Rules for cosplay competitions

These rules concern only participants in J-Popcon's two cosplay shows. They are not relevant for participants in cosplay catwalk, other cosplay related events or any other cosplaying participants at J-Popcon 2013.

If you wish to enter one of J-Popcon's cosplay shows, you must read and understand these rules before you sign up. Registrations that fail to meet the requirements outlined below will be rejected outright.

At the bottom of this page the specific rules for the international qualifications can be found. These must be followed by participants in the qualification round. Groups and soloists who participate in the international qualification round and only fulfill some of the requirements, will only be considered for some qualifications.

Performance

  • There is no upper limit on the number of participants in a group performance. Groups with more than six persons will need pre-approval from staff though.
  • An act may last at most 2 minutes and 30 seconds (150 seconds).
  • Preparation and cleanup of the stage may take at most 45 seconds. The 45 seconds covers both the cleanup from the previous act and the preparations for the coming act for two consecutive acts. You should only count on approximately 20-25 seconds for preparations and the same for cleanup.
  • Reactive chemicals and pyrotechnics (fire, sparks, et cetera) are not allowed. Write us and ask for permission if you are in doubt.
  • The stage must not be dirtied or made wet. Every part of your act must be easily removable when you leave the stage. This rule also applies to confetti, glitter and similar materials that must be swept up, if it cannot be done in 20 seconds or less.
  • You may not use the audience or the judges directly in your act or as part of your performance.
  • We encourage everyone to be original with every act and every participation. Re-enactments of your own or other's acts may lose you points in the judgement of your performance.

Sound

  • We strongly recommend that all sounds, music and speech be pre-recorded. By pre-recording your entire audio track ahead, you can review it, practice accurate timing of sound effects and edit it as needed. You also won't have to bother with mics during your preparations.
  • Recorded audio tracks must be uploaded through the cosplay show signup system in mp3 format. We do not accept other audio formats so make sure your audio track is saved in the right format.
  • Only one audio track may be uploaded per act and the track may not exceed 2 minutes and 30 seconds. So make sure that everything has been edited and mixed into a single track. We will not mix multiple tracks for you during your act due to quality assurance. So gather all audio in one and only one mp3 file.
  • We cannot guarantee available mics for everyone for groups with more than four participants.

Costumes

  • Costumes must fall under at least one of the following categories:
    • Official character designs from anime, manga, video games, comics or cartoons. This includes official artbooks et cetera.
    • Fanbased designs inspired by a given anime, manga, video game, comic or cartoon. Costumes from this category will need pre-approval from J-Popcon staff before your participation will be allowed. Reference image(s) of the characters (not your costumes) must be provided to ensure the recognisability of the costume.
    • Character designs from anime-, manga-, video game-, comic- or cartoon-based live action productions.
    • Illustrations from Japanese artists (e.g. Sakizo). Send us an e-mail if you are in doubt.
  • Reference image(s) of the characters (not your costumes) must be provided with the signup to ensure the recognisability of the costume.
  • Stage ninjas are allowed as part of cosplay groups for J-Popcon's competition and must be dressed to match the background if they are not hidden by props.

Props

  • All objects used in your act that are not a direct part of a costume is considered a prop. If it isn't physically attached to the costume or if it is detachable, it is a prop.
  • Each prop may weigh no more than 10 kg.
  • There's no way to plug into electricity on stage. Any prop requiring power must run on batteries. Remember to bring extra batteries.
  • Props larger than 150 cm on the longest side must be approved by staff before their use.

Weapons

  • The Danish Weapons possession act must be adhered to at all times.
  • Real weapons are not permitted. This is irregardless of whether the wielder holds a licence/permission to carry the weapon from the police or another Danish official authority. This includes, but isn't limited to: Guns and rifles, swords, bows, spears and knives. Even knives that can be carried legally in Denmark may not be used on stage.
  • Weapons with a realistic look and weapons made from metal must be approved by staff on the preparatory meeting. Please send us an email if there you are in doubt of your need for approval.

Miscellaneous

  • For J-Popcon's competition, all participants must be at least 16 years old on the day of the show they participate in.
  • For the qualifying round for international competitions, all participants must be at least 18 years old on the day of the show they participate in.
  • All participants under the age of 18 must hand in a written permission slip for participation with a signature from a parent or legal guardian. The permission slip must be in the hands of staff no later than the 15th of March 2013. This means the permission slip must be handed in to the staff on the friday of J-Popcon.
  • For participation in the qualifiying round for international competitions (WCS, ECG and EuroCosplay) an additional set of rules apply. In case of discrepancies between these and our regulations, the ruleset for the given international competition takes precedence. The rules for WCS, ECG and EuroCosplay are still in preparation and thus not available yet.
  • Every participating team must have at least one group member present at the preparatory cosplay meeting during J-Popcon. All soloists must be present at this meeting. Failure to show might result in your disqualification from the show.
  • A black backdrop, 2 meters tall and 1.75 meters wide with both types of velcro along its border will be provided for your act if you so desire. The backdrop must play a direct part in your act. You must have a reason for using it, such as cover for costume change or for decorations. The backdrop may be placed anywhere on stage and you will have an opportunity to test it during the rehearsal.
  • J-Popcon's cosplay shows are open to all our participants and all acts must be suitable for all ages.

 

Additional rules for the qualifying round

General

  • All participants must have Danish citizenship or permanent residence in Denmark.
  • All participants must be at least 18 years old.
  • Participants may not be affiliated with or a staffmember of the international competitions.

Performance

  • A solo performance must be no longer than 60 seconds. Groups have at most 2 minutes and 30 seconds (150 seconds).
  • EuroCosplay is purely a solo competition and only solo performers are taken into consideration for qualification.
  • ECG hosts both solo- and group disciplines. A group must consist of 2-3 persons.
  • WCS is solely for groups of 2 persons (duos).

Costumes

  • Costumes must be home made by the group or the soloist. Smaller props may be bought or made by others.
  • Fan based character design are not allowed for ECG and WCS qualifications.
  • For the ECG qualification, costumes from TV series and J-music bands are also allowed.
  • For the WCS qualification, costumes must be from a Japanese anime, manga or video game.

Specific qualifications

Questions should be directed to cosplay@j-popcon.dk

We reserve the right to make changes to the above rules.