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!”
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 Cosplay 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. To be eligible to enter, your costume should be 75% crafted by you. If you have any questions about what that means for your costume, please reach out to [email protected].
At this time, online registration is CLOSED. We will have a limited number of at-con signups. See the Blerdcon help desk on the Independence level to pick up a form and sign up for your judging slot in person.
We have divisions of competition this year! Read on to see what division you should choose:
- Youth: NEW!! Blerdcon’s Kids Cosplay Contest, hosted by Violette Verse! Kids age 13 and younger, this contest is for you! We’ll have prizes for 3rd, 2nd and 1st place as well as Best in Show. Any and all kids are welcome to enter, whether you made your costume or not. Our judges are Afrococopuffs, Dono from Do You Speak Geek podcast, and Lamar from Nova Labs. You can win some super cool prizes sponsored by Ultimate Wireless, Nova Labs and Tosche Station.
- Novice: Are you a total newbie to costume crafting and/or competition? Then the Novice category is for you. This division is for those who have won less than 3 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 in other craftsmanship contests. Select the Journeyman category if you’ve won at least 3 major prizes as a Novice, but less than 6 as a Journeyman.
- Master: The best of the best. This category is for you if you’ve won at least 6 major craftsmanship prizes. If you are a professional cosplayer who earns at least half of their income through commissions, you are considered a Master.
Do you feel like 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 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 eligible competitors may 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 2024 | $500 cash prize | Trophy