Crackle’s Cousin Cosplay Team is proud to bring you the Whinny City Cosplay Contest! Come and see the final product of months of hard work among our very talented and exciting cosplayers. Who will take home the trophies? Only one way to find out! Please pre-register by filling out a form at Con Registration!

WCPC23 COSPLAY COMPETITION RULES

• You must be registered for the contest before the contest begins and be a Whinny City Pony Con 2023 attendee in order to compete. Each member of your group must have a badge.
• If the costume you are wearing has won a major award before at WCPC or any other cosplay competition, you are not eligible for any awards for that costume in this contest. Award-winning Costumes can come on stage to exhibit only.
• WCPC adheres to the “Family Friendly” G-rated rule when it comes to attire, language, and hand gestures.  (See also general Cosplay Guidelines)
• During the contest enter and exit the stage at the designated points only. Costumes must be handled by the contestant or by handlers the contestant brings to help. Handlers are required to be registered attendees of the convention, and WCPC cannot provide on-stage assistants. You are liable for your own safety and the safety of others. All participants are to keep at least one foot on the stage at all times.
• Contestants are not allowed to throw anything off the stage, use projectiles, or use anything on stage that will leave a mess. This includes (but is not limited to) liquids, glitter, and confetti.
• No pyrotechnics, fire, explosive devices, live animals, or similar special effects can be used during the competition; this includes smoke/fog machines and flash paper/powder.
• All prop weapons must conform to the Whinny City prop policies, including being checked.
• Each contestant may only enter one costume into the competition and can be in only one Division.
• Pre‐Meet: There will be a pre‐meet before the cosplay competition in Mane Events 20 minutes before Contest Start Time. This pre‐meet is where we will do a check-in and hand in your registration form before briefly going over where you will enter and exit the stage as well as explain the etiquette. During check-in, you will be lined up and prepared to start the cosplay contest. It is mandatory to attend the pre‐meet to take part in the contest. Entries should show up to the pre‐meet in costume, ready for the contest.
• Contestants under the age of 17 must have a parent or legal guardian present at the cosplay competition and Pre-Meet.
• A person wearing a made costume designed and built entirely by someone else should give credit to the maker and the maker must be present or the costume may be entered as an exhibition (out of competition) piece for the Showcase Event.
• Whinny City Cosplay Competition Organizers, Judges, and Participants will adhere to the ICG Guidelines for Fair Competition and Judging Standards

JUDGING CATEGORIES

Youth: This level is for contestants 17 years old and under. Prizes are awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in this category and are eligible for Judges Choice Awards. Contestants in this category should have assisted with their costume build in some way and can only be eligible for 1st place if they assisted with more than 50 percent of the costume build. A child wearing a costume designed and built entirely by an adult should be entered either in the adult’s appropriate skill division or entered as an exhibition (out of competition) piece. Only Contestants who have made more than 80 percent of their costume are eligible for Best in Show.

Beginner: This level is for adults who have never been in a cosplay competition before and/or do not have a lot of experience costuming and/or have made less than 60 percent of their costume. Beginners may be awarded 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in this category and are eligible for Judges Choice Awards but are only eligible for 1st place in category if they have made more than 80 percent of their costume. Closet Cosplays will be entered into Beginner Category. Only Contestants who have made more than 80 percent of their costume are eligible for Best in Show.

Advanced: You have to have made at least 60 percent of your costume to qualify for this category, and have demonstrable advanced technique in one or more cosplay mediums, or have won a previous competition. If your experience is Advanced and you made less than 60%, you will not be allowed to compete at the Advanced Rank. If you made 80% or more and are Advanced, you are eligible 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in this category, Judges Choice Awards, and the Best in Show.

According to the ICG (International Costumer Guild) guidelines, “It is unreasonable for somebody who is new to cosplaying to compete against cosplayers with years of masquerading experience. The division system is not intended to provide recognition, the awards themselves do that. It exists merely to promote fairness.”      

A professional cosplayer is a competitor who does costume design, makeup, or FX for a living. Professionals are typically excluded from competing with non-professionals. We encourage Professionals to participate as an exhibit participant.

When SCORING judges will pay close attention to:

the quality, stitching and finish of fabric, the choice of structural materials such as foam, worbla, wood or cardboard and the way they were treated, the detail put into crafting the decorations and trimmings, the overall techniques used and the originality of ideas applied in the costume, the quality of the wigs, wig-styling, props, customised shoes and makeup, effort that was put into collecting the appropriate parts and pieces, and character portrayal.

AWARDS All awards are final, except for those who are found to have been cheating.  Any claims of Sandbagging brought to the staff’s attention will be investigated to determine if an award should be revoked. Displays of poor sportsmanship may result in disqualification and/or barring from future Whinny City Cosplay contests. Harassment of judges or staff, or any conduct that violates the Whinny City Convention policies may result in disqualification and barring from future Whinny City Cosplay contests.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Crackle’s Cousin Cosplay at CosplayCelebration@yahoo.com