Cosplay competition

We want to keep the participation treshold low. You can participate in the competition with a closet cosplay, but you must have at least something self made in the costume for it to be valid. The most important criteria for judging are the recognisability of the character, the lifelikeness and the inventiveness of the costume.

Register in the competition and send any possible inquiries to mericon@rauma.fi.

All contestants will be photographed. During the photoshoot you will be asked for your consent on whether the pictures can be posted, for example, on social media and in the photo gallery on Mericon’s website. If you’re under the age of 13, a guardian’s consent is also required. Please provide a permission slip with your guardian’s consent when you arrive at the event.

Competition rules

The competition will be open for the first 10 registered participants. Everyone competes in the same series, so there are no beginner or experienced series.

You can participate with an Asian or Western character, which could very well be from anime, manga, games or even movies, as long as you have reference images of the character. Well known alternative versions, such as Madness of Duke venomania (Gakupo) or Evil Food Eater Conchita (MEIKO) are also accepted.

While applying, include the character’s name, the source of said character and your own name/social media username. Please also include two pictures for reference: a full body and a closeup of the character.

There will be a preliminary judging, so please bring your outfit with all the details. You don’t have to fully create the costume yourself – ingenuity is encouraged! However, the costume must have at least some self-made parts (this includes, for example, modifying a wig). The costume can’t be one you’ve already placed with before. This also applies to costumes that have received an honourable mention. If you have competed with a costume in the past but have not placed, you may enter the competition with the costume again.

Do not take props that are larger than you or hyper realistic ones. Prop means an accessory that’s usually handheld, such as weapons of different kinds, magic wands etc. More in-detail standards for props are listed in the rules.

The competition is an individual competition, so you can’t enter with a partner. On your turn, you can say a few words about the character, why you chose them specifically and do a couple poses. After registration, you’ll receive an email with your competition number and time when you’ll be judged. When you arrive at the convention, sign in at the marked registration point, where you will receive both the number and more detailed instructions about the flow of the day.

The judging takes about 10 minutes, after which you’ll get photographed. Don ote, that tha photographer is also one of the judges who will judge the characterisation, among other things, so it pays to immerse yourself in the character! At the end of the competition you will receive a diploma to commemorate your participation.