Cosplay Runway Competition

The Cosplay Runway Competition is for cosplayers who wish to flex their sewing and crafting skills. In this competition, contestants take the stage in-character and strike a pose!

The Cosplay Runway Competition will be held on Friday, August 9th. The exact time will be announced soon. Here you’ll find the rules and sign-up form.

It is now possible to sign up for the Cosplay Runway Competition! You’ll be notified by our Cosplay team if your sign-up has been received successfully. We look forward to seeing you on our Main Stage!

Sign up now for the Cosplay Runway Competition!

General Competition Rules

  • You must have a valid Abunai! 2024 ticket to enter this competition.
  • Signing up does not guarantee participation in the competition.
  • All runway themes are acceptable, except for the following: original characters, unofficial (fan) art, gijinka and personal interpretations (i.e. genderbends).
  • You may enter the competition by yourself or in a group consisting of max. 3 people.
  • Your runway walk cannot be longer than 30 seconds.
  • You can dance or perform show elements in your runway walk.
  • Your entire costume (clothes, props and accessories) must be at least 80% handmade. 20% of your entire costume may be store-bought (for example, shoes and wigs). Our staff will inform you if your entire costume meets this requirement. Tools to create costumes, such as patterns, are not included in this ratio.
  • If you made a costume together with a partner, you must name your co-creator in the sign-up form field ‘co-creator’. Your co-creator must be present at the pre-judging.
  • Costumes with inappropriate elements and/or nudity will be rejected outright.
  • Our staff will provide you with a workbook document for you to fill in.
  • You must provide us with the following items in order to compete:
    • Audio lasting 30 seconds with a music fade-out.
    • A background picture for your runway walk.
  • If you have a medical condition which prevents you from meeting certain criteria, please contact us.

Dates & Deadlines

  • The sign-up form closes on July 20th. You need to fill in the sign-up form before July 20th. 
  • You need to send all required files by July 25th.
  • You will receive a definite go/no-go to enter the competition on the 28th of July.
  • We will inform you of the rehearsal time by the 1st of August.
  • If you cancel your act after the 5th of August without a legitimate reason, you cannot take part in the competition in the following year.

Audio-Visual Material Rules

  • We do not allow AI-generated content.
  • Your audio-visual material must be related to your act.
  • Your audio-visual material may not contain vulgar language or language otherwise not suitable for minors
  • Your audio-visual material may not contain nudity and/or other content not suitable for minors
  • The following combinations of audio-visual material are accepted:
    • Video with embedded audio.
    • Audio only (by default, the background will be that year’s Abunai! logo).
    • A still (non-moving) image with separate audio.
    • A self-made video with changing images, with or without embedded audio.

Audio File Rules

  • Audio is mandatory. Audio may last 30 seconds max. and must include a fade out.
  • For audio, we only accept MP3 files.
  • Audio files must be of good quality.
  • Compressed bit rate for MP3 must be at least 128 kb/s.
  • If your audio includes inappropriate language, you may censor the audio with *beeps* or *honks*.
  • We play the audio file as is. If you need a certain timing for your act, you must edit the file yourself.

Video File Rules

  • Video is not mandatory.
  • For video, we only accept the following file formats: AVI or mp4.
  • We recommend the following video resolution: 1280x720p or 1920x1080p. Other resolutions will be accepted but we cannot guarantee they can be displayed in their full quality.
  • All video files must include five seconds of black screen at the end.

Image File Rules

  • Images are not mandatory.
  • The following file formats are accepted: JPG, JPEG, PNG.
  • The image size must be at least 1280×720, we recommend at least 1920×1080. Enlarged, blurry images will not be accepted.
  • If you wish to use multiple images, you must submit these as a video file.

 

At the Convention: Rules and Important Information

Before the competition, pre-judging will take place. At the pre-judging, you must show the judges your costume and how you’ve made your costume. You must be able to show your progress pictures. Failing to appear at the pre-judging will result in immediate disqualification.

Before the competition, rehearsal will take place. The rehearsal is not for you to rehearse your act, but for the technical crew to rehearse the show. We do not accept new audio-visual material or other such requests during the rehearsal. Please bring your most recent files to the rehearsal.

All contestants must be present backstage 30 minutes before the competition is scheduled to start. You are not allowed to leave before the show starts. If there are delays, you are still required to be present.

The order in which the acts perform is decided by Abunai! staff and not open to discussion.
Judging results are final and not open to discussion.

By taking part in this competition, you grant us the right to photograph and record your performance. This material may be used for promotional purposes, with all rights reserved to us.

You are free to let someone in the audience take your picture or film you. However, they must remain seated and not bother other audience members by blocking their view.

(These rules are subject to change)