/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

[Anonymous No.7810179]

Hey seagulls, a good number of you probably have experience with cosplay contest judges. Care to share? I don't think I've ever seen a thread like this on this board before, and it could be an interesting read.

>Craftsmanship judging horror/success stories
>Skit judging horror/success stories
>Stories about judging, from those who have them

ITT: General cosplay contest judging story thread

[Anonymous No.7810184]

>>7810179

I'll start it off, I guess.

>Fanime 2013
>One judge accuses my friend of lying to him about painting the floral design on her dress
>Same judge accuses another friend of lying to him about where she got the bead strands in her wig
>he took a prop OUT OF MY WIG without asking and then fucking dropped it

He's why I don't do cosplay contests anymore.

[Anonymous No.7810205]

>The judges will not care about fine details or construction methods as long as it looks nice
>Super opinionated
>Expect them to vote for friends

[Anonymous No.7811132]

Couple years ago I had a craftsmanship judge tell me to "go outside and roll in a mud puddle" as soon as I walked in for judging.

She justified it as being "so she could have something to count against me", but wow there are such better ways of putting that.

[Anonymous No.7811154]

>>7810184
Care to share the judge's name? Was he a well-known cosplayer?

[Anonymous No.7811156]

I've seen a huge mix from high schoolers who have no idea what they're doing and how to talk in front of audiences to people who genuinely care about craftsmanship.

I don't envy their task. They have to compare a lot of costumes that shouldn't e in the same categories. How do you judge a full suit of armor against a hand-beaded and embroidered ballgown? And there's a lot of things people make that look cool and impressive from stage but up close are just garbage. But most audience members can't seen that so will start talking shit about the judges.

>>7810184
Is it that older asian guy that only cosplays from old /m/ anime? I remember hearing about him one year. i talked to my friend who was in that contest later and she said he was fine.

[Anonymous No.7811159]

When did you feel ready to start competing? I know I'm my worst critic, but I still don't think I'm good enough, and I don't know when I'll "know" that I am.

[Anonymous No.7811171]

>>7811159
Sometimes it's just best to get out there and start. My first time competing was a Bleach group that I worked super hard on and knew half the guys weren't going to pay me back so I wanted SOME acknowledgement for all the hard work I did. I got some honorable mention prize and it helped me know what ot expect in future contests.

Random tips I can think of for first timers or newcomers

Be prepared to expect bullshit so if the judges do something weird nad stupid it's not a surprise. If they're fine then great everything turned out better than expected.

Just because one conventions contest is known for being good does not mean it will be great the one year you compete. Fanime and Ohayocon used to be known for legit contests but that's crumbled with changing leadership. The only exceptions would be Costume-con where they take their costumes very seriously.

Don't enter contests expecting it will be lucrative. Unless you're a real coupon whiz or are able to construct full costumes from a giant stash of fabric and trim you grandmother left you it's likely you will only earn back a fraction of the materials costs. A lot don't even give out money but instead fake weapons, figures or a grabbag. One year at Otakon I got best Journeyman and the prize was a bag with an acrylic trophy, Otakon keychain, Otakon shotglass and two old Otakon shirts that were 2XL. If I ran a con I would make it a requirement for dealers and AA people to donate one item of a certain value to be used as contest prizes.

[Anonymous No.7811218]

>>7811171
2004 and before though fanime was known for having a totally shit contest. Like if Steve Benett were at the con, everyone knew the winner would be the nakedest hot chick because they let him judge.

Prizes are typically donated, sometimes by dealers, but usually the bulk of prizing comes from the major anime companies as part of their sponsorship package. What this really means is that in a good year for the industry the prizing is good, and if everyone's hurting for revenue the prizing is bad, and some companies are really crap about sending anything worthwhile (oh sentai, yes the cosplayers all want jessica nigri posters). Any con that gives cash, even if it's only $5, that's coming out of the con's pocket instead of from sponsorship.

[Anonymous No.7811278]

>>7811154

I think I've heard anon's story before, it was that Waynekaa guy from ACP. I remember being told about the girl that did all the hand-painting on her skirt being accused of lying, at least.

Story time! Sakuracon 2011 the main craftsmanship judge was a fucking nutcase. Three people in the Master category were costume professionals that work in a shop in Vancouver doing costumes for TV and film, and apparently she wouldn't even spare 30sec for them even though they had a half hour reserved. They had to stop her from walking away and keep showing her the things on their costumes.

Same lady, same year, told me to topstitch satin bias tape and that I "should have done all these screenprinted designs in denim applique"

[Anonymous No.7811294]

>sitting in main events waiting for pre-judging to start
>running late
>the missing judge finally shows up
>first thing she does upon arrival is ask for a beer
>the cosplay director actually gets her one

Thank god there were 2 other, sober judges to make up for her shit.

[Anonymous No.7811340]

I've been judged and been a judge myself, and one thing I've come to realize after being a judge is that not getting an award doesn't mean your costume sucks. If it's a good show, the judges are probably really torn about the decisions they're making. And that being said- judge's awards are definitely not consolation prizes! They might not be a top award but they do mean a lot. And if you don't win something, hey, you can always take it to another con. Every show I've ever judged I've walked away going "damn, I wish such and such contestant could've won something, I hope they take it to another con."

It's always interesting to see the reaction to judging after a contest is over, whether in person (I once had a dude straight up accost me asking why someone hadn't won an award- uh, buddy, you didn't see the raw, unhemmed edge of her dress) or online. I once saw someone fabricate a story about what went on in during craftsmanship judging in order to bash the judges.

Lastly, it is literally ASTONISHING to me the number of people who don't read the fucking rules. It is not that hard to check up on the website to make sure you pass all the requirements, jesus h christ.

[Anonymous No.7811344]

>>7810179
>Kitsunekon 2012
>Girl comes up on stage with a steampunk belle outfit.
>alot of applause
>wins contest
>someone else who was in the contest, calling her Sue, did some digging and found out that Steampunk belle was actually part of the madison costume society who had also been judging everyone.
>Sue called her out by posting Belle's personal page on the con's fb page
>shitstorm ensued
>Con trying to rid itself of Madison costuming society

Roll ahead to last year, 2013
>enter into masquerade
>could see some of the advance cosplayers i was with, not all, but some really great stuff was out there
>do the stage thing, sit down
>watch everyone else and then last cosplayer walks up
>Wearing what i thought was just some robe, turns out to be something from Dungeons and dragons.
>no fancy trim or design
>nothing stands out
>cue light up staff
>Just a pvc pipe with literally an egg looking orb at the top and it lights up.
>she wins contest
>Alot of people confused
>turns out one of the judges said "Fuck you guys, i'm choosing her".
>refused to let any of the others judges have any say.

I was bummed but i know shit happens.

[Anonymous No.7811349]

>>7811340

Seconding this, after spending an hour camped out on the floor of an overstuffed hotel room trying to make judging decisions because there were meetings going on in all the staff green rooms/ops offices, sometimes it's a really really close call.

Also, don't blame all the judges if you don't get an award. I've had times where I've wanted to give an award to someone, but one or two of the other judges have been absolutely vehement in their dislike for the costume or person or source material to the point where I just give up and hope I can give the costume a judge's award instead.

There are some serious personalities in the judging circuit, I tell you hwat.

[Anonymous No.7811351]

>>7811340
I'm starting to lose faith in people who lie their way through construction judging about making their costumes. It's gotten really bad and they're going to greater and greater lengths every year to try to fool us. I swear to god if I see one more set of "progress photos" where in every photo everything above the neck is cropped out of the picture I'm just going to throw your lying ass out of the contest. Especially when you can't answer simple questions about how you made it.

[Anonymous No.7811364]

It's weird that people always say to expect judges to vote for friends. If I was a judge I would probably make sure my friends didn't win unless they really deserved it, just so I wouldn't get accused of such things.

Maybe I'm just a shitty friend though, idk.

Story time!
>Hear a local shit-con has a $300.00 prize for first place in costume contest.
>Con-Staff says, "Try the competition tomorrow, Anon! It's free!"
>Decide I'm moderately good at crafting, mind as well try.
>Get there the next day.
>They ask for $35.00 just to compete, on top of a $40 ticket to get into ShitCon
>I'm stupid enough to be okay with that.
>I don't win anything. Some god-tier Final Fantasy cosplayers show up and sandbag the competition.
>That's okay, it's pretty much what I was doing.
>Realize I'm out $75.00.
>This con has no panels, besides a Magic tournament. Tiny Dealer's Room. No Gaming room. There isn't even any way a con-goer can entertain themselves.
>Realize this whole con is a pyramid scheme.
>Con closes to set up for rave/dance/formal ball, which is an extra $15.00 to go to.
>It was KokuManga.
Moral of the story, don't compete in any competition that has a fee to enter. Also, don't go to KokuManga.

[Anonymous No.7811368]

>>7811340
>>7811349

I'm fine with losing, i've just seen alot of people given flack for wearing the same outfit to multiple con masquerades. I've only worn one of my outfits twice, once at a smaller then larger. Didn't win anything but was brought up on stage while the judge said what she really liked about my outfit. At the larger con i feel as though i was out of my league possibly and there was really alot of amazing shit there. I understand the whole sandbagging thing and refuse to ever do that but i don't wanna end up as that bitch who just roams around with the same costume trying every masquerade to win. I wouldn't mind trying one last time with it. Third time's a charm? If not then i'll leave it be.

[Anonymous No.7811372]

>>7811351
> "progress photos" where in every photo everything above the neck is cropped

Please say it ain't so. How do they think they can fool judges like this.

For my first costume contest, I entered a shitty Zelda costume. Didn't win anything but I've been hooked ever since. Actually just won my first award this year. I only enter at one con to save myself the stress of doing it at multiple cons though.

What I like about entering contests is that I get to ask other contestants how they made their costumes. I swear it feels like some of these people disappear off the face of the earth once the contest ends so it's nice to talk to them before hand. With their advice, I've been slowing improving.

[Anonymous No.7811375]

>>7811364
Yeahhh I'm friends with a decent number of people that I've judged before (it kind of happens when you're in the competition circuit) and I hold them to high standards both because I don't want to be an ass and because I already know they're capable of good work.

>>7811351
God, this. There are people who actually think judges aren't going to be able to tell what's a cookie-cutter commission shipped straight from China, and that's just plain offensive.

[Anonymous No.7811379]

>>7811368
Good luck! One of the things you could try is to add to it- maybe improve a part of the costume, or add a prop- to push it into "winning material" territory. I personally love to see that, as a judge. It shows dedication to improvement as opposed to looking like "that bitch who just roams around."

[Anonymous No.7811382]

>>7811368
It's usually acceptable to take the same costume to competetion, in the same year, if you haven't won a prize, or after winning a prize at a smaller event, you enter it at a larger event with the coordinator's permission.

>>7811372
People are really desperate to win, or in some cases enter because the rules don't allow bought costumes.

Honestly the best way to piss off a judge is to lie to them. Just go in there and say "you know, I bought this/my mother made it" and usually the judges will go "oh, okay" and then ask you about other stuff, why you chose the character, what you're planning to do on stage, and they won't hate you.

[Anonymous No.7811386]

>>7811340

Most of the cons I attend state in their rules that it is heavily encouraged to wear something new for the contest, and in fact taking a costume that you've already competed with usually means you have less possibilities of winning.

(Although I've seen a girl participate with a costume that was already awarded at another con and get second place anyway, it was kind of retarded because her costume basically fell apart on stage).

[Anonymous No.7811393]

>>7811379
Thanks! And yea i would like to update the wig at least. I would like to style/piece it together myself instead of just ordering it. Sorry i hope it wasn't rude to word it that way, just don't want to be disrespectful to others in the competition.
>>7811382
And thanks as well. I just like to make sure i'm going about things the right way.

[Anonymous No.7811410]

>>7811351
Wait... I don't understand the problem? When I'm trying on a WIP costume I often crop out my face because I look like butt when I'm just at home working.

[Anonymous No.7811420]

>>7811410
Because a lot of the people bringing in photos like that didn't make it and the face is cropped to hide that it's the person they bought it from. Note that these people also can't answer basic questions about making the costume. We don't care that you look like ass, really, just leave your face in because the progress photos are less about "this is how I made it" and more about proving that you in fact did make the costume. We KNOW how the costume was made, we would not be judging if we couldn't look at a costume and tell what techniques were used.

[Anonymous No.7811426]

At a con I went to this year you could apparently ask for your judging forms back if you wanted feedback on your performance.

>mfw I got three blank judging forms back from the craftsmanship judges and a bunch of people got really rude/derogatory remarks

[Anonymous No.7811432]

>>7811426
ahaha oh my gOD I would not mind giving constructive criticism after the fact but I would never, ever give my judging forms over

>usually cosplay staff collects ours and shreds them
>yes they can be that bad

[Anonymous No.7811449]

>>7811426
If you don't mind telling, what con was this?

[Anonymous No.7811452]

>>7811449

Kumoricon? It's my local con, so it's the only one I've ever competed in before.

[Anonymous No.7811486]

>>7811351
Do you care if the shots don't include above hte neck but they can still explain how they made it? Because I've been taking progress pics for my current costume and most have been below neck shots because my stupid face has nothing to do with the costume parts. I can change it up for future ones if you think that's important.

[Anonymous No.7811503]

>>7811375
I have seen those shitty eBay costumes win at local cons and it's depressing to hear the judges exclaim "She did a great job vinyl heat pressing the emblem to the back of the jacket and the serged seams are so neatly done." It was an Edward Elric costume. And I'm like what fucking freshman college student does vinyl heat pressing and has access to a serger?

That being said I'm always afraid my own stuff will get pegged as bought or commissioned because I do stuff like laser cutting and CNC routing and have access to an industrial serger. To be safe I save the serger for quick costumes I'm not entering in anything.

[Anonymous No.7811516]

>>7811351
>>7811486
I've been making a weapon out of plexiglass, but haven't included myself in any of the progress photos (I live by myself so yea, no one can take pictures of me doing stuff). Is that going to be a problem?

[Anonymous No.7811518]

Ugh last year a friend of mine made a dress for a cosplay contest at a small festival. It was pretty simple but it was very neat as well, but the judges didn't even give her the time of day when she was talking about how she made it.
It was just her too, for some reason, since I'd shown up in something sub par and they at least listened to me talk.
Mfw one of the winners was a notebook cosplay from Don't Hug me I'm Scared that had literally just gotten an apron and hot glued some pictures on there because one of the judges thought it was her original design.

[Anonymous No.7811525]

>>7811503

Just saiyan bro, my campus has an arts center with everything from screenprinting supplies to multiple sergers to a fucking SANDBLASTER. Iron-on vinyl is pretty easy to come by, too.

It's more likely it was an eBay job, even though the resources to make that quality of mass-produced-looking costume ARE available to students.

[Anonymous No.7811532]

>>7811518
Small events are a toss up on the quality. Gatherings/picnics/festivals will always have the most whatevers because it's a whatever event. College cons depends because there's a chance the judges have some sort of actual training in craftsmanship and fabrication. Small Cons outside of college actually tend to have decent prizes and judges because the masq and cosplay contest is part of hte entertainment and they would probably rather spend $800 of their small budget to make attractive prizes to draw in better costumes than put it towards some voice actor guest who did a couple roles in Slayers and YuYu Hakusho.

[Anonymous No.7811592]

>>7811486
As long as you get one and the environment is consistent, it's fine.

>>7811516
It's less of an issue with props in my experience. The taobao/ebap props are pretty easy to spot, and most US propmakers post about what they've been hired to make for who at what con.

Either way, terrible bathroom mirror pics of you and the in-progress item are appreciated. And really being able to explain things in detail is the biggest clue. Most of the questions judges ask are more testing that you made it rather than them not knowing how something was made.

[Anonymous No.7811613]

>>7811171
>If I ran a con I would make it a requirement for dealers and AA people to donate one item of a certain value to be used as contest prizes.
My local con does this, and as a vendor, I don't mind giving away prints (they cost less than a dollar to print, it's not going to make or break me), but I feel bad because I feel like they're jipped out of actually good prizes for my artist alley bs.

[Anonymous No.7811660]

I'm entering my first masquerade, and because I saw WIP pictures mentioned above, I was wondering if I'd be able to ask it here.
I didn't know you had to take WIP pics until later in the outfit, because it wasn't in the rules that I was given, so I only have pics of the latter half- my sewing and a huge prop of mine, none of which have my face in it (I didn't know that was an issue until now, even.)
Some people I've asked have said that so long as I can explain how I made everything, then I should be fine. My question is how technical does the explanation need to be? I learned sewing from my non-english speaking mother, so I really don't know a lot of the terms for basic sewing things. I have all of my patterning and can explain how I did each and every step, just not in a very intelligent sounding manner. I'm wondering if that will be held against me, basically. I know exactly what I did, but I just don't know how to change it into seamstress terms, if that makes any sense.

[Anonymous No.7811698]

>>7811660

If you explain how you learned to sew in advance to the judges they will probably understand.

[Anonymous No.7811716]

>>7811503
I wouldn't give up serging! Just explain the equipment that you have access to. Someone who commissions their costume likely doesn't know what a serger is (hell, a lot of fairly experienced cosplayers I know had to have serging explained to them), so as long as you can explain what you did re: finished edges you're going to be fine.

I actually had access to a serger as a college freshman because I was in a theatre program and the costume mistress gave me full access to the costume shop. Man, those were the days.

[Anonymous No.7811778]

>>7811660
Lots of cons don't require WIP pics, but if you have them it's basically an extra layer of covering your ass when it comes to judging.

>>7811503
I've entered plenty of costume I've used my serger on and never had any issues with judges thinking I bought anything. I actually get more crap from people who don't make costumes and wouldn't know a serger if they ran their hand through one because "nobody can MAKE a costume that good!"

[Anonymous No.7811794]

last sac anime-
>get there early, wait over a hour to be judged even though I had an early walk on number
>even though rules state to have print outs of your work and character reference sheets everyone is using their fucking phone and taking forever with it. Meanwhile I spent $5 at the hotel to print mine out since I forgot them at home.
>friend didn't get number like a lot of the people there. Has to stand with her large prop
>judges state that you can be bumped up or down on the difficulty tiers.
>crazy messy amounts of waiting and making us remake lines 3 times.
>finally get judged, head back to room.
>friend is after me to be judges-is in hotel room before me. They ran out of time and said they weren't going to judge everyone else.

>winners announced- 3 full suit evas with lights are in the intermediate category. They were fucking professionally made. You could tell up close.
I'm fine with not placing, but those 3 not getting bumped up to advanced is bullshit. The judges talked to them for over 10 minutes while everyone else got 3-5 at best.

[Anonymous No.7811807]

>first solo cosplay contest (mediumsize con)
>been doing cosplay for a long ass time
>gets cougar'd on because I'm crossplaying
>win best novice
>lesson: I make a great boy

[Anonymous No.7811821]

>>7811807
>next cosplay contest some time later with a group
>also crossplaying a man in heavy armor
>super nervous, can't see well/hear well bc of helmet
>makes flirty comment at lady judge because hey I'm cosplaying a dude, maybe this will break the ice
>gives me the stink eye and says nothing/ asks me nothing
>judge never realizes I'm a girl
>feels bad

[Anonymous No.7811825]

>>7811364
>It's weird that people always say to expect judges to vote for friends.
Some people are petty and awful like that. I saw a woman block a woman she didn't like in high school from getting a miserable $8/hour job, whose kid was dying of cancer and she knew it.

[Anonymous No.7811851]

odu minicon 2014

>30-40 cosplayers-ish
>3 judges, all school alumni. one of the 3 judges admits he "knows nothing about cosplay"
>judges: "we're going to touch you"
>knew i had made a terrible mistake
>judges spend 5 minuets on each cosplay asking pointless questions and joking around. some cosplayers brag how they spent several whole hours on their costumes. good for them.
>event starts to run grossly overtime, they try to speed up the process but still take forever manhandling cosplayers and touching their props/bodies.
>judges ask one grell? cosplayer to start twerking.
>i knew i should have stayed home.
>after judges come back with there judges choices and winner.
>one of the judges (who knew nothing about cosplay) chose his bf as his judges choice.
>he was apparently a dr who chosplayer. no wig, just a plain lab coat, a scarf made by another one of the judges and a inhaler prop made of tape that morning.
>another judge gives two awards to a furry for some reason.
>overall winner was some guy who bought a aviator jacket from a thrift store and had a pig nose on.
>most better cosplayers who actually made their costumes overlooked.

[Anonymous No.7811879]

>>7811825
whaaat does that have to do with judges voting for friends????

[Anonymous No.7811909]

>>7811879
I think he's saying that if someone will do that, someone would DEFINITELY judge a cosplay contest unfairly.

[Anonymous No.7811949]

>>7811909
It looks more to me like they're comparing the two.

Either way


thatescalatedquickly.png

[Anonymous No.7811972]

>>7811909
>>7811364
If it makes you guys feel better I've seen an entrant approach a judge and say "You should have at least given me your judges award because we're friends" and the judge say "that's exactly why I wouldn't give you my judges award."

[Anonymous No.7812048]

>>7811794
That whole ordeal was a joke, from what I hear. I'm so glad I didn't finish my costume and ended up dropping out, it sounds like just too much of a hassle. I also ranted on and on about the Eva group not being bumped up, that was ridiculous.

[Anonymous No.7812161]

>>7811972
That's exactly what I meant. Some people get the tiniest bit of power, and the first thing they do is promote their friends and cut down everybody else. They don't think of it as cronyism, they think of it as "loyalty" or just the way things are done.

[Anonymous No.7812166]

>>7811909
That's exactly what I meant. Some people get the tiniest bit of power, and the first thing they do is promote their friends and cut down everybody else. They don't think of it as cronyism, they think of it as "loyalty" or just the way things are done.

[Anonymous No.7812197]

>>7811794
>>7812048
Bumping up a person is a serious decision for judges, at least for me and those I've judged with. You're no longer just comparing them to the other contestants at that one con and contest but telling them that you expect them to deliver at that next level up from there on out. If they're pretty new to competing, I'd be very reluctant to bump them up from intermediate to advanced level. Its like stealing their masquerade innocence and can discourage them from competing if you put too much pressure and expectations on them when they still get all jittery just walking into the judging room. That's where it is nice to have judges that are part of the local community and some familiarity with the contestants. If they've been cleaning up at cons for a few contest at intermediate with different cosplays, I'd bump them up as long as there isn't deserving quality at the advanced level.

Also, the timing may not be entirely the judges fault. I expect the cosplay coordinator or someone that is not a judge to be in there and help track time based on number of entries and schedule. Just a nice, hey you need to move it along because you only have 7 minutes per group. If the cosplay coordinator is inexperienced, that can run awry pretty fast if they signed up too many people, didn't properly block time, or I can get lost in costumes that fascinate me and loose track. That said, its really shitty that they had people who were accepted as entrants and didn't get judged. I expect contestants to put work and effort into their costumes and doing that just kind of shits all over that and discourages them. I've given up lunch/dinner breaks or come to the green room early to work around contestants that had scheduling conflicts to make sure their work was given its due. It's not always good stuff but no one likes feeling brushed aside.

[Anonymous No.7812269]

Do any cons have a spread of judges for different things? Like have someone who knows a lot of technical stuff, someone who knows a lot about the shows being referenced, etc?

[Anonymous No.7812283]

Used to be a cosplay contest judge for a couple years, and I'll probably never do it again. People were so whiny when they lost - I had contestants come up to me crying after the show wanting to know why their shitty outfits didn't win - and I heard so many times "these judges only voted in their friends!!!!1!! cheating!!", which wasn't true. That butthurt combined with my crappy co-judges (often had meltdowns when stressed, treated me and others poorly, bitched when I disagreed with their choices for prizes when they'd just go for the shiniest bullshit, and blamed everything that went wrong on me when I was the only one even trying to fix things) has made me never, ever want to come near that con's contest in particular and put me off of judging in general.

I've competed a couple times, and I do agree that judging is bullshit. I won an award when I really shouldn't have all because the judges were wow'd by the big part of my costumes, which I put together in one night, and also because I'm a thin, attractive girl (yes, I actually overheard one of the male judges praising that as I walked away). I'm sure not all contests are like that, but it hasn't made me eager to compete again any time soon.

[Rii No.7812316]

>>7812197
It wasn't their first time. The backstage manager knew them and said they had done stuff before and that they had been coming to the con for years. Also if you had seen their costumes you would understand that yes they needed to be put in advanced.

[Anonymous No.7812556]

>>7812197
>>7812316

idk how you guys do it in Cali but the last con I judged our general rule of thumb was "only bump someone up if you think they can win in that category."

We ended up bumping a guy up who had never done a masq before because his stuff was better than the thirty people we had in novice AND intermediate. It's a blessing and a curse, he's a higher level and we don't lock out the novices from an award by default compared to him, but now he's held to a higher standard than he might be ready for.

[Anonymous No.7812626]

>>7811660
I've won in contents and my sewing vocab is so, so shit because I'm completely self taught. I describe things as best as I can and probably sound like an idiot but as long as they can understand what you're trying to say, it's fine.

I'm really worried about the WIP thing now. I usually aren't even in my costumes when taking progress pics and just photograph pieces as they're lying on my ironing board. Thanks for that tip, I thought taking progrss pics of yourself in the costume was weird and that you were meant to just take close ups of seams, cut out un-sewn fabric, and detail work half way through so the judge can see what the very inside of the costume looks like and the exact method you used for things.

[Anonymous No.7812863]

>>7812283
>Used to be a cosplay contest judge for a couple years, and I'll probably never do it again. People were so whiny when they lost - I had contestants come up to me crying after the show wanting to know why their shitty outfits didn't win - and I heard so many times "these judges only voted in their friends!!!!1!! cheating!!", which wasn't true.

Been there. I judged for a couple years and the last year I did it was the worst for contestant freak outs.

One girl could not understand why her 80% goodwill bought costume didnt win over the girl who made everything from scratch with WIP proof and great explanation/knowledge of how she made everything.

Another was a group of cosplayers claiming they lost because I was best friends with the winners. Which was hilarious as they lived over 200 miles away from me and we have never met before beyond pre-judging. They lost because there were more polished skits but NOPE! Huge conspiracy. I bet they probably thought I was fired from being a judge after that year even though I had already decided to leave before then as shit is just not worth it.

[Anonymous No.7812916]

Got two for ya.

>be thirteen entering my first contest
> shoddy made rikku cosplay.
>one Guy give me judges pick. Leering the whole time.
>just creeped out what?
>feel so bad when I see fantastic cosplay loose to me.
Next one is for a friend

>makes her own armor and bow
>works for a year and has good craftsman ship.
>gets no place
>Hatsune miku with glowing mike gets first.
>costume has friggin tags on it.

[Anonymous No.7812949]

Question, /cgl/:

A few months ago I competed in the first cosplay I ever made. I didn't win anything but heard sort of through the grape vine that it was close. Because I'm totally new to this stuff I have no idea, would it be out of line to contact one or two of the judges privately, say on their cosplay pages, and ask them what I can work on, maybe what kept me from winning? Not to be bitter or angry or anything, just for the sake of being a better craftsman for next time.

[Anonymous No.7812961]

>>7812197
Telling the judges to hurry up can blow up on you too. As a coordinator I told the judges they had to hurry because a lot of groups were waiting and I got back this nasty reply about don't interfere with their judging.

As far as skill levels go, I've noticed that they don't really work because people are so scared to put themselves in a higher category, so either the judges have to be willing to bump half the contestants up, or what works better is a case by case evaluation of if someone is making costumes in line with their experience, and showing appropriate growth.

[Anonymous No.7812967]

>>7812961
>As a coordinator I told the judges they had to hurry because a lot of groups were waiting and I got back this nasty reply about don't interfere with their judging

then don't have them back and tell other cons they aren't professional. The same way contestants can screw themselves over with attitudes so can judges.

If you are asked to judge you are there to do a job, the same way the coordinator is there to do one.

[Anonymous No.7812974]

>>7812949
I'm not a cosplay judge but I think if you phrased it politely I don't see a problem with that at all.

[Anonymous No.7812975]

>>7812967
You still have to get through the end of the contest with them. Since then I've gotten a list of judges I like to work with, but unless a judge is grossly fucking up you really do not want to fire them before the end of the contest.

[Anonymous No.7812986]

>>7812949
Former cosplay judge here. Had that happen a couple times, and I agree that as long as you are polite about it and can take constructive criticism well, it's not a problem and can sometimes be nice for judges to explain their reasoning on why your "so close but not quite" costume didn't make it.

[Anonymous No.7813011]

>competing in hall cosplay for 6 years
>all the awkward touching, all the honorable mentions, no major awards
>make beautiful fiberglass armor for Otakon
>completely fails to impress seamstress judges
>told armor is just a wearable prop
>no, fuck it, I refuse to be thwarted
>bitterly grinds craftsmanship skill
>spend 2 years working on new costume
>use ALL the materials and techniques!
>new judges are super-friendly
>ask actual meaningful questions
>take note of details: taking notes in general!
>award me Best of Weekend
>so used to biased judges that I'm overcome with guilt and shame and fear someone else deserved the win

I got a congratulatory hug from them, which was the best part.

[Anonymous No.7813075]

>>7813011
>I got a congratulatory hug

Proof the fix was in!

[Anonymous No.7813318]

>>7812961
>7812197 here
That's unprofessional of them. Sadly conventions are run as side projects and on volunteer work so its hard to maintain professionalism at all levels and interactions. It doesn't take a genius to figure the logistics of fitting 30 entries in a 4 hour time block You'll get ahead on some (like the closet cosplays), behind on some (advanced levels) but overall that means you're spending 5-10 minutes per group and its only fair for the contestants as a whole to keep it to that. I don't want a beginner to feel like their not important because they don't have the skills of a Savile Row tailor. Everyone has to start as a beginner.

>better is a case by case evaluation of if someone is making costumes in line with their experience, and showing appropriate growth.
Totally agree with this. Another alternative I've used in the past is to convert awards from one skill level to another. Say I got 20 beginners, 5 intermediate, and 2 advanced entries. Initially awards would be structured like best beginner, best beginner craftsmanship, etc plus a best in show. Maybe the advanced entries are pretty half-assed and undeserving of one of the awards but there was some really good beginners. I'd say give a 2nd place beginner award for craftsmanship or skill level, possibly bump one up to intermediate and give out 3 awards at beginner and intermediate level. It really depends from masquerade to masquerade.

>>7812949
I don't mind these questions but some judges do. I've been on the other side and asked for feedback just to be brushed off by the judge. Sometimes the request can come off as confrontational. Sometimes the costume didn't make enough of an impact for them to remember without their judges notes in front of them. I would avoid asking "what kept me from winning." keep it to general pros and cons for improvement.

[Anonymous No.7813386]

>>7813318
Just to preface where I'm coming from: I've been a judge for large and small cons, run cosplay for large and small cons (never at the same time as judging), and competed at different cons generally in the highest skill level (you win some you lose some). So I can pretty honestly say I have been on all sides of this stuff.

Part of the problem with the timing is that cosplayers always show up late, making everything worse. But it's better to hurry up and see everyone than cut off the last entries. Sometimes when time has been tight, we've divided up the judge team just so everyone gets some decent time with a judge and a cursory check from the others.

When you can't repurpose awards (yay trophies), you have to give the win by default, which kind of sucks, but if it's in the rules that the award will be given, it has to go out if any one person/entry qualifies for it. Usually this means a win by default in advanced/master class, which is part of why I don't like skill levels.

The other end of the problem I have with them is novice includes people that it's their first costume ever and people that have made 20 costumes, but just never won anything. They really shouldn't be grouped together and judged the same way.

>>7812949
As the coordinator I will say don't directly approach the judges. The coordinator should be familiar enough with the judging to make the call if your question should be passed on or not, and they'll give the judges the choice to talk to you or not. I've had very belligerent entrants demand to know why they didn't win, and I refuse to let them deal directly with the judges since I don't think it's ok for the judges to feel threatened. Usually if you ask for improvement the judges are ok with that, and if there is time during the prelim judging, good judges will offer suggestions on how to do things for the future.

[Anonymous No.7813437]

So apparently Holly Conrad is supposed to be a guest at one of my local cons. I'm assuming she's going to be a cosplay contest judge. You think she'd be a good judge? Also BelleChere is supposed to be there too but I don't think she's a judge.

[Anonymous No.7813467]

How do judges feel about adding details that aren't on the source material? Using fabric with a subtle pattern on it when the original is solid, for example (like the Disney face characters' costumes).

[Anonymous No.7813552]

>>7813467
Honestly it depends on the overall effect in the end. Sometimes it's a nice contrast, but often it looks cheap and tacky - mostly because people use cheap brocades for things that it doesn't work for. Honestly I expect people to make minor tweaks to designs if for no reason other than your body isn't proportioned like an anime character's and lots of color combos look hideous irl. Your goal should be to present the best possible real world version of the design, and if the brocade works for that, go for it.

[Anonymous No.7814131]

I'm considering entering the masquerade for my first time competing at Nekocon this year.

However, I am using a ginjinka of a pokemon (Xerneas in picture) and I designed the costume. In their rules they didn't particularly say anything against it, but do you think the judges will be less liely to choose me because of it?

I have a bit of "interesting" factor I suppose, I have sculpted the horns into a massive crown, and the sub-horns glow with different settings.

I also have progress pics of me sewing and crafting the entire costume (except for the leggings and shoes, but I did paint them).

[Anonymous No.7814157]

>>7814131
have concept sketches of the costume along with progress photos. Judges want to see you had a clear direction. Also explaining why you made decisions on design points to incorporate the character. An original design can be a harder sell, but if you have reasoning behind it then you should be fine.

[Anonymous No.7814166]

>>7814157
Yes, I made several concept sketches, and I'm fairly sure I could explain why I chose to make it as regal as I did. I hope this works out.

[Anonymous No.7817799]

>>7814131
Some cons don't allow them on principle, but other cons welcome them. I say bring your references and if you can explain your design concept good on you.

[Anonymous No.7817978]

>>7817799
Depends on the con. Some are super strict about Japan only sources and others like Costume con where original designs are encouraged.

[Anonymous No.7820411]

> oz comic con melb 2014
> pretty cold and rainy day
> cosplay event super unorganised, we were told to just go to a marquee and line up in order then told 100 other different things from the people there
> end up getting ourselves sorted and lined up in order
> literally have to wait half an hour on the dirty muddy ground and in the rain while the other panel clears out
> finally get on stage and perform all is well
> gets called back for prizes at like 5:30 (winter in AUS so its pretty much black outside and the con is over)
> judges decided to remove the categories and just have 5 equal winners
> ???? oz comic con get your shit together
> win anyway lmao

[Anonymous No.7820421]

forgot to mention the prize was a $50 spotlight voucher, that wouldn't even cover a fifth of how my cosplay cost to make

[Anonymous No.7820469]

>>7820421
prizes hardly ever cover costs, you're lucky you even got money and not vol.4 dbz en espanol.

[Anonymous No.7820475]

>>7820411

Ahhhh I entered on the Saturday and had the same experience. Who did you cosplay? :)

[Anonymous No.7820482]

two of the million Anna and Elsa's! we did have a lot of fun but the lack of organisation really bugged us :/ still worth it seeing the looks on kids faces when they saw us <3

[Anonymous No.7820483]

>>7820475
((sorry still new to the replying thing, see the post above))

[Anonymous No.7820487]

>>7820482

Oh I loved you guys! You did an excellent job. I agree about the organization. I have found a lot of Australian cosplay comps are run terribly. Although Supanova Melbourne was pretty good this year.

[Anonymous No.7820563]

>>7820487
oh thanks!! it was actually the first time entering a comp for either of us! and yeah i wish we had more well organised cons like PAX :(