Tyler Comic Con is proud to present the Cosplay Contests for 2019!
Adult (13+) Contest:
Saturday November 2 at 6:30pm in Panel Room #1 (Hall 3) of the Harvey Convention Center
**Contestants must be lined up by 6pm
Adult Contest Sign-Ups:
Saturday November 2 from 10am – 6pm at the Heroic Inner Kids Zone in Hall 2
Kids (12 and under) Contest:
Sunday November 3 at 2pm in Panel Room #1 (Hall 3) of the Harvey Convention Center
** Contestants must be lined up by 1:45PM
Kids Contest Sign-Ups:
Sunday November 3 from 10am – 1:30pm at the Heroic Inner Kids Zone in Hall 2
Cosplay Contest Rules
- Awards will be provided for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winning contestants, as well as Judge’s Choice. All winners will be determined by the judging panel. All decisions by the judging panel are final.
- All Cosplay Contest participants must be registered attendees of the convention.
- Cosplay Contest participants will be required to sign a liability release and a release for use of video and photo images.
- Tyler Comic Con staff members are not eligible to win in any main ranking, though they can earn judge’s choice. *Volunteers are not staff.
- All applications must be submitted during the sign-up times. Applications will be available at the Heroic Inner Kids Zone. THERE ARE NO ONLINE APPLICATIONS.The first 75 adult applicants and the first 25 children applicants will be eligible to compete in the contest.
- Check-in for the stage show is 6pm on Saturday for adults and 1:45pm on Sunday for kids. All contestants are to line-up in order based on their Contestant Number, assigned during sign-up, by that time.
- Once contestants are lined up, judges may choose to ask questions to contestants as a form of pre-judging. All contestants must be lined up to be eligible to win any place in the contest. Contestants are required to stay lined up until the contest begins.
- Contestants can only appear on stage one time, as either an Individual or as part of a Group. Due to the unpredictable size of groups, a prize for each member cannot be guaranteed.
- All contestants should remain on stage for a minimum of 30 seconds and a maximum of 2 minutes to allow the judges the time needed to complete their judging.
- Tyler Comic Con is a family-friendly environment and this event is rated PG-13. This means:
- --No blatant nudity or adult related content. No costume is no costume.
- --No profanity allowed on stage. That includes messages on signs or clothes.
- --No political or religious statements while on stage.
- --Anyone who violates the PG-13 rating will be disqualified from the competition.
- All prop weapons must conform to the Tyler Comic Con Weapons Policy. This means:
- --All weapons must be non-working and peace bonded.
- --No projectiles are allowed. Nothing must leave your person while you are on the stage, including and not limited to: water, silly-string, foam darts, Ping-Pong balls, glitter, etc.
- --Bladed weapons must be cased or sheathed at all times.
- --Anyone who violates this rule may be disqualified from the competition and may be asked to leave the convention area.
- Illegal weapons of any kind are not allowed.
- Entries with electric power requirements need to be self-contained. There will be no access to electrical outlets on stage.
- Entries needing audio or music requirements need to be self-contained. There will be no access to audio outputs as part of the contest. Contestants may request to use the microphone, at the discretion of the staff and emcee.
- Entries that could potentially damage the facilities, other participants, or the wearer will not be allowed, including:
- --Live animals
- --Substances which might damage or soil
- --Aerosol sprays
- --Projectiles of any kind.
- --Pyrotechnics, including but not limited to: fire, flash powder, explosives, smoke bombs or fireworks.
- Large elaborate costumes must be handled by the contestant and/or assistants the contestant brings to help. Tyler Comic Con will not be able to provide assistants.
Tyler Comic Con staff have the right to remove any contestant from the competition on the basis of taste, danger to the venue or attendees, violation of any of the above rules, or any other reason deemed sufficient.
Recommendations
- Be open with the Cosplay Judges if they ask you a question during line up. This is your chance to impress them! Questions asked by the judges are intended to help them understand your character/costume/performance.
- Surprise the audience, not the staff. If you are planning something completely different, let us know well in advance. All information will be held in the strictest confidence.
- Youth participants (ages 12 and under) can be accompanied by a parent/guardian (they must have a Tyler Comic Con badge) as needed.
- Remember to relax and have fun!
Tyler Comic Con Weapons Policy
Prop weapons used as part of a costume are allowed with restrictions. You are expected to act responsibly with your weapon. If you decide to carry a weapon, by attending you accept any legal and financial responsibility for damage your weapon may cause to persons or property.
- All weapons must be checked by security and have a red zip tie
- All weapons must be non-working and peace bonded.
- No functioning projectile weapons – including but not limited to bows, crossbows, water pistols, silly-string guns, dart or Ping-Pong pistols, BB guns and pellet guns are allowed.
- Bladed weapons must be cased or sheathed at all times.
- No clowning around or showing off in the common areas.
- Any weapon used in an offensive manner will be confiscated.
Anyone who violates these rules may be asked to leave Tyler Comic Con. We expect you to use good judgment; with your help, we can continue to prop weapons at future events.