COSPLAY

Capital City Comic Con welcomes respectful cosplay and costuming from all genres of pop culture. We believe cosplay should be celebrated in the spirit of fun, camaraderie, and inclusion.

COSPLAY SPONSORS:

Friday Costume Contest: Anything Goes!


6:30 pm at Dealer Hall Main Stage,

All Ages, No Pre-Judging


We have new and exciting changes to our Friday Anything Goes Competition! We are splitting this up into 8 categories with special prizes for each category, and will have panels and crafting information to go with these categories throughout the weekend at the Cosplay Central booth hosted by Envy the Green Fairy, Belle Bunni, I Make It Sew, PinkOpal Cosplay and Bebe Alkaid. Stop by to sign up for the competition and collect more information on cosplaying. sAVE TIME AND BRING A COMPLETED REGISTRATION FORM WITH YOU!


Categories are:


  • Chrome Clippers Award: This goes to someone who has styled a wig in a way that makes it different from how it came out of the package! This person has done a combination of cutting, styling, dyeing, and decorating a wig to make it stand up and stand out!
  • Mask of the Cosplayer Award: This goes to someone who has shown courage on the stage and acted as their character acts, adding a level of depth to their cosplay that stage presence and acting as their character would lend to them.
  • Patron of Nature Award: This goes to someone who has created a costume that is at least 65% upcycled, made from recycled materials, repurposed materials, and materials not generally used for their intended purposes. 
  • Golden Scissors Award: This goes to a sewist who has done incredible sewing work,  has demonstrated skill with anything that is needle related - sewing, pattern making, embroidery, knitting/crochet work, or anything else that is needle/thread/fabric/yarn related.
  • Platinum Palette Award:  The Platinum Palette Award will go to someone who has used makeup in a way to add to their character portrayal. This person could be any age group or skill level, and exemplifies makeup skills that are a solid match to their character. They used makeup in a way to add depth to their cosplay, bringing their character to life.
  • Titanium Wrench Award: This goes to a person who has shown great work within engineering related fields for cosplay, has demonstrated skill with anything engineering related - including electronics programing, prop making, foamwork, 3D print model making and finishing, sculpting, or anything else related to the engineering field. 
  • Rising Star of Cosplay (17 and under only): This award will go to someone who has never won an award in a cosplay competition before that is ages 17 and under. This person exemplifies everything that a rising star of cosplay is - they are excited, they are new to cosplay, and they put their best foot forward and put together an amazing costume!
  • Rising Star of Cosplay (18 and up only): This award will go to someone who has never won an award in a cosplay competition before. They exemplify everything that a rising star of cosplay is - they are excited, they are new to cosplay, and they put their best foot forward and put together an amazing costume!


Saturday Costume Contest: Anything Goes for Craftsmanship!


4:00 pm  at Dealer Hall Main Stage,

Ages 13-Adult with Pre-Judging (Register at  booth #1601)


Teens: Winner will receive a b37 brenette sewing machine from Seams Sewing & Mercantile in Old Town Lansing

Novice (18+): Cash Prize to 1st place Sponsored by LAFCU

Journeyman (18+): Cash Prize to 1st place Sponsored by LAFCU

Masters (18+): Cash Prize to 1st place Sponsored by LAFCU


  • Kids 12 and under will have the opportunity to join a cosplay parade during the contest judging intermission.
  • Bring your best cosplay and compete for cash and prizes! 




Sunday costume Contest: anything goes Kids only Contest


2:00 pm at Dealer Hall Main Stage,

Ages 12 and UNDEr, No Pre-Judging


  • We will have three age range categories: Ages 0-5, 6-9, and 10-12.
  • Age appropriate prizes, tba.


Cosplay Contest Rules Form


 You will be judged on the following categories: presentation, craftsmanship, originality, and creativity. Preference is given to hand-made or hand-crafted costumes and props.


  •  Eligibility
  • All participants must have a valid Capital City Comic Con wristband or badge.
  • All participants must read and agree to follow all rules of the Cosplay contest.
  • By registering for the Cosplay contest, all participants agree to allow Capital City Comic Con to use their images and likeness for promotional purposes, both photographs and video.
  • All convention policies must be upheld during the entirety of the competition. Please see the program for all policies.
  • All Costume contest contestants must register before the start of the contest at the Envy the Green Fairy and Belle Bunni Designs at booth #1601 in the vendor hall. Sign ups for each day will close one half hour prior to the start of the competition or when all slots are full. No contestants will be considered after the contest begins.
  • Participants must be 18 or older to enter the Adult Craftsmanship Cash Prize Contest on Saturday afternoon. Teen participants must be 13-17 to enter the Teen Craftsmanship Contest on Saturday afternoon. Both contests will run concurrently. Kids 12 and under will have the opportunity to join the cosplay parade during the cosplay contest judging intermission.
  • Each contestant may only submit one entry into each competition.
  • Volunteer staff may enter a Cosplay contest if staff-related responsibilities are fulfilled and covered.
  • If for whatever reason one contestant is removed from competition for any violation, their entire group may be disqualified as well.
  • All entrants to Saturday's Craftsmanship  event must have a cosplay that is handmade, heavily altered or kit bashed. Teens must meet this for at least 40% of their costume, Adult Novice must meet this requirement for at least 50% of their costume, Adult Journeyman must meet this for at least 60% of their costume, and Adult Masters must meet this for at least 70% of their costume.
  • Individuals for the Saturday’s Craftsmanship Contests (both teen and adult entries) will be pre-judged at sign-up. Please arrive at registration in full costume including makeup with any props you would like the judges to consider.
  • If you have won 1st place or best in show in your costume, at Capital City Comic Con or any other convention or contest you are not eligible to enter the contest. Sandbagging will not be tolerated and if it is discovered that you have won in the costume you have entered you will not be eligible to compete again at Capital city comic con and your prizes will be forfeit.


how to Enter

  • Read terms & conditions. Sign form and return to Envy the Green Fairy and Belle Bunni Designs at Booth #1601 to be entered.
  • After Registration and/or Pre-judging, you will be provided a lanyard and number you will need to enter the contest. Please keep the lanyard safe. Capital City Comic Con will not be responsible for lost or stolen lanyards and badges. Lanyards and numbers MUST BE RETURNED after each contest. 
  • Entrants are required to show up at the requested time for the contest itself. Please see the official schedule for times and locations of Cosplay Meetings and activities.
  • save time and pre-complete a registration form


costume/Cosplay Rule

We have guidelines in place to ensure that all cosplayers and convention patrons may enjoy the event. In short, we expect cosplayers to be respectful of others, exercise sound judgment, and place safety and courtesy above all else. Specifically, we require both cosplayers and patrons to adhere to the following guidelines, understanding that failure to respect them may result in removal from the convention. Capital City Comic Con reserves the right to remove or disqualify anyone for any reason. All decisions made by the Cosplay Coordination team, Judges or Capital City Comic Con

operations staff are final.


behavior

  • Respect others’ personal space, i.e., no touching of any kind or aggressive behavior
  • Exercise control of your personal volume
  • No harassment of any kind will be tolerated
  • Offensive language of any kind is not allowed - no racial or sexual epithets, no profanity, etc.
  • No violence is allowed
  • No sexual activity or contact - real or implied.
  • Any other behavior witnessed that is deemed to be inappropriate
  • You may surprise the audience, but NEVER SURPRISE THE CREW. Show the judges at registration or pre-judging anything that may be surprising.


costume Safety

  • You must wear something on your feet at all times (for safety)
  • No live steel weapons or real guns are allowed. All weapons must be peace-bonded, must have an orange safety tip, and may not contain any sharp edges or points. All weapons are subject to inspection upon entrance to the event.
  • No projectiles of any kind will be allowed. This includes arrows, throwing stars, darts, foam, water, paper, silly string, plastic, food, metal, whips, etc.
  • Pointing weapons at anyone not in your Cosplay group will NOT be tolerated. The Cosplay Coordinators (Envy the Green Fairy and Belle Bunni Designs) must approve any actions involving weapons.
  • No flash pots, explosive devices or similar effects.
  • No fire, flame, smoke, fog, dry ice, wind machines, lasers, glitter, pressurized gasses or liquids. No messy substances - wet, dry, oily or otherwise.
  • Please use the officially designated stage entrances and exits.


Costume Content

  • All costumes must be family-friendly, i.e., no lewdness, nudity or vulgarity
  • Be clever, not crass! If you think your costume or presentation might be too risqué or offensive, it probably is.
  • No skits during judging.
  • No political or religious statements.
  • Costumes must be self-contained.
  • Large or elaborate costumes must be handled by the contestant and/or assistants the contestant brings to help; Capital City Comic Con will not be able to assist.


competition Break Down

  • Friday’s competition is open to all costumes regardless of handcrafted status, and is open to any age.
  • For Friday, you will select the categories that you best fit into on the registration form, with categories as follows:
  • engineering
  • sewing/needlework
  • stage presence
  • novice (18+ age range or 17 & under age range - must have not won at a cosplay contest previously)
  • eco-conscious (must be at least 65% upcycled, recycled, or thrifted)
  • wig styling, or SFX makeup and/or painting/finishing.
  • Saturday’s Craftsmanship Competition is open to two age ranges
  • 13-17 years old (teens), and
  • 18+ (adults).
  • Kids 12 and under will have an opportunity to parade on stage during the judging intermission.
  • Ages eligibility is determined by the age of the contestant on the day of the competition.
  • For the adults, three categories are offered:
  • Novice (has won 0-1 times at a cosplay competition)
  • Journeyman’s (has won 2-4 times at a cosplay competition), and
  • Masters (has won 5+ times at a cosplay competition, has served as a cosplay guest at other events, or works at a mastery level in a related field).
  • Each category has the following requirements:
  • Novice must be at least 50% handmade, heavily altered, or kit bashed,
  • Journeyman must be at least 60% handmade, heavily altered, or kit bashed, and
  • masters must be at least 70% handmade, heavily altered, or kit bashed.
  • Judges retain the right to move a contestant up a category if they feel it is necessary.
  • Inaccurately reporting skills status (novice, journeyman, and masters), and degree of handmade will result in disqualification from the competition, and may affect the contestant’s ability to enter in future competitions at Capital City Comic Con. 
  • Sunday’s Kids Cosplay Competition is open to kids 12 and under. There are three age ranges - 0-5, 6-9, and 10-12. Age category is determined by the age of the contestant on the day of the competition.


We thank you in advance for following our cosplay guidelines, and ensuring a fun event for all! Please feel free to ask staff or volunteers for clarification and allowability of your costume if you feel you may be breaking one of the rules



COSPLAY CONTEST Full RULES

  1. Sign-ups begin at opening of convention (TIME) and end thirty minutes before prejudging.
  2. Sign-up sheets must be filled in completion out in order to be a contestant.
  3. Employees, staff, crew or guests of Promoter or any associated company and their immediate families, and persons connected with the CONTEST e.g., prize sponsors or judges and their agents are not eligible to enter the CONTEST.
  4. Contestants must comply with the EVENT cosplay, weapons and props rules and will be subject to security checks on entry to EVENT.
  5. Entrant’s cosplay must be at least 65% crafted by themselves. In Terms of these rules, “Crafted” is described as: Combining or modification of raw materials into a complete cosplay.
  6. It is acceptable to use bought wigs, shoes, and small accessories such as spectacles, greebles, and small props. Simple, largely insignificant base layers such as a leotard or pantyhose are similarly permitted.
  7. All significant parts of the cosplay must be constructed entirely by entrant. if a part of construction is deemed unsafe or impossible without assistance, then assistance (i.e. holding a part in place) is allowed.
  8. Entrants may only enter one cosplay or group per event contest. Any entrant will be disqualified if found entering multiple cosplays or groups. You will only be judged once per contest. If a cosplay “transforms” (i.e. One form of a character to another) It will be judged as the same cosplay.
  9. Any cosplay entered may not exceed nine feet in any dimension. Cosplayer must be able to walk in cosplay with limited to no assistance (that is not deemed necessary due to any disability/physical impediment). Cosplayer must be able to get on and off stage under their own power. CONTEST judges and event staff reserve the right to intervene should they believe a cosplay is not safe to participate on stage.
  10. All cosplays should provide enough coverage to be worn in public and in good taste in tune with a family-friendly show. CONTEST Judges and event staff reserve the right to intervene if a cosplay is deemed unfriendly to a family-friendly event. All cosplays must meet all local/state/federal laws involving obscenity/nudity.
  11. Cosplays must not be obscene or offensive to any group, individual, or organization. This includes any insensitive or unnecessary use of makeup, nor should it endorse any form of hate or any group deemed “Hateful”. Encouragement of Graphic violence or any element deemed objectionable by judges or event staff will be disqualified.
  12. Cosplays cannot promote any form of drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons, or any activities that may appear unsafe or dangerous to a political agenda or message.
  13. Cosplays must not defame, misrepresent, or contain disparaging remarks to any event, promoter and their products or sponsor of CONTEST or associated event. Any attempt to communicate messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or goodwill of EVENT will be met with disqualification.
  14. Cosplays cannot depict and cannot themselves be in violation of any applicable law associated with the state/province or governing body where event is held.
  15. Contestants must always have full footwear on while on stage and during pre-judging. This is for the health and safety of Contestants, judges, and attendees.
  16. Full footwear is described in this case as anything that completely covers the bottom of a contestant’s foot with some variety of solid sole.
  17. Models: Contestants may model a Cosplay made by another individual. The original creator of said costume must be present during the entire judging process. Cosplay must adhere to all rules. Creators can enter only one cosplay per event.
  18. Prejudging:
  19. All entrants must take part in prejudging the day of the contest.
  20. Either an EVENT representative or event staff will notify contestant during sign-up of their designated time slot for Prejudging.
  21. Each event will have a finite amount of time slots available. Please note the communicated times when sign-ups start, so you can sign up before all slots are filled.
  22. All contestants are encouraged to arrive to pre-judging five minutes before their scheduled time slot. All members of a group must be present for the full length of prejudging during your allotted time slot. If a group, cosplay, model, or creator is more than one minute late for their assigned prejudging slot, they will be considered disqualified.
  23. Contestant must arrive to prejudging in cosplay they are competing with at their designated time of pre-judging. Failure to arrive at prejudging in your completed cosplay will result in disqualification, or loss of points due to incomplete costume.
  24. All accepted entrants may bring a “Build Book” Documenting their cosplays. This build book can be printed, or handmade.
  25. Each contestant will be given three minutes for Pre-judging. Any contestant attempting to distract, disrupt, or request more time with the judges during prejudging will be disqualified.
  26. During Prejudging, a contestant’s cosplay is scored by the following: Craftsmanship, Technique, Accuracy and Originality.
  27. All questions must be answered truthfully to the best of the Contestant and collaborator’s knowledge at the time of pre-judging. Any information found to be incorrect due to misleading the judges will be met with disqualification.
  28. Stage presentation: Entrants are not required to prepare a stage presentation or performance. However, contestant is expected to prepare a series or poses or movements to showcase their cosplay on stage.
  29. Each entrant will be on stage for a minimum of one minute, and no more than two minutes.
  30. Presentations must be suitable for a family audience
  31. Entrants will be provided music. No music is allowed to be submitted.
  32. All Props must comply with rule six above. In addition, any projectiles, pyrotechnics, or items that can be “shot” from any cosplay or props is prohibited.
  33. Any smoke or item that dissipates must be completely cleared from stage within the time allotted for each presentation. Any materials that are left on stage after the two-minute mark will be subject to disqualification of the offending cosplayer.
  34. Judges, venue, security and event staff reserve the right to interrupt any performance due to safety reasons.
  35. Terms and Conditions of entry: By entering CONTEST you agree to follow the following:
  36. All selected entrants are responsible for all expenses related to competing in the contest, including all admission to event, food, lodging and travel to and from the event venue. This includes costs associated with construction of cosplays entered.
  37. All entrants must have a badge valid for the day of the event where the contest and pre-judging are held. No vendor, sponsor, or guest badge will be allowed to enter. CONTEST does not charge for entry to its contests.
  38. Entrants are responsible for their own belongings. CONTEST or event promoters unable to provide a secure area for personal items.
  39. Judges decisions are final without appeal.
  40. The safety of the audience, staff, and other participants must not be compromised. Any projectile, flame, explosion, water (physical or chemical) or liquid must be assessed by Contest judges and event staff before it is used on stage. If you are using a chemical outside of water, you must provide Event staff with an applicable SDS sheet for all chemicals used in this way.
  41. Each entrant grants to Promoter, its employees, agents, and assignees, the absolute and irrevocable right and permission to photograph, film, reproduce, portray and/or otherwise exploit the name, voice, appearance, photograph, image and/or likeness of such entrant in the Competition (collectively, "Likeness"), and to use the results and proceeds, without limitation, in materials produced by the Promoter in all media, in perpetuity. Entrant hereby waives any claim to compensation for use of such Likeness. Entrant agrees that Management owns the images, and all rights related to them. The images may be used by the Promoter in any manner or media without notifying the Entrant, such as the CONTEST website, publications, promotions, broadcasts, advertisements, and posters, for advertising or other related purposes. Entrant waives any right to inspect or approve the finished images or any printed or electronic matter that may be used with them.
  42. By accepting a prize, each winner agrees to release and hold harmless Promoter and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies, and prize suppliers (if any), and each of their respective parent companies and each such company’s officers, directors, employees and agents, from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the CONTEST or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.
  43. Promoter reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify CONTEST or any part of it, if any fraud or technical failures or any other factor beyond Promoter’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the CONTEST, as determined by Promoter in its sole discretion.
  44. Event promo and CONTEST staff reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of CONTEST or to be acting in violation of the Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. This includes any tampering or damaging another entrant’s cosplay in a malicious manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the CONTEST may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and should such an attempt be made, Promoter reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Promoter’s failure to enforce any term of these Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.
  45. Limitation of Liability: Promoter or CONTEST Staff is not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, typographical errors, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in event; (2) technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or CONTEST; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of CONTEST or the processing of entries; or (5) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from an entrant’s participation in the CONTEST or receipt or use or misuse of any prize (provided always that Promoter or its employees or contractors are not negligent in any way in relation to such injury or damage). If, for any reason, an entrant’s entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, that entrant’s sole remedy is another entry in CONTEST, if feasible. If CONTEST, or any part of it, is discontinued for any reason, Promoter, in its sole discretion, may elect to hold a random draw from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance for the prize(s) offered herein.
  46. In the event of any dispute arising, these Rules are to be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the country where the contest takes place.