Cosplay Contest

Read below to learn about our Cosplay Contest. This event takes place Saturday only, and $600 in cash prizes are available - don't miss out!

The Basics

The Cosplay Contest takes place on Saturday at 2:30 PM. Signups take place at the VIP Check-In Table between Main Events and the Guest Hall (see map). Entering the contest is FREE; signups are limited. Omaha Pop Expo and Omaha Potter Faire staff, contractors, guests, vendors, and artists are ineligible for prizes, as are the immediate families members of staff and contractors. Signup slots are limited to ensure sufficient time for prejudging; signups are first come, first served.

Categories and Prizes

Five different categories are awarded prizes at Omaha Pop Expo. Please note that costumes eligible for craftsmanship prizes must be entirely made by the cosplay contestant or their declared team. Purchased costumes, whether store-bought or commissioned, are only eligible for the Performance category. Some items are exempt from this rule, including footwear, wigs, and items such as pouches or similar items often available as military surplus and used to enhance costumes.

Best In Show

$250 cash prize, award certificate

Master's Division

$150 cash prize, award certificate

Intermediate Division

$100 cash prize, award certificate

Novice Division

$50 cash prize, award certificate

Performance Division

$50 cash prize, award certificate

Rules

Eligibility – In order to qualify for prizes, contestants must be present and on time for both pre-judging and the cosplay contest. Exceptions will not be granted. Staff, contractors, guests, vendors, and artists are ineligible to enter the contest or win prizes. The immediate family and romantic partners of staff, contractors, and cosplay judges are also ineligible. The total number of sign-ups will be limited, entries are a received on a first-come, first-served basis, and all contestants must sign up in advance on the day of the contest in order to qualify for awards.
Workmanship – Each entry is judged for its overall appearance and the skill with which it was crafted. Costumes must be crafted, heavily altered, or otherwise show the application of skill in order to be eligible to compete. Purchased, thrifted, or alternatively sourced costumes and parts of costumes are not eligible, except for the Performance category. Groups or teams of up to four (4) may enter; all must qualify within the skill level at which they wish to compete. Cosplay modeling is not allowed outside the Performance division, and all work must be that of the contestant(s) entering. Contestants are not expected to produce their own footwear or wigs; other purchased items, such as military surplus pouches and similar “accent items” are generally allowed, so long as they do not constitute a significant portion of the costume’s appearance; judges will make the final call.
Divisions – While contestants will sign up for the category they believe they are best suited for, the cosplay contest judges maintain the right to assign each contestant to the division they believe appropriate to the contestant’s skill level. This is done in order to ensure fairness; a Master’s level costume cannot compete against Novices, etc. Any decision to move a contestant to a different category is a practical decision to maintain fairness, and is never intended to demean or harm a contestant.
Minors – Contestants 18 years of age or younger must be accompanied by an adult parent or guardian.
Helpers – Individual contestants may be accompanied by an assistant of their choice, at all times except for their time on stage, if applicable. Contestants with disabilities may be accompanied at all times by an individual or individuals tasked to assist them with services related to disability, including during their time on stage, if applicable.
Group Rules – A given contestant may enter either individually or as a member of a group. Entering as a member of a group disqualifies the contestant from receiving individual prizes. A single member must be designated upon signup to receive the certificate and cash prize. It is strongly recommended that all group members be of the same approximate skill level; the group will compete at the level of the most skilled member, as decided by the cosplay judges.
Audio – Contestants who wish to have specific audio played during their performance must bring their audio file(s) on a standard USB drive, in MP3 format. No audio editing equipment or software will be available on site, and all audio must be fully prepared in advance. Audio files cannot be received by email, airdrop, or any other method. Audio will be copied and drives immediately returned to contestants. Each contestant or group may use one hand-held wireless microphone during their performance, if needed. Body-worn microphones or additional hand-held microphones will not be available.
Performance Code of Conduct – The standard Code of Conduct for our event applies to your time on stage. Lewd or inappropriate performances will result in disqualification. Cursing or displaying offensive words or symbols is prohibitied and will result in disqualification.
Performance Length – Performance must be at least 30 seconds long, and may not exceed 150 seconds (2.5 minutes). Excessively long performances will be interrupted. If your performance is interrupted, you will not be disqualified unless you refuse to leave the stage when asked.
Sandbagging – If your costume has received a Best In Show award at another event, it is disqualified from our competition. Divisional wins, including Masters, do not disqualify you or your costume, unless the same costume has won three or more such awards. Judge’s Choice or Honorable Mention awards do not count toward this number. Costumes which have previously won any award at Omaha Pop Expo or the Omaha Potter Faire are ineligible for prizes.
Safety – Dangerous items of any kind are prohibited. This includes but is not limited to drones, pyrotechnics, and projectiles. Jumping off the stage, or using roller skates, skateboards, hoverboards, or any other type of wheeled conveyance is prohibited. Roughhousing, even as part of a performance, is prohibited. Aerosol sprays, live animals, and any substances which could do damage or soil the stage, including food or glitter, are not permitted. Please do not do anything which could endanger yourself or others.
Disqualification – Our judges maintain the right to remove, disqualify, or revoke any entry at any time on the basis of taste, dangerous behavior, code of conduct violations, or any other reason they deem sufficient.
Abstention – If a judge has a prior relationship with a contestant who is still qualified to compete (such as a former romantic partner, a co-worker or friend, etc.) that judge is expected to abstain from judging that contestant. When this happens, the contestant’s final score will be the average of the remaining judges.
Judgment – All prizes are awarded based on the assessment of the cosplay judges. This is an inherently subjective process, and prize awards are at the sole discretion of the judges. There is no appeals process. If you disagree with the results, please do not make rude or harassing statements towards the winners or judges.
Withholding Prizes – In the event that the judges receive no entries or insufficient entries for a given category, they may, at their sole discretion, choose not to award a prize for that category. The Best In Show prize must always be awarded.