Can I Enter? What Awards Can I Win?
How Do I Enter?
What Do I Do Once I’m There?
What Will You Do With My Information?
What Happens During The Competition?
I Want To Perform A Skit Onstage! What Do I Need To Know?
I’m Going To Bring Prop Weapons! Will They Be Allowed Inside?
How Will I Be Judged?
Who’s Running This Competition? How Can I Contact Them?
Anything Else I Need To Know?

Can I Enter? What Awards Can I Win?

The SMASH! Cosplay Competition is open to any person at the event who is wearing a costume of an Anime, Manga or Japanese Game background. Some exceptions are made for other Japanese Cultural costumes (such as bands).

You do not need to have made your own costume to participate in the competition but it will affect the awards that you will be allowed to win. Any individual that predominately makes their own costume will be eligible to win the Best Costume. Groups that predominately make their own costumes are eligible for the Best Group award.

All entries that perform a skit, regardless of whether they made their costume or not will be eligible to win the Best Skit award.

All entries will have an opportunity to show the judges their work during marshalling and discuss with them the creative process of developing their outfit.

Individuals who did not make their costumes and do not perform skits will not be eligible to win any prizes but are more than welcome to participate in the event.

No matter what you’re doing, if you’re wearing a costume, you should be able to come up and have fun on stage!

How Do I Enter?

Entering the competition is simple!

You can register online between June 1st and July 10th on the SMASH! website. Simply fill out the form after reading all these rules and let us know all about you, your costume, your character and if relevant, your skit. We will also need you to provide an image of the character/s you and/or your group are cosplaying. Then turn up on the day to the Cosplay Desk before 12:00pm to confirm your entry so we know that you’re here.

If you can’t register online before the convention for one reason or another we understand. Just come by the Cosplay Desk before 12:00pm at the convention and we can register you then and there as long as there are still places available.

We have a maximum of 55 entries in the competition (a whole group counts as one entry). If we fill up all the spaces online, we may not be able to guarantee you entry on the day. We strongly recommend that you sign up online.

What Will You Do With My Information?

When completing your registration, you will be asked to provide certain personal details, such as your name and contact number. This information will only be used for the SMASH! Cosplay Competition 2010, in the instance that we will be required to contact you. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

What Do I Do Once I’m There?

If you register online please confirm your registration at the Cosplay Desk before 12:00pm. All entrants will need to show up in costume and ready to go at 1:00pm beside main stage for marshalling so that we can get you lined up and allow the judges an opportunity to talk to you before the competition. If you are late to marshalling you may be disqualified from the competition.

What Happens During The Competition?

Once you’ve been lined up before the competition, the process is pretty simple. Every group/individual will be lead up to the stage in order. When it gets to your turn the host will announce you and welcome you to the stage.

If you have prepared a skit then the skit will start as you described in your entry forms. After your skit, the host will engage you in some questions about your costume and your character. Once they’ve finished they will invite you to move to the front of the stage to pose for photos. Then when you are ready or when directed you will exit the stage.

The competition goes until 4:00pm, so please be prepared to stay until then.

I Want To Perform A Skit Onstage! What Do I Need To Know?

Skits are performances that you and/or your group do in cosplay on stage during the competition. They can either be done “live” where you would use microphones to speak and perform with or “pre-precorded” where all the speech and music would be prepared in advance and recorded on a CD. This means that your performance is mimed and will not need microphones.

All performances must go no longer than 3 minutes. If they go any longer your skit will be interrupted and cut short. No one likes being stopped before they’re done so take the time to make sure you know how long your performance will be.

If you pre-recorded your skit, make sure you hand it in when you confirm your registration on the day at the Cosplay Desk before 12:00pm. Your skit MUST be on a USB or CD and it must be contained in one file or track. We will only accept audio files in mp3 format and video files in avi, wmv or mp4 containers. The file or track must also be named the same as your entry in the competition.

If you are providing a file to be played make sure you inform the staff when the file is to be played when registering or we will not know when to start it.

When working on your skit please be aware that SMASH! is a PG event and as such your performance must be appropriate for a family audience. If you need confirmation on whether any element of your skit would be inappropriate please contact the Cosplay staff.

I’m Going To Bring Prop Weapons! Will They Be Allowed Inside?

We’re all for cool looking weapons and props but we do have some rules that need to be followed on what you can bring to SMASH!

SMASH! reserves the right to judge any weapon as dangerous or inappropriate and will ask you to have that weapon stored with the Cosplay staff until the Cosplay Competition. If you do not agree, you will not be allowed to enter the premises.

We will do our best to check your weapons when you enter the venue, however if we later deem your weapon to be dangerous or inappropriate, you will be required to follow the direction of staff and have the weapon cloaked.

Any weapon that is deemed harmless can obtain proof from the cosplay staff at the Cosplay Desk if they feel that they need it.

Below are some examples of weapons and props that will not be allowed at SMASH! under any circumstances:

• Skates, roller-blades, skateboards or any other similar wheeled item.
• Bladed or edged weapons, or live steel of any kind such as knives, swords, axes, martial arts equipment, etc.
• Liquid dispensing weapons. If you need to use hairspray or aerosol cans please do so outside.
• Incendiaries or anything that produces a live flame, explosion or spark.
• Anything that shoots a projectile (this includes realistic and plastic guns).
• Long props such as poles or pointed items, which might accidentally cause injury.
• Props that are over one metre in length.
• Chains that can be used as a weapon.

Alternative material for props, such as: balsa wood, cardboard or plastic will be allowed, but should still be shown to cosplay staff upon registration.

Some items may be held by the staff until the competition, but SMASH! does not guarantee that any item judged to be unsafe will be allowed to be carried in the venue or at the competition at all.

How Will I Be Judged?

Cosplayers will be judged under these categories:

• Best Cosplay (and runner-up): Best overall construction and finish of a costume made by a male or female competitor.
• Best Group (and runner-up): The group with the best construction, finish, and accuracy to characters, as a whole.
• Best Skit (and runner-up): The best presented sketch. The judges will be considering the clarity of the performance, that it doesn’t breach the outlined skit rules, and how entertaining it is for the audience and themselves.
• Judges’ Choice Award: This is a special award presented to the Cosplayer who leaves the greatest impression on the Judges. This could be any entrant in the Cosplay Competition and could be awarded for any part of your costume.

Prizes will be announced after the Cosplay Competition at the Awards ceremony. Judges are not to be disturbed during this period. If it is believed that you are trying to influence the decision of the judges, your entry will be withdrawn from the competition.

Who’s Running This Competition? How Can I Contact Them?

The Cosplay Competition is run by the Cosplay Team and Volunteers. They are there to make the competition as fun and fair for everyone as possible. Feel free to ask them any questions you have. If there are any complaints or problems with the competition please consult the Cosplay Coordinator. Abusive language or actions towards the convention staff will not be tolerated.

If you have any issues with these rules and guidelines or any enquiries please contact the SMASH! Cosplay Team at least a week prior to the convention. This is to ensure we have time to reply and make any changes required. When contacting the Cosplay Team, please use a suitable subject heading (such as ‘Cosplay skit inquiry’) so that we don’t miss your email and know exactly which area it relates to. Contact our Cosplay Team at: cosplay@smash.org.au

Any concerns of mismanagement, unfairness, corruption, cheating or other issues that involve the staff, judges or participants of the SMASH! Cosplay Competition are to be sent to: events@smash.org.au

Anything Else I Need To Know?

If necessary, SMASH! may alter the rules at any time. We will let you know of any major changes.

Staff and volunteers may enter the Cosplay Competition, however they are not eligible to win any prizes. They must seek permission from the Event Manager in advance in writing.

Guests, artists or vendors may not enter the competition for the purpose of advertising or promoting their own work or merchandise.

We encourage all entrants to try their best and partake in friendly competition. Please support each other, especially those who are new to cosplay.