Costumes & Props

BeMySecret Cosplay Contest

Rules and Regulations

Thank you for entering BeMySecret’s Cosplay Contest! We appreciate your participation — please read this letter carefully. It is also available in CorpiaCosplay’s Instagram bio for those who haven’t entered but would like to. Good luck!

Categories

We have several categories to help us determine the outcome of the contest. These are designed to include all types of contestants:

🧵 Craftsmanship:
For contestants who made at least 70% of their costume. While we are not a masquerade (meaning not every skill level has its own award), there are still many ways to win!

🎭 Performance:
For contestants who did not make their cosplay. You may perform or do a stage walk. This category qualifies for all awards except Best Craftsmanship.

🧒 Youth:
For contestants 12 years old and under. Youth participants will also be judged under either Craftsmanship or Performance, depending on their cosplay.

Note: All participants, regardless of category, are required to do a stage walk or performance.

Sandbagging

Sandbagging is when someone enters a cosplay contest with a costume that has already won at another event without any notable modifications — or when a contestant is dishonest about past wins to enter a lower division.

If our judges determine you are sandbagging, you will be disqualified from the contest entirely.

You may only enter once and with one costume.

Craftsmanship contestants must have made at least 70% of their cosplay. Please be honest about what parts were purchased, gifted, or commissioned during pre-judging.

We understand that certain components — such as wigs, shoes, LED circuits, or corsets — are difficult to make from scratch. Just be upfront about these elements during judging.

General Contest Rules

  • All participants must have a current BeMySecret wristband.

  • Contestants entering as a group may not enter individually. Groups will be judged only in the group category (if offered).

  • Contestants may not enter with multiple costumes.

  • By registering, you give consent to BeMySecret and GearHead Society to use your image (photos and video) for promotional purposes.

  • If you are not present at the assigned location (given at check-in) when the contest starts, you will be considered absent and disqualified.

Prop Rules

We want everyone to stay safe, so here are our rules regarding props:

  • Props resembling weapons must have no real-life harmful use.

    • No real guns, even unloaded.

    • No excessively large knives (e.g., machetes).

    • Prop weapons are allowed as long as they are clearly fake and non-functional.

  • Bats and similar props are allowed but must be handled responsibly.

  • Do not leave your props unattended. Props are often expensive and easily damaged — we want to protect your hard work!

Convention Check-In

Cosplay contestants must check in no later than 15 minutes before the contest starts.
Late arrivals will be disqualified to keep things running on time.

Stage walks and performances will begin after check-in. Judges will take a closer look at all entries once everyone has walked.

Check-in will be held at CorpiaCosplay’s table.

Awards

Awards are as follows:

🏆 Best in Show – The top overall contestant as chosen by the judges.
🎖️ Judges' Choice – Each of our two judges will pick one cosplayer who stood out to them.
🧵 Best Craftsmanship – Awarded to the contestant with the best-made cosplay.
🎭 Best Performance – Given to the contestant with the strongest stage presence and overall performance.
🧒 Youth Award – For the best cosplay by a participant under the age of 12.

We sincerely thank everyone for participating in our cosplay contest. Your support means the world to us — we couldn’t do this without our amazing attendees and contestants.

Best of luck — we can’t wait to see you shine!