Welcome to the Eko Anime Fest 2023 Costume & Cosplay Contest!
Applications is opened. All applications will be submitted on before 5/12/2022.
Here are some basic tenets to maintain as safe and enjoyable an environment as possible for everyone at the convention.
Overall Guidelines
First things first, please read all the rules and guidelines completely. The three most important things you need to know are:
Competition cosplay must be from anime or Japanese culture or heavily influenced by it. “Anime” is in the name of our convention, so, you know, it’s kinda important.
It is crucial that you read these guidelines. If you don’t, you may miss vital information and could lose your spot in the contest, or find yourself disqualified when you arrive at the convention.
These are certainly the most pressing matters you’ll encounter as you prepare for our cosplay competition, and they are explained in greater detail below. In fact, we will try to answer as many questions as we could anticipate, Chances are good that this will have addressed your particular issue, or at least pointed you in the right direction. If you are still unclear, though, please feel free to contact us management@ekoanimefestival.com and we will do what we can to help.
WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY…
Really, we’re all here because we love cosplay, so be kind and have fun. Almost every rule can be summed up by the following: Be considerate of others. Inappropriate pressuring of the staff and/or judges will not be tolerated and may result in expulsion from the contest. If there is an issue such as bullying, harassment, unwanted physical contact, or any other inappropriate behavior, please bring it to the attention of security or the Cosplay area head. The EAF staff take your safety seriously and strive to offer our guests and attendees the best experience possible.
WHO CAN ENTER, AND HOW DO I REGISTER?
The competition is open to all attendees of Eko Anime Fest. You can register for the competition by clicking on the link below. If there are any time slots unoccupied, they will be made available at the convention itself. We have categories..
Best Craftsmanship
Best Skit
Best Design
Crowd Favorite
Once you have apply for the competition online, you will be contacted on a first come, first serve basis to pick your desired time slot for Panels to judge.
General Rules for the Competition
You must be a registered EAF attendee in order to compete. Each member of your group must have a badge, pass, or other form of attendee membership.
Contestants under the age of 18 need a parent or legal guardian present at the cosplay competition to sign a waiver in order for that contestant compete in the cosplay contest.
All costumes must cover “swimsuit areas” – no nudity. Body-paint costumes are not eligible for craftsmanship.
The contest is open to characters from published works; related to Anime, Manga and J-music or culture and mythology. Rule breakers will be disqualified.
EAF adheres to the “PG‐13 rule” when it comes to language and hand gestures on stage. Violation of this rule may cause you to be disqualified from the competition.
During the contest enter and exit the stage at the designated points only. There will be a wheelchair-accessible ramp for contestants. Costumes must be handled by the contestant or by handler(s) the contestant brings to help. Handlers are required to be registered attendees of the convention, and EAF might not be able to provide on-stage assistants.
Contestants are not allowed to throw anything off the stage, nor use projectiles or use anything on stage that will leave a mess. This includes (but is not limited to) liquids, glitter and confetti. If you have a question about something you want to do, feel free to send an email with “Costume Contestant Question” as the subject. All participants are encouraged to keep at least one foot on the stage at all times.
No pyrotechnics, fire, explosive devices, live animals or similar special effects can be used during the competition; this includes smoke/smog machines and flash powder. Anyone who violates this rule may be disqualified from the competition and be asked to leave the convention area depending on the severity of the incursion. All prop weapons must conform to the EAF prop policies, including being checked.
Children (age 12 and below, see Children’s Cosplay Competition for more details) who need a parent to accompany them on stage will need to compete in the Children’s Costume Competition instead of the main stage Costume Contest. However, parent/child teams are allowed to compete in the main stage competition together.
All contestants must be in the room where the pre‐meet will occur no later than 1:00pm. EAF reserves the right to turn away any contest entry it deems inappropriate or not in compliance with the rules.
PLANNING AHEAD
Be flexible. Things happen, and they are not always in our control. The best way to combat this is to come prepared:
Bring everything you need with you to the Green Room.
Have all weapons properly checked and banded before your judging time. If you have any particularly large props or weapons, you can check them in at Cosplay Daycare. Basically, we will have you sign a waiver and leave them in the back of the judging room on Saturday and pick them up when it becomes Green Room. As with all things in life, there is no 100% guarantee as to their safety, but the room will be occupied continuously by Cosplay staff, and it’s still safer than lugging an oversized claymore through the hallways.
Give yourself extra time to get to judging and Green Room. People will want to take your picture. Bask in it.
If you miss your time, we may be able to squeeze you in, but no guarantees. Likewise, it is your responsibility to arrive at Green Room with at least a half hour cushion to get you into you correct division and line order. If you arrive after the order is set, you might have to skip your turn on stage.
Any recorded music, effects, or dialogue must be submitted for approval as soon as possible.
If you do have tech (sound or light) cues, you will be asked to make note of this on your application, and will be put in contact with our tech team before the con to complete a contest tech needs form. It is important that you complete the tech needs form, if applicable, and stay in contact with our tech team. Otherwise, this decreases your chances of your onstage experience going as smoothly as you might like.
Make sure to bring a handler if you need one!
If you are running late or need to step out of the contest altogether, please, please, PLEASE contact the Cosplay staff immediately. Details will be provided closer to the con. This allows us to open up judging slots, and is a courtesy to the judges and your fellow cosplayers. If you do not contact us, you may be placed on the waiting list in future years instead of being granted a judging time, no matter how early you register.
PRIZES
The winners will receive a cash prize. (Who doesn’t like cash?)
The winners of each category will receive 5,000 Naira
The Winner will receive 60,000 Naira
Runner Up will receive 40,000 Naira