Cosplay

The mission of the Cosplay department and staff is to provide Anime Iowa attendees a safe dynamic and fun venue to present their Cosplay creations for judging. We will make every effort to help your Cosplay dreams come true.

We again have two contests this year that are run out of Cosplay Central your Anime Iowa Cosplay headquarters. Hall Cosplay is a quick and easy way to show off your character. The Hall Cosplay runs Friday and Saturday at designated times eight time slots in all. That’s potentially eight different characters you can enter! Hall Cosplay is easy and fun. Just come to Cosplay Central at one of the Hall Cosplay time slots, fill out an entry form and pose for your photo. That’s all there is to it!

Mainstage cosplay is one of the highlights of Anime Iowa. You’ll have the opportunity to present your Cosplay on stage complete with lights and sound in front of a life audience! Preregistration is required and must be turned in to Cosplay Central no later than 1 pm Saturday July 31st. We are working to provide a more elaborate lighting set up for Mainstage Cosplay.

Mainstage Cosplay has two components Workmanship and Presentation. The Workmanship component takes place in the green room prior to the Presentation component. You are not required to have your entry judged for workmanship, but you may find it an interestinglearning experience. There will be separate judges for the Workmanship and the Presentationcomponents. If you plan on having your entry judged for Workmanship you will want to report to the green room as early as you can

Mainstage Cosplay has the following divisions for competition:

• Seishonen (Youth) – Under 13
• Jakuhai (Novice) – First Cosplay experience or have never won a Cosplay award
• Yushikisha (Experienced) – Several Cosplay presentations and/or have won Cosplay award
• Sensei (Master) – Many Cosplay presentations and Cosplay awards would also includeprofessional qualifications
• Chinretsu (Exhibition) – This class is for those who do not wish to compete. Any entry in thisdivision is ineligible for awards. All Exhibition entries will be presented after thejudges have retired for deliberation.

If you are uncertain which division your entry should be in the Cosplay staff can assist you.

The most important thing you need to know is that there is a presentation time limit for Mainstage and that is 60 seconds. The light and sound crew will be instructed to end entries after one minute. In rare circumstances an entry maybe granted special permission to exceed the 60 second time limit. The maximum extension is 30 seconds. You must get permission in advance from the Cosplay Department Head to exceed this time limit. Special circumstances that might qualify for an extension of time may include but are not limited to: large groups, large or unwieldy costumes/props, and mobility issues. If you believe you have good cause for a time extension you must contact the Cosplay head no later than noon on Saturday July 31st to request the extension sooner would be better.

Sound for your entry is not required but is highly recommended. You should plan to record anydialog for your entry. There will be no mic available. Any words spoken from stage will not beheard by the audience. More suggestions for working with your presentation sound will be in the stage tech post.

1. NO GLOMPING at all… ever. ‘Nuff said
2. All Cosplay participants must be registered attendees of the AnimeIowa convention. This event is open to all members including staff assuming your duties allow.
3. Presentations may not exceed 1 minute in duration. The Tech crew has explicit instructions to cut lights and sound at one minute. Plan ahead. If you need assistance with editing your music/sound contact the Cosplay staff prior to noon on Saturday.
4. NO blatant nudity. This event is rated PG-13. Please use some discretion with your character, props and presentation content.
5. The following may not be worn for competition: wholly purchased costumes without significant modifications, rented costumes or entries that have been previous winners at AnimeIowa. These may be entered on stage in the Exhibition Category but will not be eligible for awards.
6. Youth participants must be accompanied by a responsible paid adult member at all times.
7. Your entry must be finished before you get to the Green Room. No sewing, gluing, spray painting, welding, or other construction work is allowed back stage. However, final assembly of large pieces and/or props and unexpected repairs will be allowed.
8. Cosplay Central does have some emergency repair supplies and the Cosplay Staff may be available to help with emergencies or damage repair. AnimeIowa does not supply participants with any of the following: make-up, make-up applicators and/or removers, paint, etc. Please come to the convention with everything you need to complete and/or assemble your cosplay.
9. Participants will be required to sign a liability release and a limited release for use ofvideo and photo images.
10. For safety reasons, the following are not allowed:
    • Live animals
    • Substances which might damage or soil
    • Aerosol sprays
    • Projectiles
    • No pyrotechnics will be allowed including but not limited to: fire, flash powder, explosives, smoke bombs or fireworks.
    • Entries that could potentially damage the Convention Center facilities, other participants or the wearer will not be allowed.
    • Illegal weapons of any kind are not allowed.
    • Legal real or prop weapons used as part of the costume are allowed with restrictions. You are expected to act responsibly with your weapon. The Green Room is not the place to practice your presentation’s sword play! You may be asked to check your weapon in to our Props Master prior to the start of the Cosplay if we deem the weapon potentially dangerous to your fellow participants. If you decide to carry a weapon, by signing your registration form, you accept any legal and financial responsibility for damage your weapon may cause to persons or property. Normal AnimeIowa Weapons Policy rules apply. Don’t be a Dink!
    • Entries with electric power requirements need to be self-contained. There will be no access to electrical outlets on stage.
    • Participants who want to use special effects in their presentations (i.e. strobelights, fog, etc.) must notify the Cosplay Director no later than 2 pm Saturday. The Cosplay Director has the right to deny requests for special effects due to safety concerns and building regulations. Do not plan your presentation around unapproved special effects! Surprise the audience, not the Cosplay staff. If you are planning something completely different, let us know well in advance. All information will be held in the strictest confidence.
11. Smoking is not allowed in the Convention Center. Contestants who leave the buildingfor a smoke break may lose their turn to appear on stage.
12. No Whiners! All judge’s decisions are final.
13. The Cosplay Director has the right to eliminate any entry from the competition on thebasis of taste, danger to the audience, building or yourself. Violation of any of the above rules, or any other reason deemed sufficient.

We have never had to eliminate anyone yet, so let’s keep it that way!

If you have questions, concerns or need clarification on any of these rules please contact cosplay@animeiowa.com. We want you to have the best presentation possible and we willwork with you to make that happen. Please let us know what you want we can probably find a way to make it work for you.

Hall Cosplay is an ideal competition for anyone. If you have never done a Cosplay competition before this is a great way to start. All you need is a costume and a pose. Experienced Cosplayers this is your chance to show off even more characters. Don’t like to get up in front of crowds but have a character you are proud of? Then Hall Cosplay is just right for you too!

This event takes place in Cosplay Central. You don’t need to register in advance simply show up at one of the Hall Cosplay time slots and fill out a short entry form then pose for your picture. We will have a light and a dark (read white and black) back drop. You will have your picture taken by the Cosplay staff. All pictures from the time slot are printed and grouped together for voting. The AnimeIowa staff vote on the best entry for each time slot. Then the Cosplay staff will choose and over all Hall Cosplay winner from the time slot winners. The winners will be announced during the Mainstage Cosplay awards ceremony. If you miss that you can pick up your award on Sunday in Cosplay Central.

Slots:

Friday 2 pm
Friday 4 pm
Friday 7 pm
Friday 9 pm
Saturday 10 am
Saturday 12 pm
Saturday 1 pm
Saturday 2 pm

1. Contest is open to all Anime Iowa attendees (must have badge to play) Any AI staff competing in Hall Cosplay is prohibited from voting.
2. Reference material is not required, but recommended.
3. Entries may be made as an individual or as a group. All groups will be judged as one entry, meaning the group as a whole counts as an individual.
4. You may enter multiple costumes, but not the same costume multiple times.