HOW IT WORKS:

The Cosplay Duo category is a combined craftsmanship and performance contest where two cosplayers enter as a pair!

To begin with you will have a pre-judging where our experienced judges get to take a closer look and ask you about the process of crafting your costumes. You then take to the stage for a chance to wow both the judges and our (very hyped and supportive!) audience with a short performance.

On this page you will find detailed information about every step of this process. There is a lot of info, so please read everything carefully, and if anything is unclear or you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact us at cosplay@banzaicon.no

WHO CAN ENTER:

The following regulations apply in the Cosplay Duo Category:

• The costumes must be based on an existing fictional character, in an outfit taken either directly from the source material or officially released artwork/reference images. This means no original designs or designs based on unofficial artwork (fanart).

• The costumes must be at least 50% self-made by the contestants. Contestants may divide this workload between themselves as they wish.

• The costumes, as a pair, can not have been previously used to qualify for or compete in an international championship.

If you are uncertain if any of these regulations apply to your costumes, please email us at cosplay@banzaicon.no.

SIGNING UP:

All signups for this contest must go through the signup form linked bellow.

There are a total of 10 spaces available. To avoid a rush once signup opens, we will accept all signups within the first 24 hours and, if this exceeds the limit, do a random draw. If the contest is not full within 24 hours remaining spaces will be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis. This means that if the form is still open after 24 hours, you can simply sign up and your spot is secured!

All signups close at 23.59 on the 22nd of September.

Once the signup-form is sent in you should receive an email confirmation immediately. Those signing up within the first 24 hours will receive an email on the evening of the 13th of August letting you know if you got a spot or, if not, asking if you would like to be put on the waiting list.

You will then, after a short while, receive another email with further into as well as instructions on how to send in your tech-info and reference pictures. Please check your spam filter if either of these do not arrive.

Please note that the deadline for our tech-info, including your finished audio/video file, is also on September 22nd. If you do not send this on time you will not be able to participate in the contest. This means that if you sign up at last minute you must be ready to send your audiovisuals as soon as you receive our email.

SIGN UP HERE!

WHAT TO PREPARE:

To compete in the master category, you will need to prepare the following:

• 3-10 detailed reference images (.jpeg or .png format) of the characters you are cosplaying, in the outfit you are making. Ideally these should be from different angles and/or focusing on different details. If your costumes only have one piece of official artwork/photo available, we recommend including detail shots focusing on various parts of the designs.

• An audio file in mp3 format OR a video file in mp4 format, of no more than 4 minutes in length.
  Even if you just want a still image background it should be in a video along with your music/audio. We do not accept separate image/video and audio files! Please also keep in mind that your media will be played on very powerfull speakers, which means good audio quality is important!

• Instructions for how you want the light during your performance. An example of the correct format for this will be provided in the tech-info form. Our tech-crew will do their outmost to accomodate all your wishes and instructions, but as we have a large amount of performances during the con, we ask that you keep it simple.

• Information on the number and type of microphones (headset or hand-held) you need, if any.

• Information about any large stage props you intend to bring, as well as any chairs or tables you wish to borrow from us.

The emailed tech-info form will go into further detail on these points, so while you should give it some thought you do not need to have any of this ready when filling in the signup form.

INFO-MEETING, TECH-TALK & STAGE WALK:

On Friday night there will be an info meeting for all participants in the Classic, Master and Duo contests. To attend, please go to the Contest Meetup-point. This will be marked on our venue map, or you can ask at the info-stand. You do not need to be in costume for this. The exact time for this meeting will be announced here and emailed to all contestants closer to the event.

At the meeting we will go through all relevant information, answer questions and make sure you feel safe and informed about the day ahead. After the meeting, you will be able to have quick chat with our tech crew to make sure we’ve got everything right with your audiovisual and light cues, and also with our stagehand-team who will be helping you handle and place your props.

Lastly, during this time the main stage will be available for you to test, as well as organize and store any stage-props backstage, and otherwise prepare for your show. Due to the large number of performances at the con we are sadly unable to run full technical rehearsals, but we hope this time can help you feel secure in your placements and movement on our stage. Note that, as some performances (and performers) require more stage-prep than others, we have elected not to assign specific timeslots, and we trust you to share the space fairly.

PRE-JUDGING:

Costume pre-judging will take place on Saturday morning . After the signup deadline we will email you a schedule with individual judging times so you won’t have to wait too long. The lists will also be available at the info stand. It is your own responsibility to check the lists and make sure you are on time for your pre-judging. If you are not on time we cannot guarantee you will have time for judging, in which case you may be disqualified from the contest. As the convention opens at 11, contestants and their assistants will be allowed early entry to the venue on Saturday (from 09.30). Please make your way to the contest meetup spot, or to the info-stand if you're uncertain where to go.

As a duo you go into prejudging together, and have a total of 7 minutes with the judges, where they get to take a closer look at your costumes and you can tell them a little bit about your process in crafting them. If you are uncertain of how this works, it will be covered in more detail at the info meeting. Please remember that our judges are very excited to be there and get to see your cosplay, and they are there to hype you up, not tear you down! If you are unsure of what to say or how to proceed in prejudging, they are there to help you out! You are also very welcome to reach out to our cosplay coordinator beforehand for advice.

ON STAGE

You will receive an email detailing when and where to meet for your performance.

Your show must be between 1 and 4 minutes in length. The format and content, including the choice and use of audio, video, microphones and light design (within reasonable limits) is entirely up to you.

In addition to the chairs and tables available to use at our venue, you may bring your own stage props, provided they are not too big or heavy to be easily stored backstage or carried by our stagehands. As a rule, any single prop element should be able to be safely carried on and off stage by two people. If you are uncertain if your prop fits this requirement, please email us.

You are allowed to use an assistant on stage, however in the duo category this can only be as a “stage ninja” to help operate stage props or other practical support. Your assistant may not play a supporting character role of any kind.

THE FOLLOWING RULES APPLY TO YOUR PERFORMANCE:

• We are a family friendly con. Innuendo is allowed, full on coarse sexual language or content is not. Email us if unsure!

• Do not bring anything on stage that cannot be easily taken out again (such as liquids, glitter or confetti).

• No pyrotechnics or fire of any kind. Smoke effects may be allowed as long as you consult our contest coordinator beforehand.

• You may not throw anything off the stage, either into the audience or to the side. Exceptions may be made for small/light items provided you aks and receive permission from our contest coordinator.

• Props that are in violation of con rules may be used for the pre-judging and show, provided they are handed back to security or brought off the premises afterwards. This does NOT include functional firearms or sharp metal blades!

Breaking any of these rules may result in docked points or, depending on severity, disqualification from the contest. If you are in any kind of doubt if your plan is permissible, please email us!

JUDGING CRITERIA

We strive to select a talented and experienced panel of judges, whose skills cover the widest possible range within both craftsmanship and performance. On every judges panel there will be at minimum one Norwegian, in order to avoid issues with language barriers, as well as to ensure knowledge of local contest norms and customs.

Your costume craftsmanship will account for 40% of your overall score, while your performance counts for 60%. The duo will at all points be considered a team, with the quality of both costumes and the stagecraft of both participants counted equally.

We would like to note that cosplay judging, due to the large variety in costumes and shows presented, is a highly subjective process. The list below should therefore be treated not as a list of requirements, but as a guideline for understanding the judging process.

NB!
Banzaicon loves and respects the artists in our community, and the ones making the media we all love. We support their stance against generative AI. While we have no way to reliably screen for its use, we strongly discourage contestants from using it in any way for your costumes or performances, including audio and backgrounds. Provable use of generative AI will result in docked points or disqualification, depending on circumstances.

The judges will look for the following:

COSTUME

• The overall look and cohesiveness of the costume
  (Proportions, fit, material choices, colours, textures etc.)

• The level of difficulty
  (The amount, variation and complexity of costume elements and techniques)

• The quality and cleanliness of the craftsmanship

• Accuracy
  (How closely it follows the original design provided in the reference images)

• Attention to detail

Factors like height, weight, body type and skin colour do not count towards the accuracy score. Likewise, a contestant will never be penalized for making health-related choices, such as wearing/not wearing glasses or contacts, or not wearing high heels for those unable to do so. Banzaicon does not allow the use of blackface/brownface, and you will not be penalized for not darkening your skin to match the character!

PERFORMANCE

• Quality and creativity in performance-crafting
  (Overall concept, storytelling, originality, emotional impact/entertainment value)

• Portrayal of the character
  (Stage presence, movement and acting, including voice acting when applicable)

• Choreography/Blocking
  (Utilizing the stage to the greatest effect for your show, complexity and execution of any featured skill)

• Complimentary use of audiovisual components*
  (Choice and quality of soundtracks, speech, video, light design etc.)

• Complimentary use of props & stage props

*Please note that the use of audiovisual elements and stage props are not mandatory. Rather, the judges will consider to what extent the choice of whether and how you incorporate these contributes to the overall quality and impact of your show.

Stageprops are not judged for craftsmanship, but how their appearance contributes to your show may affect your score.

PRIZE CEREMONY

The final results will be announced at our closing show on Sunday. We hope all contestants will be available to receive their prizes and applause in person, but if you have to leave earlier do not worry, we will make sure they make their way to you.

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In the signup form you will be asked for a code word, to confirm that you have seen and understood this info. The code word is (wait for it): Legendary