COSPLAY-EH! CANADA COSPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP!™

SELECTION RULES

GENERAL RULES :

By entering Cosplay-Eh! Canada Cosplay Championship™ Selections, individuals confirm having read, understood, and agreed to the rules of the contest.

The REPRESENTATIVES

Contestants must be of age of majority in their respective province or territory and must be a Canadian citizen or otherwise considered a resident of Canada.

Entries are limited to a maximum of two people (solo entries are also permitted).

The selected representatives from each host event must be available to travel to Montreal Comiccon in July 2026 to participate in the Final.

Contestants must have a valid entry ticket to the hosting event to participate in the Selections.

Cosplay-Eh! staff and host event staff reserve the right to refuse entry or participation to anyone for any reason. Contestants may be disqualified for not following the rules or any other behavior deemed inappropriate by staff or event organizers.

Participants may be photographed or filmed during the contest. By entering, participants agree to the use of their likeness for promotional purposes.

Cosplay-Eh! makes every effort to be inclusive to all participants. Should a rule or requirement to impede accessibility, please contact the contest director to inquire.

Masquerade directors and Selections staff/volunteers cannot register in a Selection for which they are staff/volunteers.

HOW TO APPLY FOR SELECTIONS

Registration will take place on the specified date only via online forms available on the Cosplay-Eh! Canadian Cosplay Championship webpage.
Applicants must be available on the dates of the Selections they wish to participate in.
For Selections winners from previous years, please respect a waiting period equivalent to 1 year before being participating again. A Final winner must respect a waiting period equivalent to 2 years before being able to compete again.
The costume should be at least 50% complete at the time of registration.
Portfolio / Buildbook
- Applicants will have to provide reference pictures of the cosplay.
  - Preferably one or more full body pictures, overview from head to toe, but also as many angles as possible to judge existing details (hidden parts, symbols, shoes, jewellery, etc.). Pictures with a view of the back of the costume and props are appreciated by judges. These pictures will have to be the same version of the character you cosplay (same colours, proportions, details, etc.) Be sure to provide good quality images (large size, good resolution). Do not neglect the quality of your images.
  - Please share the files with Dropbox or Google Drive
- Applicants will have to provide “Work in Progress” photos of the costume that will be presented during the Selection.
  - At least a dozen photos of the cosplay project progress – Spotlight the most important parts of your costume.
  - At least one photo of the cosplay project being worn or on a mannequin.
  - Note that photo editing is prohibited.
  - Please share the files with Dropbox or Google Drive
- Applicants will have to submit a video, from different angles, of the costume that will be presented during the Selection (if possible, the costume being worn or on a mannequin)
  - Note that video editing is prohibited.
  - Please share the files with Dropbox or Google Drive
- Applicants must provide a description of the performance they plan to present during the Selections.
- Applicants must provide 3 photos of 3 previous cosplays

SELECTIONS CONDITIONS

Only complete registrations will be considered by the selection panel.
Organisation members will keep you informed of the status of your registration, especially in case of difficulty preventing its finalisation.
You will receive the results by email no later than 1 week before the scheduled Selections.
The best applications will be picked for the selections.
The selection criteria are as follows:
- The quality of the costume
- The planned performance elements

If you are selected, you will need to:

Complete the performance & props form (audio file, script, props information) before the specified date.
Please share all your files with Dropbox or Google Drive (please review file permissions before sending):
Pictures of the character(s):one or several high-quality pictures of the character representing the character from head to toe. Pictures with a view of the back of the costume and props are appreciated by judges. Please note that these should not photos of you but images of the cosplayed character(s).
3 photos of 3 previous cosplays(for the announcements/introduction videos) with photo credits (high quality and preferably in landscape format)
Audio file :
- Format: MP3 or WAV only
- Bitrate: 256 ko/s min
- Restrictions: normalised sound (no saturation, no sudden changes of volume), audible dialogues (sufficient quality, no music that covers the dialogues), no vulgar, hateful, or discriminatory remarks and language.
- The audio file should be cut to respect the authorised time slot.
- Preferably copyright-free music
  - Please note: the use of licensed images, music or sounds during performances may make it impossible for Cosplay-Eh! or the Selections organisers to post a performance online afterwards. The organisers of the competitions or events cannot be held responsible for any difficulties arising from a participant’s use of an item that is not free of copyright.
- Only props declared in the registration form will be allowed on stage.

Divisions

1^st place
Runner-up

JUDGING

Judges

The panel will consist of 3 judges and may include – but is not limited to – Cosplay-Eh! finalists and guests. The judges for the Selections are decided by the respective events that host them.

Prejudging

The selectees will meet the judges for prejudging and should be ready 30 minutes before their turn. Failure to be on time may result in disqualification.

Selectees will attend the prejudging in their full costume and with their hand-held props. Each contestant has an allotted judging time of 10 minutes. Selectees should be prepared to spend about half the allotted time presenting their costumes to the judges. The judges will then ask questions.

During the prejudging, judges may ask questions about the construction of the costume. They may also touch the costume, with permission from the contestant. Judges may document, record, and photograph the costumes for use in their deliberations. The judges may post the material publicly only after asking and receiving permission from the contestant.

Portfolio / build book

Selectees will be required to submit a digital portfolio ahead of the contest. No material on paper will be accepted. Reference material should be provided during registration. Please see the Registration section for additional details.

Performance

The performances will be judged live during the show. Judges will score all contestants after their performance; their points are hidden from other judges. After the last entry, judges will deliberate with each other about performances and adjust their scores if needed (the points awarded by each judge are still secret). After the total scores have been finalized, the highest score will determine the winner.

Tie Breaker

If there is a tie for first or runner-up places, the Cosplay-Eh! representative or masquerade director will determine the ultimate result.

POINTS

Contestants will be judged on their workmanship, performance and the overall likeness to the character.

Workmanship: 40 points

- How the costume is constructed, the quality of the visible workmanship and execution of techniques.
  - Stage props, décor and stage accessories will not be judged for workmanship.
- Attention to details, proportions, fit, mobility.
- Choice of materials, fabric and techniques.

Performance: 40 points

- Content: Is the performance easily understandable, how is the arc of the performance handled, how well it represents and suits the source material and character.
  - Parody is allowed and will be judged on how cleverly it parodies the source material and character.
- Stage presentation: Use of sound effects, music, stage and stage props or accessories.
  - Stage props will not be subject to prejudging, but the visual impact and how they are used to either further the story or create atmosphere is included in stage presentation.
  - Lighting and video will not be subject to judging.
- Stage expression: how the contestant acts out their performance with their body and their face
  - Assistants (or ninjas) will not be permitted during the presentation. They can however help in setting up the stage ahead of an entry.

Likeness: 20 points

- How well the contestant embodies the spirit of the character through their costume and performance.

PERFORMANCE

Length

Each contestant must prepare a performance which should be between 90 (1:30MIN) and 150 (2:30MIN) seconds long. The time of the performance cannot be longer than 150 seconds and cannot be less than 90 seconds but can be of any length in between 90–150 seconds.

Stage

Contestants may use the following

- Music – playback of songs is allowed however lip-synch and dancing should not exceed 30 seconds of the performance (for example for Idol, Vocaloid or Love-Live type entries).
- Pre-recorded dialogue (please provide clean recordings without background noise; the quality of the recording can impact points for the performance).
- Sound recordings (file volume should be equalized between dialogue and music/sound effects.)
- Stage accessories / props (limited to 5 or maximum of 10kg total) and handheld props, such as swords or small items.

On Stage

- Stage setup/teardown time is limited to 30 seconds.
- The performance cannot be taken outside of the stage, e.g. to the area between stage and audience. Running off stage at the end of the performance is permitted.
- Stage props must be lightweight enough for 1-2 people to carry up on stage.
- Use of fire, water or scattering of items is prohibited. Contestants must leave the stage in the same condition as they found it.
- Contestants should be able to walk in their cosplay without outside assistance. Stage helpers can help contestants on to the stage in case of steps or steep surfaces.

All performances are subject to changes asked by the production if there is a concern for safety of the audience, crew or contestants. The production will review all performances after receiving all related files and will be contacting each contestant regarding their performance if required.

COSTUMES AND HAND-HELD ACCESSORIES/PROPS

Outside of official Cosplay-Eh! activities, costume and hand-held accessories/props are subject to the rules of the hosting event.

The Costume

Costumes must be constructed by the contestants themselves, and contestants are expected to be able to give an account of how all details of their costume were made. Store-bought and modified costumes are not allowed.

The costume may have participated in other costume competitions (except Cosplay-Eh! Selections and Final or costumes that have already won major awards at international-level competitions ie WCS, Polymanga, Art to Play etc…)

Contestants are allowed to compete in the Final with the same costume they qualified with, but not a costume they’ve participated with in an earlier edition of the Cosplay-Eh! Selections or Final.

Costumes must be finished on the day the contestant arrives at the venue. Repairs to any damage from travelling is allowed after arriving.

The Character

The character must be a fictional character from a published source. Published pictures of the character must exist for judges’ reference. Original designs and characters are not allowed.

It is recommended that the character is part of an established story/narrative with visual support. If a character is based only on an illustration, painting, written description or the likes and doesn’t have expressed visuals, backstory and/or personality, the judges will be limited in their assessment of the workmanship and/or performance.

Genderbend versions or gjinka/human versions of a character are not permitted if this representation of the character is not part of the original published source.

Accessories and Props

Realistic props or replica weapons are allowed only on stage and during official Cosplay-Eh! activities. They must be kept hidden or stored safely in areas designated by event staff during all other times. When carried to and from stage and photoshoots, such props should be kept covered and sealed safely.

All accessories and props are subject to the hosting event’s Weapons & Accessories policies.

If in doubt, please inquire with Cosplay-Eh! ahead of registering.