosplay Contest. This will give you all the information as to how our contest works, as well as some frequently asked questions at the end.

Applications for the contest will open on JUNE 1ST @ NOON and closes on AUGUST 31st at 11:59 pm

Please read the rule set and see how we run our contest to make sure you’re ready to apply when the contest opens for registration.

Quick Overview:

There will be a registration LINK to create a contestant account, which opens on JUNE 1st, 2023.
Fill out all the required information along with your cosplay media gallery. This will be considered your “Online Submission”. Think of this as a preliminary round.
Registration for the contest closes on AUGUST 31st at 11:59 pm
Cosplayers with top scores in the online submission phase will advance in the contest and be eligible for the “In-Person Judging” and “On Stage” portions of the contest.
All qualifying contestants will receive additional details via email with information about the “In-Person Judging” and the “On Stage” portion of the contest. Make sure to add the application process email to your contacts so that you don’t lose your notifications to the spam folder: no-reply@scoresum.today
The “On Stage” portion of the contest is held in the Grand Ballroom of the Salt Palace Convention Center on September 23rd.
Awards will be held at the end of the contest.
See the “Detailed Version” section for more info on cosplay categories, judging criteria, and even more information to keep you in the know about the contest!

Please note: Cosplays that have been placed in our contest in the past cannot enter again. Once a cosplay has been placed in any category, it cannot be submitted to compete in another one of our contests. If you have any issues with submitting your cosplay, please be sure to notify us at cosplay@fanx.com BEFORE the deadline. Nothing after the deadline will be accepted

Contest Rules & Instructions

Create A Contestant Account: Click on the registration LINK and fill out all the required information. This, along with a link to your media gallery, will be considered your “Online Submission.” This is the preliminary round of our contest.

-CLICK HERE TO REGISTER–

Media Gallery:

When you create your contestant account, there will be a box that asks for a link to a media gallery of your cosplay. This media gallery should be filled with pictures and/or videos of the cosplay you are wanting to submit to the contest. Please feel free to include “work in progress” pictures and videos, as well as “final product” pictures. Also, make sure that your album is publicly viewable for all who have the link.
- You can always modify/add to your gallery, or create a new gallery until registration for the contest closes.
- Recommended sites to use for your gallery are
  - Google Drive
  - Facebook
  - Dropbox

Note: Please try to refrain from using Instagram Feel free to use any other media site that allows you to create a full album where ALL your media can be seen in one place and is accessible to us.

Cosplay Categories: VARIES FROM PERSON TO PERSON AND ABILITY LEVEL

Novice –
- Has not won or placed in a contest yet.
- Has entered no more than 3 contests.
Intermediate –
- Entered more than 3 contests OR has won/placed in a contest before.
Master – Is described as but not limited to:
- Cosplay craft is close to or at a professional level.
- Takes on commissions for cosplays or props for others.
- Makes some kind of income cosplaying or creating cosplays.
- Has entered, won, and/or placed in multiple contests.
Group – Consisting of 2 or more cosplayers wanting to enter together. Groups will be judged based on the highest level cosplayer in the group. Example: If you have a group of mostly Intermediates and one Master level cosplayer, then all will be judged as Masters.

Online Submission Scoring: When the registration deadline for the contest has passed…

Our judging panel will review everyone’s cosplay via the media gallery link you provide via your contestant account.
Our judging panel will look at each cosplay separately so that there is no persuasion by another judge on the panel; therefore, each cosplay is given a fair chance.
The top scores in each category will move past the online portion and into the contest.
EVERYONE who registers for the contest will be notified of their “Online Submission” results prior to the contest. We usually have numerous submissions, please be patient as we try to give each entry the proper amount of attention.

Contestants who advance in the contest will have their scores reset back to 0 because they now qualify for the “In-Person” and “On Stage” judging portions of the contest.

In-Person Judging:

1. When: “In-Person” judging will take place on the morning of September 23rd at the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City.
  1. Novices: 10 am -11 am
  2. Intermediate: 11 am – 12 pm
  3. Masters: 12 pm – 1 pm
  4. Groups:1 pm – 2 pm
2. Where: Room 251F at the Salt Palace Convention Center

Scoring: Our judging panel will score each cosplay based on the following criteria:

1. Craftsmanship – Clean and straight seams, no glue marks, rough or mirror-smooth, basically how well your cosplay is made.
2. Originality/Accuracy – If the cosplay is original or a mashup you’ll be judged on originality. If you are recreating a character we will look at how close you recreated the character.
3. Level of Difficulty – This is based on the difficulty of techniques used to create the cosplay. Detail, effort, and time put into the cosplay are all taken into consideration.
4. Note: These 3 will act as the main portion of the judging criteria for the total contestant score.

On-Stage Portion of the Contest: Cosplayers who qualified for the contest will showcase their cosplays in front of the largest cosplay contest audience in our state and receive their “On Stage” scores by our judging panel.

1. When: September 23rd. Time: 7 pm
2. Where: Grand Ballroom of the Salt Palace Convention Center

Scoring Criteria:

- On-Stage Performance – We feel that a large portion of the art form of cosplay is embracing the essence of the character/personality that you are cosplaying.
  - How the cosplayer displays their cosplay on stage.
  - Every qualified contestant will have up to 1 min to showcase their cosplay on stage.
  - Confidence that cosplayer shows on stage (unless of course the character they are portraying is a nervous character and that’s how the cosplayer should seem)
  - Contestants can use this time as they wish.
  - We encourage cosplayers to have pre-planned choreography or blocking.
  - We expect to notify all qualified contestants with at least a week of anticipation before the contest so that they can have something prepared in time.

How Winners Are Chosen:

The “Onstage” score will be added to “In-Person” scores, which is how we get the total for each cosplayer or group.
At the end of the contest, we will award 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for each category along with special prizes for the Best Armor, Best Needlework, Best Storytelling on stage, and an overall winner, which is the highest scoring cosplay in the contest called “Best In Show!”

*If you have someone helping you on stage they must NOT be in cosplay. If possible please have them in all black. This is so that the focus can be on the competitor and not on another person in cosplay on stage.*

!!REGISTRATION DEADLINE!!

Registration deadline: AUGUST 31st at 11:59 pm

We strongly urge everyone to check the social media pages of FanX for the latest news and updates. Reach out to our contest team at cosplay@fanx.com with any questions you may have throughout the process. Have fun and good luck!s

Contest FAQ

I’m not sure which section I fit into for the contest. How do I know which category is for me? The categories for the cosplay contest are as follows:

Novice – Has not won or placed in a contest yet. Has entered no more than 3 contests.
Intermediate – Entered more than 3 contests OR has won/placed in a contest before
Masters – Is described as but not limited to Cosplay craft is close to or at a professional level. Takes on cosplay/prop commissions for other cosplayers. Makes some kind of income cosplaying or creating cosplays. Has entered, won, and/or placed in multiple contests
Group – Consisting of 2 or more cosplayers wanting to enter together. Groups will be judged based on the highest skill-level cosplayer in the group. Example: If you have a group of mostly intermediates and one Master level cosplayer, then all will be judged as Masters

If I’m not in the group category, could I still bring a partner to act on stage with me? Yes, you may have someone else with you on stage to help with the performance, as long as they are not dressed in a costume. Dressing in black or dark colors for the performance is preferred, to keep the attention of the cosplayer.

Can I enter multiple cosplays? During the online submission, you can enter as many cosplays as you want BUT only one cosplay per contestant is allowed to move past the online submission phase and you can only participate in a single category. In the event both of your entries are accepted, you will be contacted for a decision on which category you want to participate in.

Will the judges move me into another category? No, if you fit the criteria for your category then that is where you will stay.

Are some contestants going to be cut after being seen in person by the judging panel? No. All contestants that make it past the online submission phase will be able to be seen in person by the judging panel as well as being able to showcase their cosplay onstage as part of the contest.

How many cuts will be made? We will only be making one cut of contestants for the contest which is during the online submission process.

What if I do not create an online photo gallery? If we do NOT have a link to a photo/video gallery in your registration account by the deadline we will consider your registration incomplete and will, unfortunately, have to pass on your registration into the contest. The judges need to see what you are submitting and they cannot do so without the gallery

When will we be contacted to know if we have moved past the online submission part of the contest? Our judging panel works super hard to give each and every submission the proper attention it deserves. With that being said, we are unable to give a concrete date and time when all contestants will be notified, BUT the latest that everyone will be contacted is during the a week before the actual event.

Do I have to be present to win? Yes, you must be present at the contest to win.

Commissioned cosplays and cosplay models:

Commissions – You are able to have up to 30% of your cosplay commissioned, the rest must be made by the registered contestant
Models – The creator of the cosplay must be present for “In-Person” judging and they must be present in the ballroom with their model for the “Onstage” portion as well

Can I enter into the contest if I live out of state or country? Yes! The way our contest is set up you don’t have to be present for the “Online Submission” portion. If you advance in the contest, our judging panel will need to see you in person the morning of the contest and you will be able to take to the stage later that night during the “Onstage” portion of the contest as well. Please take note of the weapon’s policy for the convention and how it relates to your cosplay.

When will the online submissions be looked at and scored? Our judging panel will start looking over all submissions after our registration for the contest closes on AUGUST 31st at 11:59pm

What criteria are the judges using to score the cosplays?

During the “In-Person” phase our judging panel will score off on the following:

- Craftsmanship – Clean and straight seams, no glue marks, rough or mirror-smooth, basically how well your cosplay is made.
- Originality/Accuracy – If the cosplay is original or a mashup you’ll be judged on originality. If you are recreating a character we will look at how close you recreated the character.
- Level of Difficulty – This is based on the number of and difficulty of techniques used to create the cosplay

During the “Onstage” portion of the contest we will be judging based on

- On stage Performance – How does the cosplay look onstage? How does the cosplayer show off their cosplay? Does the cosplayer look confident showcasing their creation? (unless of course the character they are portraying is a nervous mess and that’s how the cosplayer should seem).
- We feel that a large portion of the art form of cosplay is embracing the essence of the character/personality that you are cosplaying. Every contestant that qualifies for the “Onstage” portion of the contest will have up to 1 min to showcase this part of their cosplay talent in our Grand Ballroom, which you can use this time as you wish. For example, you can show your cosplay by striking different poses to show off all of the parts of your cosplay, or you can partake in pre-planned choreography.
- We expect to notify all qualified contestants with at least a week of anticipation before the contest so that they can have something prepared in time, though it is a good idea to have that presentation already in mind throughout the application process and well ahead of the competition. Remember that you have up to 1 min on stage, so please use as much of that time as possible.
- Stage Appearance – How does the cosplay look onstage? How does the cosplayer show off their cosplay? Does the cosplayer look confident showcasing their creation? (unless of course the character they are portraying is a nervous mess and that’s how the cosplayer should seem)

When will we be contacted to know if we have moved past the “Online Submission” portion of the contest? Our judging panel works super hard to give each and every submission the proper attention it deserves. With that being said, we are unable to give a concrete date and time when all contestants will be notified. We will notify EVERYONE who registered when the online portion is complete.

Why can’t everyone move past the online submission process in the contest? We are super fortunate and excited to have hundreds of entries each year but because we are only given a certain amount of time in the Grand Ballroom during the event we need to make sure that we stay within a certain time frame.

Are some music tracks not accepted in the cosplay contest? Yes. Music or Audio tracks submitted cannot have explicit lyrics. If it does contain explicit lyrics, your audio track will not be used. We will do our best to give you an advanced warning but cannot guarantee it. FanX is a family-friendly event and we want all ages to be able to attend.

I have a question about the cosplay contest that I don’t see an answer for here, who do I contact? If you have an additional question regarding the cosplay contest which is not listed in the FAQs, please email Cosplay@fanx.com

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