Eligibility
All participants must have a Game on Expo credential valid for the day of the Next Level Masquerade (this includes Attendee, VIP, Media, Exhibitor, and other specialty credentials). The Cosplay Contest will take place on Saturday 01/16/2027.
Contestants under 18 need a parent or legal guardian present at the masquerade and during prejudging.
Registration and Pre-Judging
All registrations will be done online from the Game on Expo website or at (Application). Single and group entries may apply. Groups may not be larger than 5 people.
In order to be considered for the Next Level Masquerade, candidates must submit a photo of their costume at 85% complete, a reference photo, and their audio by Saturday 01/02/27. All media must be emailed to Ashleigh or uploaded to your google drive folder by midnight on that day.
Pre-Judging
Workmanship pre-judging will begin with a questionnaire provided to the contestant upon final acceptance into the contest. Questionnaires, submitted work in progress photos, and any other information submitted by the contestant (i.e. photos, videos, virtual build books) will be uploaded for judges to review. We encourage contestants to provide detailed close-up photos of all work including views of the work at different stages. This content will be weighed heavily in the judging process. In person pre-judging will take place on Saturday (01/16/2027) at the Phoenix Convention Center, the times and location will be communicated to the selected contestants. At this time, judges will view costumes again in person before the final stage of judging which is the stage performance.
Categories
Entries will be separated into four categories:
Novice – FIRST TIME CONTESTANTS WHO HAVE NEVER ENTERED A COSTUME CONTEST OR CONTESTANTS WHO HAVE ENTERED, BUT NOT WON AN AWARD AT ANY COSTUME CONTEST.
Journeyman – CONTESTANTS WHO HAVE WON ONE MAJOR AWARD WITH ANY COSTUME AT A COSPLAY/COSTUME CONTEST
Master – CONTESTANTS WHO HAVE WON TWO OR MORE MAJOR AWARDS WITH ANY COSTUME AT A COSPLAY/COSTUME CONTEST.
Youth – CONTESTANTS 15 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER
Any of the four category entries may be individuals or groups. GROUPS WILL BE JUDGED BASED ON THE MOST EXPERIENCED MEMBER OF THE ENTIRE GROUP, REGARDLESS OF CREATIVE INPUT. SO, IF THERE IS ONE MASTER LEVEL AND THREE NOVICE LEVEL PARTICIPANTS THE ENTRY WOULD BE JUDGED AS A MASTER LEVEL. GROUPS MAY NOT HAVE MORE THAN 5 MEMBERS.
Previously Used Costumes
Previously used costumes that have won any major awards (First, Second, Third, Best in Show) at any convention are entered into the Master category only.
Awards
Game on Expo reserves the right to modify prizes. The current list of awards include: Best in Show, Best in Performance, Best in Masters, Runner up Masters, Best in Journeyman, Runner up Journeyman, Best in Novice, Runner up Novice, Excellence awards (each judge will be able to give their own).
Pictures
Pictures will be taken during the performance portion of the judging process. These pictures may be used by GOE for promotion of future events and contests.
Genres
This is an open genre costume contest. Genres include, but are not limited to: Sci-Fi, Anime/Animation Comics/Manga, Fantasy, Novels, Steampunk, TV, Film, and Games.
Costume and Weapons Policy
All costumes must abide by the rules of the convention dress code and weapons policy as posted here: Cosplay Policy and Prop Policy.
No glitter, confetti, pyrotechnics, live flame, or smoke/fog generators of any kind are allowed in the convention center. LARGE PROPS THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL STORAGE, HAMPER MOVEMENT BEHIND THE STAGE OR IN THE GREEN ROOM, OR THAT CANNOT BE EASILY TRANSPORTED UP THE STAIRS ONTO THE STAGE ARE PROHIBITED.
No electrical power connections will be provided. If your costume requires power, it must be part of your costume.
Hand-Made Costumes Only
Fully purchased costumes are prohibited from entering the contest. However, exceptions can be made for costumes that contain pieces that are modified from their original design or purpose. Although this may affect the total craftsmanship score of the participant, it is not meant to discourage participants from entering the contest. Costumes that are considered “kits” are allowed so long as the kit was assembled by the participant. All participants should be prepared to briefly explain the process through which their costume was created, altered, or modified. The costume must be 70% made by the participant(s) in order to qualify for an award. Costumes that are not 70% made by the participant(s) may not qualify to participate in the event.
One Costume per Participant
Each contestant may present or wear one and only one costume, or in cases of group entries, each member may wear one costume per person or may wear one costume together (i.e. large costumes that require several people inside to move). The costume shown to the judges during pre-judging MUST be the costume you are wearing in the contest itself.
Designer Entry
Should a participant decide to enter but chose not to model their costume, or rather have it be presented by a model, the designer must be present at pre-judging and be prepared to explain how the costume had been created. The designer may appear on-stage for performance with the entry.
Contest Performance Portion
Your costume must allow you freedom of movement so that you can go up and down steps. THE STEPS ARE NOT REMOVABLE, NOR CAN THEY BE ALTERED IN ANY WAY (I.E. REMOVING THE HANDRAIL). THE STEPS ARE 36 INCHES WIDE. Should assistance be needed, you may have up to two assistants help you, but they will not be provided by the Game on Expo Staff. SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS MUST BE GIVEN TO EVENT STAFF PRIOR TO THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW.
IF YOUR ENTRY IS LARGE OR PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO MANEUVER STAIRS YOU MAY BE ALLOWED TO PRESENT IN FRONT OF THE STAGE OR USE THE LIFT. HOWEVER, YOU MUST MAKE YOUR REQUEST AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE MASQUERADE FOR THIS ACCOMMODATION. THIS ACCOMMODATION DOES NOT PERTAIN TO PROPS AND IS AT THE DISCRETION OF GAME ON EXPO STAFF.
An entry for a single participant will need to be between 1:00-1:30 minutes and groups have up to 3 minutes for their performances.
PERFORMANCES ARE 25% OF THE OVERALL JUDGING SCORE.
PERFORMANCES MUST BE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. ANY PERFORMANCE THAT IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES WILL BE DISQUALIFIED AND NOT ALLOWED TO COMPETE IN FUTURE MASQUERADES. INAPPROPRIATENESS IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE MASQUERADE STAGE MANAGER AND JUDGES.
Providing Audio
Entrants are encouraged to provide their own audio for their stage performance. Audio must be edited to the allowed performance time (between 1 and 3 minutes).
MP3’s are the desired audio format, if you need assistance, please contact Ashleigh.
If an entrant does NOT provide any audio content, GOE staff will select generic music to play during the entrant’s presentation. This music may not be exactly what you are looking for so providing audio files is HIGHLY recommended.
For all pre-recorded audio: The Next Level Masquerade is open to all ages and there will be children in the audience. We work very hard to present an event that is family friendly. The audio will be screened to ensure that it adheres to the following rules. The tech crew has been instructed to immediately cut off sound and lights if any of the following happens:
-Any obscenity or swearing.
-Any derogatory references to other contestants.
-Any innuendos or off-color jokes.
-Anything that sounds like it could be offensive based on (but not limited to) race, gender, orientation, religion, etc.
Rule Updates and Changes
While no changes to these rules are foreseen, certain circumstances may require the rules or times to be changed.
Questions and Contact
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Director of Cosplay: Ashleigh Feiring at ashleigh.feiring@gameonexpo.com