Cosplay Contest Registration

Attention all sci-fi fans and lovers of all different fandom genres! We are excited to announce the brand new event for all of you to celebrate your love of all things nerdy and geeky! It’s been a year since the last StarFest, but the wait is over as we present to you a new home for all your fandom needs at the Denver Marriott Tech Center. GalactiCon. An event by fans, for fans. Join us for an unforgettable experience filled with celebrity guests from your favorite shows and movies, a dealers room full of the stuff you love, panels, comics artists and authors, literary discussions, kids activities, Cosplay, Fantasy, Star Trek, Star Wars, video gaming, board gaming, and much more! Mark your calendars for Thanksgiving weekend and bring your family or escape from them, and while you’re at it, get your Black Friday shopping done, support local businesses on Small Business Saturday, and finish your holiday shopping all in one place! Don’t miss out on the chance to celebrate your love of all things sci-fi and geeky at the new home for the ultimate sci-fi convention. You’ve been to the stars…now explore the galaxy! At GalactiCon.

The Cosplay Contest is all about our costumers enjoying the chance to put on a great show. We welcome cosplayers & costumers of every skill level and style to take the stage. Costumes may be (but are not limited to!) original designs, reimaginings, interpretations, or reproductions. Their source material may be literature, history, theatre, film, animation, comics, music, toys, fandom, or even the galaxy of your own imagination.

  Not sure if you're ready for a whole cosplay contest? Try the Costume Catwalk!

• Show off your costume on stage with no pressure, pre-registration not required, and no problems! The Costume Catwalk is a non-competitive exhibition during the Cosplay Contest intermission. 
• Purchased, commissioned, and (in the future) previous GalactiCon Cosplay Award Winners are welcome to join in the fun!
• Costume Catwalk participants will queue near Cosplay HQ after the competitive portion of the Costume Contest & while the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony proceeds.
• For more info on-site, please visit Cosplay HQ during Cosplay Registration Hours.

Contest & Stage Rules  

• All entrants must possess a Saturday or Weekend pass to participate.
• Costumes, props, presentations, and/or documentation may not contain or display elements that disparage, harass, or attack any person, gender, gender presentation, pronoun choice, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, national origin, language, culture, religion, age, or affiliation.
• Costumes must adhere to local decency laws. In practical terms, this means “bikini areas” must be covered at all times for all genders. Footwear is required on convention premises.
• No real weapons (including but not limited to firearms), even if you have a permit or a license, are permitted on convention premises. No live steel, projectiles, or realistic-appearing firearms. No liquids, aerosols, silly string, or projectile foam.
• Props resembling futuristic or fantasy weapons, boffers, or oversize objects are allowed provided they are not handled in a careless, threatening, or destructive manner against persons or property.
• No throwing objects off stage. No jumping off the stage. Use designated stage entrances & exits only.
• Presentation time is limited to 90 seconds per entry (larger groups may request additional time).

Violating any of the Contest & Stage Rules may result in disqualification from the cosplay contest and possibly expulsion from the convention itself.   Skill Divisions

Competition with one's peers is the cornerstone of fairness. Cosplay Contest entrants are divided into competition Skill Divisions to ensure that both beginning and experienced costumers have a reasonably equal chance to win awards.

 

• The Youth Division is a non-competitive division for attendees 12 years old and younger who participate in the design and construction of their own costumes. The Youth Division typically opens the show!
• The Novice Division exists to encourage people who are new to costuming and Cosplay Contests to compete. This might be your first cosplay contest; this might be your 5-6th and you’ve won 1 or 2 awards in Novice. You might have between 0-5 years of experience costuming, depending on how you craft.
• The Journeyman Division is for costumers who may have won awards in the Novice Division, but who feel they are not yet ready to compete in the Master Division. You may have mastered (a few of) the basics (or dabbled in many!), developing your style and strengths, and may have more costumes or competition under your belt (the one you made, hehehehe).
• The Master Division is open to any costumer who wishes to enter. Experienced costumers and cosplayers may seek new challenges in this Division or deeply dive into their favored skillset! Stage, film, and dance costuming professionals who hold membership in a union or guild are welcome in this Division only.

 

If you need more guidance regarding your Skill Division, please contact the Cosplay Contest Director, Beverly Warner, at cosplay@galacticondenver.com.

 

Presentation Guidelines  

• Presentation (on-stage) time is limited to 90 seconds per entry. Larger groups may request additional time for presentation at the discretion of the Director.
• We strongly encourage entrants to supply prerecorded audio, including dialogue, sound effects, and/or music. All prerecorded audio will be screened.
• All dialogue must be prerecorded; live mics will not be available.
• Preferred format is a single-track MP3, edited for your presentation of 90 seconds or less.
• If you do not have your own audio, we’ll provide!