top of page

Cosplay Contest

Join us for an exciting cosplay contest where creativity and passion come alive! Participants will showcase their costumes, bringing beloved characters to life in a vibrant display of talent. Don't miss the chance to cheer on favorites and celebrate the amazing world of cosplay!

Cosplay Contest Rules + Guidelines

To Enter

Craftsmanship Contest sign ups will be online only and will end November 14th 2025 at 8pm Central. Exhibition/Walk-on and Fledgling sign ups will be taken online and at con as slots and time allow. Please sign up at the Krazy Kat Studios booth. At con sign ups will end when prejudging begins.

General Guidelines

  • Please keep it clean as this convention is open to all ages. No derogatory/offensive t-shirts, gestures, or costumes.

  • Costumes should be based on Anime, Manga, video games, comic books, cartoons, movies, sci-fi, or fantasy.

  • General cosplay dress code rules must be followed. If you can't wear it to a public pool, you cannot wear it on stage. Please wear the appropriate modesty items when cosplaying specific characters i.e. male cosplayers in skin tight bodysuits wear dance belts and cosplays with shorter skirts wear modesty shorts. 

  • To compete in the Costume Contest you must be an attendee of Omnicon and have a valid badge for the event.

  • No registering for a friend period.

  • Contestants must be present and walk the stage to be eligible for awards.

  • Projectiles and or thrown items are not allowed during the stage portion.

  • ALL CONTESTANTS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 MUST HAVE ADULT SUPERVISION AT ALL TIMES

  • All props and weapons must follow the general weapons policy. NO LIVE METAL! No Weapons or sharp edged items that can be harmful to others allowed. Bring a plastic, foam or wooden sword, not a real one. Gun props must be CLEARLY and VISIBLY fake i.e. orange tipped, made from foam, etc. If you are found to be carrying illegal items you will be immediately asked to leave and place the item in a safe place.

  • NO unsportsmanlike conduct including: sandbagging, bad mouthing, harassing, or other bad behaviors will be tolerated before, during, or after the contest. If you are caught doing so, you will be immediately disqualified and further actions may be explored depending on the severity of the behavior. Please reach out to the contest coordinator, the judges, or a member of staff to report improper conduct.​

Competition Categories

Contestants must sign up for one of the following categories: Novice, Journeyman, Master, Fledgling, or Exhibition. Craftsmanship contestants will be capped at 20 contestants. Sign ups over this cap will be placed on a waitlist.

 

Craftsmanship Categories

  • Novice- 0-2 major awards, no more than 2 major awards

  • Journeyman- 2-3 major awards, no more than 3 major awards, or the contestant has previously won an award in the Journeyman category at another contest/event

  • Master- 3 or more major awards, the contestant has won an award in the Master category at another contest/event, the contestant takes costume or garment commissions as a source of income, or the contestant’s primary job involves the creation or adjustment of garments    

 

Non-Craftsmanship Categories

(do not require the contestant to handmake their costume)

  • Fledgling- Ages 13 years and under only. Must have a parent present. This category is NOT eligible for major awards.

  • Exhibition- Open to anyone who did not make their costume, but still wants to strut their stuff across the stage. This category is NOT eligible for major awards.

​

Competition Rules

​Craftsmanship Categories & Rules: 

  • 60% of the costume must be handmade or heavily modified by the contestant in order to be eligible.

  • You must be present and in costume to be judged.

  • You may enter a "model" (a person wearing a costume made by another), but the costume maker MUST be present for judging. Should the costume place, the award will be given to the MAKER.

  • REFERENCE IS REQUIRED FOR ALL CRAFTSMANSHIP CATEGORIES. Please bring a color printed image of the character you are entering. If the costume is an original design or character, a colored drawing is also acceptable. If reference is not given, the contestant will receive a ZERO in accuracy scoring. Fanart is NOT an acceptable form of reference, unless the costume is specifically based on a fanart design.

  • Contestants competing as a group (2 or more people) must enter the category of the highest participating member i.e. If you have a Novice and a Journeyman the group must sign up as Journeyman. Groups also include 2 or more members in a collaborative effort to construct a single project, or 1 person making multiple costumes worn by other people.

  • Work in progress or "build books" are not required but HIGHLY encouraged.

  • No costumes that have won major awards in previous years of Omnicon or at other events/contests may be entered into craftsmanship categories. This is known as sandbagging.

  • Contestants will have 5 minutes with the judges to describe and explain their build process. We encourage you to be as early as possible. Appointments will be first come first serve.

  • Should a contestant show superb skill in their category judges may decide to “bump” said contestant, but not without the contestants knowledge and consent or at the detriment to the contestant’s standing. Bumping will only be required should the contestant be found lying about their category placement or placement rules are not properly followed.

  • Contestants agree to be honest during their judging while discussing how their costume was made. If contestants are caught lying, they will be immediately disqualified and subject to blacklisting.

  • Disability/mobility aids WILL NOT count against a contestant in their judging. I.e. glasses, wheelchairs, hearing aids, crutches, canes, etc.

  • Should a contestant miss the required judging period, they will not be considered for craftsmanship awards, but may be permitted to walk in the exhibition category.​

​

Award Specifications

Major awards are guaranteed to be given unless categories are not properly filled. Should the craftsmanship categories not be properly filled (usually meaning 3 or more entries), awards may be withheld at the judges’ discretion. Minor awards can vary year to year and are subject to contestant sign ups and judges’ discretion.

Major Awards:

  • Best Novice

  • Best Journeyman

  • Best Master

  • Best in Show

Minor Awards:

  • Judges’ Awards

  • Best Stage Presence- awarded to exhibition category

  • Fledgling Award(s)- Totes Adorbs!, Rising Star

  • Superlatives- i.e. best prop, best makeup, or other related awards

All rules are subject to change and final interpretations of these rules are up to the contest judges, Omnicon staff members, and TTU.

 

By registering or attending this convention, all participants agree to these rules and give permission to Omnicon to take and use photographs and videos of said participants for online and advertising use.

 

Should you have more questions please message the Omnicon Facebook page or email krazykatcosplay@gmail.com

Meet Your Judges

© 2025 by Omni-Con TN and Alpha Psi Phi. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page