General Cosplay Rules

Though some of the cosplay events at Tsubasacon are judged, and therefore have more specific rules, every cosplayer must abide by a basic list of guidelines:

• Outfits should not be so revealing as to warrant indecent exposure charges. All body parts should be covered and not require constant pulling, tugging, straightening, etc. of the outfit to keep them covered. A good rule of thumb is to not wear anything that covers less than what you would wear to the pool or beach.
• Tsubasacon is a family event; while we understand that some cosplay characters wear more revealing outfits than others, you may be asked to "cover up" or modify your outfit in some way that is more modest in public areas (see below about cosplay event exceptions).
• Some of the hallways of the convention center, especially near Artist Alley and during busy periods, are narrow and extremely congested. If your cosplay entails accessories which may hinder hallway traffic (e.g. wings), please design your cosplay so that the wings may easily be removed in case you are asked to remove them (see below about cosplay event exceptions). A good rule of thumb is a costume should be no more than 2 feet on all sides.
• While Tsubasacon may ask participants to modify their costume for various reasons in the public areas of the convention center, we realize that a lot of work has been put into the outfit. During cosplay events, such as the masquerade or costume judging, cosplayers are permitted to wear their cosplay in its original, unaltered form.
• Due to health code, shoes MUST be worn at all times. There must be an entire sole on the bottom of your feet. Just socks are not allowed.

Cosplay Craftsmanship Judging Rules

Cosplay judging will take place throughout the day on Saturday, beginning when the convention doors open, until an hour prior to the Masquerade. Participants will sign up for an appointment with the judges, at which time you will have your photo taken and your cosplay assessed by a panel of judges.

In order to conform to the rules of the cosplay craftsmanship judging, all participants entering must petition that their outfit is an original creation. An outfit is considered an "original creation" if 75% or more of the outfit's articles can fit the following criteria:

• Created from scratch using fabric
• Generic in nature (socks, undershirts, undergarments),
• Modified from pre-existing materials (shoes, belts, shirts).

Cosplay outfits are NOT considered to be an "original creation" if more than 25% of the outfit's articles fit the following criteria:

• Personally commissioned specifically for cosplay purposes,
• Purchased specifically as a cosplay or replica item (masks, accessories),
• Purchased items with no modifications (shirts, pants, jackets, shoes, etc).

Examples of items which are considered "replica" include items specifically marketed towards a series (Kingdom Hearts key blades, Death Note notebooks) or pre-created wardrobe (Naruto jackets or chuunin vests).

Wigs are considered an article of your cosplay. A wig which requires modifications in the form of styling, cutting, dying, etc. is considered an "original creation". Short, unaltered wigs of natural colors are items not specifically designed for cosplay use and fit under the "original creation" rules.

Long wigs (wigs that surpass the mid-back of the wearer) of natural color, or wigs which are of "unnatural color" (e.g. blue, bright red, green, etc.) are not considered part of an original cosplay unless they are altered or styled in some way.

Craftsmanship Participants MUST have adequate reference photos with them during their judging time. A good photo reference will assist the judges in their scoring of your outfit. Participants without a reference will receive a score of 0 in accuracy. Good references showing the front, back and side views are highly recommended. They may also have close ups of details and props. Examples of references include: screen captures, DVD covers, art books, manga, color printouts, etc. Please come prepared. The only exception to this is the original design category.

Cosplay Craftsmanship Judging Categories

Cosplayers wishing to be judged on their craftsmanship abilities may enter any of the following categories as long as they meet the eligibility requirements.

Craftsmanship (Beginner, Novice, and Expert)

All costumes entered in the craftsmanship category must pertain to Asian culture. This includes animation, manga, video games, visual kei, live-action films, and Asian street fashion. Costumes must be at least 75% original creation. Please see the Craftsmanship Competition Regulations for details.

The craftsmanship levels are determined by the following criteria:

• Beginner: No previous cosplay awards in any category or less than 3 constructed costumes
• Novice: 2 Major Awards/4 minor awards or less than 6 constructed costumes
• Expert: 5 major awards/10 minor awards or more than 8 constructed costumes

Original Design

Costumes eligible in Original Design category are of the cosplayer's original design. Costumes can be based on either Asian culture, such as an original Gothic Lolita outfit, or be of Western influence, such as a custom World of Warcraft character. Costumes must be at least 75% original creation. Please see the Craftsmanship Competition Regulations for details.

Western Influence 

Costumes entered in the Western Influence category must pertain to Western culture. This includes animation (Disney, etc), comics (Marvel, DC, etc.), video games (Halo, Left 4 Dead, etc), television shows (Dr. Who, Star Trek, etc), and live-action films. Costumes must be at least 75% original creation. Please see the Craftsmanship Competition Regulations for details.

Cosplay Craftsmanship Awards

The following awards will be presented for excellence in cosplay craftsmanship:

• Best Cosplay Craftsmanship (Expert)
• Honorable Mention: Cosplay Craftsmanship (Expert)
• Best Cosplay Craftsmanship (Novice)
• Honorable Mention: Cosplay Craftsmanship (Novice)
• Best Cosplay Craftsmanship (Beginner)
• Honorable Mention: Cosplay Craftsmanship (Beginner)
• Best Craftsmanship: Original Design
• Best Craftsmanship: Western Influence

Tsubasacon Cosplay Masquerade Information

The Tsubasacon Cosplay Masquerade is a chance for all of our cosplayers to perform for the crowd in a variety of ways. Cosplayers do not need to participate in cosplay judging in order to perform during the Masquerade. The Masquerade is split into two parts: performance and walk-on.

Cosplayers wishing to participate in the Masquerade are to be present during the setup session one hour before the masquerade. The official time and place will be announced at a later date.

Masquerade Performance Guidelines

In order to provide a quality show for all of our patrons and to maintain order and a family-friendly environment, the following guidelines are in effect for all Masquerade performers:

• Skits must be no longer than 3 minutes in length. Performers are allotted 30 seconds to set-up and 30 seconds to exit in addition to the 3 minutes.
• Skit content must have a rating no higher than "PG-13". Tsubasacon is an all-ages event. Explicit swearing, nudity, and obscene gestures and mannerisms are prohibited, and can result in disqualification. If there are any questions pertaining to your skit, please contact the cosplay department head.
• All pre-recorded audio must be presented on a playable CD at time of registration. CDs must be clearly labeled with the names of the performer(s) and the name of the performance. Audio will NOT be queued (it must be ready to go as soon as the track is played). CDs are not returnable.
• Weapons and props must abide by the Weapons Policy (see Rules and Regulations section on the Tsubasacon website). Projectile weapons, jumping from the stage, and throwing objects of any kind into the audience is strictly prohibited.
• Due to safety concerns, all stage combat and stunts MUST be cleared with the cosplay department head. This includes martial arts, gymnastics, fighting with props, etc.
• Performances are restricted to the stage area.
• No confetti, rose petals, glitter, etc.

Masquerade Performance Awards

The following awards will be presented for excellence in Masquerade performance:

• Best Performance
• Honorable Mention: Masquerade Performance

Cosplay Contest Registration

Registration for the cosplay craftsmanship and masquerade contests will take place on Friday from 12:00 PM until 9:00 PM and Saturday from opening until 2:00 PM.  There will be no registration for cosplay events after 2:00 PM Saturday. If you have not registered by this time, you will be unable to compete in the cosplay contests. The cosplay registration table is located at the convention center's entrance with admission badge registration.

Judging for the cosplay craftsmanship contest will be on Saturday and run from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM. You will be given a designated time to appear for judging at your time of registration. In order to judge all cosplayers in a timely fashion, not appearing for judging at your designated time will result in disqualification from the contest.

Judging for the cosplay masquerade contest will take place at the Masquerade held Saturday at 7:00 PM in the Main Events room. Contestants for the masquerade contest must come to the preparation at 6:00 PM in the Main Events.

Hallway Contest

The Hallway Contest is an informal event where judges circulate the hallways Friday evening and Saturday before the Masquerade and hand out awards based on general presentation, craftsmanship, and likeness to character. Special registration is NOT required: this contest is open to everyone, regardless of how many awards have been won or costumes made. Attendees may only win once per costume, but the same person may win multiple ribbons for unique costumes. Non-Asian themed costumes (i.e Ghostbusters) are eligible for Hallway Awards.