Cosplay Contest Application

Blerdcon celebrates cosplay of all kinds, and the annual Cosplay Contest is your chance to show your stuff. We have new divisions, new prizes, and more cosplay to celebrate. And one talented cosplayer will be chosen as Blerdcon’s “Black Cosplayer of the Year!” Choose between the Craftsmanship Contest if you made your cosplay, and the Cosplay Fashion Walk if the “play” part of cosplay speaks to you! We even have a contest for kids (18 and under). Read below for all the details!

Craftsmanship Contest

Have you spent untold hours planning, sewing, gluing, 3D printing, crafting and embellishing your cosplay? Want to show off your hard work (but maybe not your hot glue burns)? Blerdcon’s Craftsmanship Contest is for you! Sign up to present your costume in front of a panel of judges who will flip your seams, check your EVA foam armor build, ask questions about how you made your cosplay and give you a chance to explain what cool techniques you used. A physical build book containing photographs of your cosplay process is not required, but will help your score. To be eligible to enter, your costume should be at least 75% crafted by you. If you have any questions about what that means for your costume, please reach out to [email protected].

Note: A cosplay that you won a major award with (i.e., Best Novice, Best of Weekend) at a previous contest is not permitted to enter the Craftsmanship Contest.

We have the following divisions of competition:

• Novice: Are you a newbie to costume crafting and/or competition? Then the Novice division is for you. This division is for those who have won less than 2 Novice craftsmanship awards at any other anime/comic convention.
• Journeyman: You’re a bit more seasoned, and you’ve proven yourself by winning a few awards. Select the Journeyman division if you’ve won at least 2 major prizes as a Novice, but less than 4 as a Journeyman.
• Master: The best of the best. Select this division if you’ve won at least 5 major craftsmanship prizes, or if you have extensive costuming experience. This category is also for professional cosplayers who earn at least half of their income through commissions.

We welcome you to participate in the Cosplay Fashion Walk, taking place in Saturday evening’s Cosplay Contest, but it is not mandatory.

Do you represent the black cosplay community in a positive and empowering way? Apply to be selected as Blerdcon’s Black Cosplayer of the Year! Please write a brief summary on your application form explaining why we should consider you for this prestigious title. The Black Cosplayer of the Year will be chosen among eligible craftsmanship competitors to be a cosplay guest for next year’s Blerdcon. You will also be sponsored and go on to represent and promote yourself and your work at other local conventions. You must be available to travel to designated cons throughout the calendar year until the next Blerdcon and to be present at your booth and/or Blerdcon’s booth.

All qualified competitors are eligible to win the following prizes:

• Best Novice: $100 cash prize | Trophy
• Best Journeyman: $200 cash prize | Trophy
• Best Master: $300 cash prize | Trophy
• Black Cosplayer of the Year: Special sponsorship by Blerdcon | Guest cosplay slot for Blerdcon 2025 | $500 cash prize | Trophy

Applications are now closed. No additional applications will be accepted.