The NYCC Eastern Championships of Cosplay is a celebration of all pop culture. It is a craftsmanship award show with a pre-judging session and a stage display. All entries must represent a character or element from the pop culture realm within one of the following 5 categories:

Comic Books - Examples include: Superman, Spider-Man, Poison Ivy, Dr. Doom, Rogue
Movies & Television - Examples include: Darth Vader, The Doctor, Rick Grimes, The Terminator, Daenerys Targaryen
Video Games - Examples include: Master Chief, Sarah Kerrigan, Booker DeWitt, Lara Croft, Link, Samus Aran
Anime & Manga - Examples include: Ichigo Kurosaki, Mikasa Ackerman, Sheryl Nome, Captain Harlock, Eva-01
Fantasy – Examples include: Witches, Princesses, Zombies, Pirates, Vampires, Steampunk
Each entrant will submit an application to be reviewed by the NYCC team - entrants may only enter one costume into the competition. If approved, those contestants will be contacted by the NYCC team advancing on to the competition stage of the NYCC Eastern Championships of Cosplay. Contestants will be judged solely on the quality and craftsmanship of their costumes. No store bought costumes will be eligible to enter.

Selected contestants will be pre-judged for craftsmanship at NYCC off stage and then battle it out on the Main Stage for first place in their respective categories. Those first place winners will then move on to the Final round to win cash prizes and ultimate bragging rights as the NYCC Eastern Champion of Cosplay.

Contestants will provide NYCC with a brief costume description for the emcee to read as they cross the stage and exhibit two to three poses before exiting. No speaking or individualization of music is allowed as pre-selected music will play throughout the event. The time limit per participant on stage is approximately one minute.

Space in the NYCC Eastern Championships of Cosplay is limited and entry will be based on each applicant’s form and picture. There are no group entries allowed.

The Prizes
Category Awards:
Prizes will be awarded based on judge rankings in each of the following categories: Comic Books, Movie & Television, Video Games, Anime & Manga, Fantasy. Please note: these are the categories currently planned, but NYCC reserves the right to adjust the categories based on entries received.

Best in Category:
A winner will be selected from each category based upon the judges’ score in that category.

Eastern Championship:
The winners from each category will compete in the final round. The overall Eastern Championship will be awarded to the costume that is considered to be the “Best in Show” based on the scores given by the judges. Every category is eligible for this award.

Prize Structure:
First Place/Best in Show
Two (2) VIP Tickets for C2E2 2015
$1500 Cash
Airfare – within the continental U.S. to C2E2 2015
Hotel for two (2) nights in Chicago for C2E2 2015
Automatic Entry into the final round of the Crown Championships of Cosplay at C2E2 2015
$100 Gift Card to ReedPOP Supply Co.
Second Place
Two (2) VIP Tickets for NYCC 2015
$1000 Cash
$50 Gift Card for ReedPOP Supply Co.
Third Place
Two (2) 4-Day Tickets for NYCC 2015
$500 Cash
$25 Gift Card to ReedPOP Supply Co.
Medals for top 3 in each category
Swag bag for all contestants

Check out the official rules here.