ABCU maintains skill and experience-based divisions in order to ensure that both novice and experienced cosplayers have a reasonably equal chance to win one of the big competitive awards given in the contest.
Anime Blues Cosplay University has developed the following guidelines to adhere to the International Costuming Guild’s guidelines for ensuring fair competition. By aligning with these established standards, we hope to make cosplayers of all skill levels feel more comfortable and welcome in our annual contest!
ABCU maintains skill and experience-based divisions in order to ensure that both novice and experienced cosplayers have a reasonably equal chance to win one of the big competitive awards given in the contest.
Any competitor may enter in the Master division
Minor awards may be counted towards placement at the discretion of the cosplayer.
A contestant who has competed and won in any division other than Novice in a cosplay competition may not enter in the Novice division.
A contestant who has won “Best in Show” or “Best Novice” in a cosplay competition may not enter in the Novice division.
A contestant who has won numerous major awards in the Novice division in a cosplay competition is encouraged to enter in the Journeyman division
Awards won at regional competitions may be counted towards division placement at the discretion of the cosplayers and the Director.
Minor awards may be counted towards placement at the discretion of the cosplayers.
A child wearing a costume designed and built entirely by an adult should be entered either in the adult’s appropriate skill division or entered as an exhibition (non-competitive) piece.
Children are considered 12 and younger for the sake of this competition.
Due to the various levels of craftsmanship skill and experience that may exist within a single group entry, ABCU does not maintain an major group award. It is possible for a group to win the major award “Best in Show” but for this condition to exist, every costume worn by the members of the group must have been made by at least one member of the group. Having one group member in a commissioned costume will make the group ineligible for any Major craftsmanship-based awards. However, it is possible for individual members within the group to win a major craftsmanship award.
ABCU maintains a category specifically for contestants who wish to participate in the contest but either cannot enter because their costume does not meet the criteria for entry into one of the skill-based divisions or if they simply do not want to go through the prejudging process. These competitors are ineligible for major awards but can win minor awards based on presentation during the Cosplay Contest at the judges’ discretion. Competitors who meet the following criteria cannot participate in any of the skill-based divisions:
The ABCU Cosplay Contest operates under the principle “Excellence Deserves Award”. What this means is that we want to recognize all instances of excellence in craftsmanship. If an entry shows merit, it should receive an award.
ABCU maintains two classes of awards: Major and Minor. Major awards affect future division placement. These awards are classified as “Best in Show” or “Best in Class.” Minor awards do not affect future division placement. They include any “runner-up,” Judge’s Choice, and non-Craftsmanship based awards.
ABCU currently maintains the following major awards:
This award is granted to competitors who have the overall highest aggregate score. Only skill-based entrants who have gone through the prejudging process are eligible for this award. Winning “Best in Show” will impact future division placement.
These awards are usually granted to competitors who have the highest aggregate score in their respective divisions, however; the contest judges retain the discretion to grant the “Best in Class” award to another competitor based on our “Excellence Deserves Award” principle. Only skill-based entrants who have gone through the prejudging process are eligible for this award. Winning a “Best in Class” award will impact future division placement.
This award is granted to outstanding craftsmanship in the Junior/Youth. While this award is designed to recognized a single outstanding youth contestant, all youth participants receive a certificate for participating in the contest. Winning this award will not affect future placement.
These awards are granted to competitors based on the “Excellence Deserves Award” principle. While contestants may not have necessarily achieved the highest aggregate score in their divisions, judges may choose to grant these award based on other criteria. All contest participants are eligible for minor awards, including Exhibition entries. Winning these awards will not effect future placement.
ABCU no longer maintains a fixed list of minor awards.
While it is ABCU’s policy to try to reach an amicable solution to any challenges during the Cosplay Contest, the department does maintain certain conditions in which a contestant may become disqualified, banned from future competitions, and escorted off of the convention floor.
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