Competitive Cosplay

Added

Welcome to my introduction to competitive cosplay!

This entry is the first in a series on competitive cosplay, explaining what competitions are, why you would enter, and what to expect. Following entries in this series will cover individual competitions, rules and entry processes!

I am an avid follower of cosplay competitions and have previously represented in World Cosplay Summit, Clara Cow’s Cosplay Cup and European Cosplay Gathering. I am also an experienced judge.

Many of the competitions included here are hosted internationally, but there may be some cultural differences from the UK. If you are interested in learning more about how to get involved, read on!

Continue reading “Competitive Cosplay”

WCS: Last-Minute Advice

Added

World Cosplay Summit 2014 starts this weekend in Japan, and most teams will be flying out mid week! It’s a terrifying and exciting time if you’re taking part in the competition, so I figured I’d put together some last-minute advice for anyone taking part and is having a bit of a panic.

When I arrived last year there were a lot of things we were missing and locating them in Japan is tricky, so it’s easiest to make sure you’re well prepared!

Continue reading “WCS: Last-Minute Advice”

Cosplay Progress Books

Added

I finished my progress book for Madoka Kaname yesterday and while I was getting critique, one of international cosplay friends commented that they had never seen one before. In the UK they’re quite common now to go with competitions; most major competitions (including both European Cosplay Gathering and World Cosplay Summit qualifiers) now require progress books, and many local competitions encourage you to submit one too.

I think they’re a great little momento for cosplayers to make and keep, especially for bigger costume projects! Most events will give you your books back so it’s a nice keepsake and chronicle of how you made your costume and they’re great if you want to share them and show your construction to others.

My first progress book was for Eiko Carol, which was very well received by the judges. It was a lot of fun designing it to match my costume.

 

Mog’s Journal

 

Continue reading “Cosplay Progress Books”

So YOU Want To Enter WCS?

Added

So. The UK Preliminaries for World Cosplay Summit are approaching fast, and in under less than 5 weeks next year’s UK representatives will be chosen!

As one of this year’s representatives I highly recommend and encourage anyone who is interested in competing to enter – it’s an amazing experience and a fun-filled trip in Nagoya with some of the most amazing, talented cosplayers you’ll ever meet! No matter how long you’ve been into the hobby or what your reason to enter may be, as long as you’re enthusiastic enough about cosplay to go for it it’s worth giving it a try. The great thing about WCS is that everyone is there for the same reason: their love of cosplay!

This post is a summary of advice I’m giving as a previous entrant, to show what you should expect from the competition itself. WCS is a huge contest, but a lot of entrants don’t know much about the competition until they get there – myself included! – so it’s worth giving some advice from my personal experiences, not only for future entrants from the UK, but for cosplayers across the world wanting to give it a go.

Continue reading “So YOU Want To Enter WCS?”