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Cosplay at JAFAX

JAFAX 28 celebrates cosplay as a craft and an art form. Every costume on our stage represents hours of creativity, dedication, and skill. Whether you're competing for the first time or stepping up as a Master, we welcome you.

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Cosplay at JAFAX 28

General Rules & Guidelines

A valid JAFAX 28 admission ticket for the day of the contest is required to participate.
All cannon costumes are welcome from any genre or series, but must follow all convention, local, and state rules and laws — including props. No original designs will be accepted.
Real weapons are NOT allowed. This includes live steel, guns, knives, projectiles, and overly heavy objects. All props must be prop checked and peace bonded. Please read our official weapons policy for complete details.
This is a family friendly event. No nudity or overly suggestive costumes are allowed. Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.
Foot coverings must be worn on stage. This includes sneakers, flip flops, wooden shoes, or any other foot covering. Socks alone do not count as footwear.
Each contestant may only sign up and appear on stage once per contest — either as a group or as an individual, but not both.
No throwing, jumping, or tumbling on or off the stage. This includes throwing anything into the audience. Failure to follow this rule will result in immediate disqualification and removal from the event.
Glitter, water, confetti, smoke, fake/liquid blood, streamers, poppers, fire, or anything similar are NOT allowed. Anything that cannot be picked up as you walk off stage, or that could set off fire alarms, is prohibited.
By signing up, you agree to be respectful of all other contestants, judges, and volunteers. Good sportsmanship is required at this event.
Contestants 16 years of age or younger must have parent or guardian permission. A parent or guardian must be present to sign a liability/participation waiver at sign-up.
By signing up, you agree to allow your likeness and costume to be photographed or filmed for future JAFAX 28 promotional materials.
Costumes with prior awards are not eligible to compete at JAFAX. This includes partial rebuilds. However, entirely rebuilding a new costume of the same character is allowed.
Costumes must be self-contained and fit through a standard door frame. Costumes with low visibility must have a handler present. Note: you may need to use stairs, doorways, or elevators to reach the contest area — please plan accordingly.

Craftsmanship Levels

Beginner
Open to anyone who has made or altered 50% or more of their costume, or has won 2 or fewer major awards in any contest. Major awards include Best in Show, Best of Category, or 2nd place or higher at any contest.
Advanced
Open to those who have made or heavily altered 75% or more of their costume, or have won 3 or more major awards in any contest.

Contest Details

Contestants must check in or sign up starting at 10am Saturday. Walk-up sign-ups are welcome. We will go until we fill all judging appointments — once appointments are full, we will be at capacity.
Craftsmanship contestants must attend prejudging during their assigned slot on Saturday to be considered for any awards or prizes. If you do not want to be judged for craftsmanship, please sign up for one of the showcase runways instead.
Prejudging will take place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, June 6th. Appointments are limited and filled first come, first served. Once full, no additional contestants will be accepted.
Prejudging appointments are 5 minutes. Tell our panel of judges about your creative process — what you're proud of and what you learned. We love to see your passion.
Craftsmanship contestants will go onstage and present three poses. You will not need to provide your own audio.
All costumes entered for craftsmanship must be self-made. This means you cut the fabric and foam and sewed or glued it together yourself, or found thrift store items and altered or recycled them. Purchased costumes will not be allowed.
Build books are not required but highly encouraged. Please bring a printed photo of your character for the judges to reference.
Skit and craftsmanship contestants may sign up for both and will be considered for all applicable awards, but you must perform and prejudge in the same costume. Changing costumes between categories is not allowed. You may only appear on stage once, either as a group or a solo but not both.
Performances must be no longer than 2:30. Shorter is okay!
All performance audio must be pre-recorded and provided via Thumb Drive at check-in or beforehand via email. We do not accept CDs. We will not play a YouTube video. Live mics will not be provided.
Awards and prizes are subject to change.

Cosplay Contests

Cosplay Contest

Craftsmanship and Skit Divisions
Cosplay Coordinator
Sat 6:00pm–8:00pm · Grand Gallery Meeting Room A+B

Kids Cosplay Contest

Children's cosplay contest
Cosplay Coordinator
Sun 4:00pm–4:30pm · Grand Gallery Meeting Room A+B
View all cosplay events →

Questions?

Email the JAFAX 28 Cosplay team at cosplay@jafax.org for questions about contest rules, divisions, registration, or special accommodations.

Ready to compete?

Spaces are limited — register early to guarantee your spot.