Cosplay contest

It is necessary to register for the cosplay contest in advance, no later than 2^nd September 2022. By application we understand buying a ticket online for the entire con and filling up the registration form.

We require submitting the following materials for the contest:

• name of the character you are cosplaying, including !!! pictures of the model !!!
• information about the costume (material, creation procedures, own creation, etc.)
• pictures of your work-in-progress costume (so that we know you are working on it) !!! Your costume doesn’t need to be finished before Blavicon !!!
• ideally a draft of your sketch, a work-in-progress idea, etc. during the registration
• submit your finished stage sketch by Monday, September 5, (the script, stage layout, props). After this deadline, you won’t be able to change anything.

During the registration, we will be in contact with you. Should we discover a problem, we will let you know.

For the contest, it is necessary for the costume to be finished, complete, allow movement and could be displayed in all its beauty at the festival, including the best possible display on the stage. Should you have any questions, please contact us at cosplay@blavicon.cz.

Special benefits for the contestants

Every contestant who gets to the public round will have the following at Blavicon:

• a changing room, where you can store your costume
• showers in the main building upon agreement

Cosplayers are of course not obliged to use these benefits if they don’t want to.

This year, the contest will take place on spot only

• If there are less than 20 applicants, all of them automatically move on (except for the disqualified ones).
• If the number of applicants exceed the maximum number, there will be a preliminary round during Friday before the contest (details to be provided). On Friday, the jury will select applicants who will get to go to the stage on Saturday.
• The contestants have to present their own sketch within 2 minutes (it can be longer upon agreement, or shorter). The sketch is an integral part of the evaluation, so it should be original, interesting and entertaining. The whole stage will be available to you, as well as microphones and background music of your own choice. You are limited only by your own imagination, but you need to have your sketch approved by the organizers by September 5, 2022, at the latest.
• It is necessary for the contestants to register at the event on Friday, September 9, at 7 PM as cosplay contestants (no need to have the costume on you at this time). Should there be any problem with the time, you need to notify us about this (should the preliminary round be needed, this point will be detailed out). Cosplayers who fail to register will be eliminated from the contest.
• The main round will have two parts:
  • The first part will be non-public in front of the jury on Saturday, September 10, at 10:00 AM. Each contestant will be assigned an exact time, so that they don’t have to wait for when they are next in line. The jury will evaluate the cosplay at this time and ask the contestant some questions about the cosplay. Right after the evaluation, the contestants will go to the stage for a quick audio rehearsal.
  • The second part will take place on Saturday at 1:30 PM on the main stage in front of the jury and the audience.

After all cosplayers’ performances, there will be a 30-minute pause filled with another programme. The jury will only meet again in case of a draw. After that, we will announce the winners, who will accept valuable prizes in these categories: The Main Cosplay Contest Winner, The Best Costume Award, The Best Performance, the people’s choice and the organizers’ choice.

Cosplay contest rules

• contestants must be 15 or older to attend; contestants under 18 years must have a signed consent from their parents or legal guardians
• individuals or groups may apply (3 members tops); groups will be evaluated as a single contestant
• completely store-bought costumes are not forbidden, but not welcome either; this fact will definitely influence the jury’s assessment
• winners from previous years (in any category) are forbidden to compete in the same costume
• judges from previous years are forbidden to compete in the same costume there had been invited to judge in
• all realistic weapons such as swords, daggers, etc. are FORBIDDEN to use OUTSIDE the performance
• disgraceful costumes or those going against moral and ethical standards are not allowed; the organizer and the jury reserve the right to eliminate such a costume from the contest
• costumes or any characters exclusively from the world of The Witcher are allowed, be it from the book saga, TV series or the videogame adaptation – it is necessary to submit a picture, an image or a screenshot of said character
• contestants must be able to move freely in the costume and to enter the stage by themselves
• during the main round of the contest, contestants may perform any performance including their choreography, background music, monologue or any other element
• for the purpose of the contest, the costume is required to be complete – it is not allowed to put additional parts of the costume or fix broken parts in front of the audience
• each contestants is allowed 2 minutes tops for their performance
• by attending, all contestants give the organizer permission to take pictures of them during the entire con
• using liquids, sparkles or fire is not allowed; however, it is possible to make an exception after consulting in person
• Contestants can use anyone for their sketch, apart from other contestants (for example: contesting Triss acts a sketch with non-contesting Geralt and Yennefer)

As a new thing, the jury will award points in several categories. They will evaluate the costume during the private demonstration in the first, non-public part, and then they will evaluate the on-stage sketch. The winners of main prizes will be determined by the sum of these points. Only in case of a draw, the winner will be determined by the jury. The contest will be evaluated in the following categories:

The costume

• Own creation – handcrafted parts of the costume, creation procedures, know-how (0-5 points)
• Quality – materials used and handling, the overall lookcostume durability, realistic feel (0-10 points)
• Detail and creativity – detailed production, reference comparison and own invention (interesting and fresh way of production), wear and tear (0-10 points)
• Overall appearance – general impression, functionality, execution, etc. (0-5 points)

The sketch

• Idea and creativity – overall evaluation of the idea for the sketch, use of props, visual impression (0-5 points)
• Script – the structure of the performance, story quality, etc. (0-10 points)
• Acting performance – roleplay, character impersonation, use of accent, foreign language, etc. (0-10 points)
• Captivation – overall evaluation of the sketch from the viewer’s point of view (0-5 points)