rules

General rules applied to both ICL- preliminary categories

1. The contestant must be 18 years old by the date of the competition (May 10th 2025) and must have either Finnish citizenship or a permanent residence permit in Finland or an EU citizen's permanent residence right. If you have previously represented another country in international cosplay contests, please take a closer look at the original rulebook.

2. The competition costume must be based on official commercial publications (comics, manga, animations, anime, movies, TV series, musicals, video games). The costume must not be the competitor's own design or based on unpublished sources. Genderswap or gijinka characters are not allowed unless there is an official commercial release of these. The only unofficial sources allowed in the competition are Sakizô and Hannah Alexander illustrations. Customizable characters are not allowed, the costume must be based on the source's officially released character.

3. Before the competition, the contestant must provide the competition organizers with comprehensive reference photos of their character and possible accessories/props. The jury will evaluate the costume based on these. The pictures must show the whole character and all parts of the costume. Photo collages are allowed if it can be proven that the photos are based on the same costume

4. Before the competition, the contestant  must submit to the organizers of the competition a completed preliminary information form, to which the judges will review independently before pre-judging on the day of the event.

5. The contestant is allowed to participate in the competition wearing a costume that they have competed with before. However, they may not participate with a costume with which the contestant has won preliminaries* and/or the costume has been awarded in the final*.
   
   (* for example: Extreme Cosplay Gathering / European Cosplay Gathering, Nordic Cosplay Championships, Finnish Cosplay Championship, World Cosplay Summit, Cosplay World Masters, Euro Cosplay, International Cosplay League, Europa Cosplay Cup or other preliminaries leading to an international cosplay competition)
   
   If the contestant has placed second or third in these, they can participate in the competition with the same costume, but the performance must be changed. The contestant who wins the ICL preliminaries is not allowed to participate in other competitions with the same costume before the ICL finals.

6. The ICL preliminaries and finals will be held on stage. The contestant must be able to move to the stage and perform on stage in their costume without help. They must be able to move up and down the stairs in the costume. They are not allowed to jump off the stage when entering or leaving the stage or during the performance. The performance may not be taken beyond the edges of the stage, for example into the audience or the area between the stage and the audience.

7. Fire effects, sparks, smoke and any fireworks and lasers are prohibited. During performances, you may not spread any material that requires cleaning on the stage, for example glass, sand, liquid or powdery substances (artificial blood, powders, artificial snow, etc.), glitter or petals. If a competitor breaks this rule, they cannot place in the competition.

8. The use of real weapons in the competition is strictly prohibited. Weapon replicas that match realistic weapons need to be marked with red tape and the barrels of the weapons need to be blocked. The organizer of the competition will help with these measures on the competition day if necessary. Realistic props or weapon replicas are only allowed during the performance on stage and during official filming. At other times, such props must be kept hidden and stored safely in the cosplay backstage. When props are transported between filming locations, the cosplay backstage and the stage, they should be kept hidden and ensure that they can be transported safely. Please familiarize yourself with Comic Con Finland's safety rules in the FAQ.

9. Offensive make-up and costumes are prohibited. Contact the organizers of the competition for additional questions if needed.

Craftmanship

1. The quality of the costume will be evaluated in general, that is, some parts cannot be of higher quality than others – this will lower the final grade. 

2. The diversity of methods and materials will be valued, as long as they provide a better result. The jury will not take into account personal experiences or how big of a challenge it was for the participant, the result is more important.

3. Patterning must be done by the contestant. It is allowed to modify existing patterns but commissioned or store-bought patterns with no significant modifications or adaptations will deduct points from the craftsmanship score.

4. Manual sewing or embroidery will not be valued positively if the result is worse than what it could be with a machine. If the part of the costume created with advanced techniques and the manual ones have the same quality, the one which took the most effort will be valued.

5. Using an embroidery machine and 3D printer is allowed only if the files are designed by the contestant.

6. The costume has to be handmade by the contestant. It is allowed to use commissioned or store-bought clothes, patterns, embroidery files or 3D files if in total all the pieces not designed by the contestant are a 10% or less of the total costume for solos and a 20% or less of the total of the costume for duos.

7. The choice of materials accurate for the characters’ time period will be valued positively. For example, if the cosplay is from the Middle ages, an accurate choice of fabric will give  more points. If the material choices are inconsistent with their era, points will decrease. Material choices related to safety (e.g. props or other weapon replicas) do not affect the scoring of the preliminaries.

8. The cosplay will be compared to the reference picture. The jury will not take into consideration the physical appearance of the contestant. 

9. Make-up and wig styling will be taken into consideration and have to be done and styled by the contestant.

10. Please note that the costume to be used in the ICL finals in Madrid must be ready before September 1st of the competition year, as contestants selected for the finals must fill an entry form produced by the ICL organizers by this deadline.

Rules applied only to Solo-category

1. Cosplays will only be judged for their craftsmanship quality and the resemblance to the reference image. Acting will not be considered, but it is recommended to act to achieve better photo or video footage. 

2. The contestants have a short stage segment, which includes a catwalk and an interview with the host. Contestants walk independently on the catwalk without assistance. During the catwalk, contestants stop to pose in different ways showcasing the costume. The background music is chosen by the organizers of the ICL qualifiers, and the contestants cannot choose their own music. After the catwalk there is a short interview with the host. The interview contains questions about the character and the costume making process

3. Costume change during the catwalk is not allowed, one costume per contestant.

Rules applied only to Duo-category 

1. Both contestants must choose costumes from the same source material. For example, if the costumes are from the movie series HTTYD (How to Train Your Dragon), one contestant's costume cannot be from the movie HTTYD 1 and the other contestant's costume from the movie HTTYD 2. The same rule is applied for costume changing during the performance unless it makes sense for the story development, and that would have to be approved by ICL. 

2. If the cosplay is based on merchandising, both costumes must proceed from the same collection or design base unless it doesn’t have a design for the chosen character. Cosplayers must then search a different design based on the same merchandise or cosplay the original source as it is. A cosplayer can not cosplay an original source while their partner is cosplaying a merchandise source. 

3. Stage props are not pre-judged. They are part of the performance score, and have to be 50% made by the contestants. If any help with any part of the stage props has been provided, it has to be said for it to be ranked correspondingly. In case it’s hidden and later revealed, the contestants will be immediately disqualified, and this offense will be considered for the future contests. 

4. Cosplayers from the same duo can help each other with the making of the costumes. Both contestants must make at least 50% of their costume, i.e. one contestant cannot make all parts of the costume for both costumes. Example 1: One contestant makes half of their own costume and another contestant makes their own costume completely and in addition half of the other costume. Example 2: One contestant makes the armor parts for both and another contestant makes the sewing parts for both. Both contestants must work together and participate in the creation of the costumes.

Performance and acting

1. 40% of the grading will be given for the costumes and resemblance with the source, and 60% for the performance, acting and staging.

2. The performance must last at least 90 seconds (1:30 minutes) and at most 180 seconds (3:00 minutes).

3. The originality of the show and acting will be highly rated, as well as the body and facial expression:

1. When representing a scene that appears directly in the original source as it is performed, the originality will be lowly scored. Adaptations can be applied even if it’s not true to the original source to gain originality in the performance score.

2. Body and face expression is an important aspect of the performance. Unless it’s because the character lacks any, not having body or facial expression will be lowly scored.

4. Contestants can leave the stage for a maximum of 15 seconds at a time. The video used in the performance must be complementary but can’t be a primary interaction for the performance.

5. Contestants receive information in advance from the competition organizers about the dimensions of the stage and background video fabric.

6. If there are dialogues in the performance, contestants must provide a clean recording without noise, as the quality of such can deduct points for the performance. Only English or Finnish will be allowed for the preliminaries. The only exception would be songs that are performed in a different language and can not be translated. If subtitles are used in the presentation, they must be in the background video. There is no separate screen or canvas for subtitles. Using an external voice actor is allowed, but the script must be in the competitor's own handwriting. It is not possible to use a microphone in the performance and all dialogue and singing must be included in the soundtrack.

7. Using generative AI tools in any video or audio material submitted to the competition is prohibited. If any contestant's audio/video material raises suspicion of such use, the competition organizers may ask them to present some kind of documentation like files, images and/or recordings as proof of the making process.

8. It is not allowed to use assistant in the performance.

9. The preparations at the stage can not take more than 30 seconds. The show starts immediately after the contestants' introduction. The props are brought to the stage on behalf of the contestant.

10. The contestant must inform in advance what kind of stage-props are included in the performance. Comic Con Finland can borrow some staging elements, such as a table or chair, for the show on a case-by-case basis. Please confirm availability in advance with the organizers.

11. Stage props or props must be so light that 2-4 people can easily carry them onto and off the stage during a changeover.

1. Example: Two (2) tables, each requiring two (2) handlers, for a total of four (4) handlers.

12. The maximum width of the stageprop when transporting to and from the stage is approx. 200 cm and the maximum height is approx. 200 cm. Please note that if your stage-prop is close to both maximum allowed dimensions and if it needs two (2) handlers for its safe transport, it reduces the number of other stage-props. The organizers of the competition have the right to prohibit a contestant from using a certain stage- prop in their performance if transporting it to or from the stage is too challenging or considered dangerous. The contestant is responsible for ensuring that the stage-props are sufficiently durable and sturdy for transportation. Please contact the organizers of the competition, if you are unsure about the suitability of your stage-props.

13. If the contestant supplies the stage with a protective and easily movable cover (e.g. a tarp) to protect the stage during the performance, it is possible to allow small-scale mess. However, this always requires special permission from the competition organizers. Please contact the competition organizers if you want to negotiate a special permit.

14. Background video is mandatory for the performance. The video may contain images or video clips. Abundant flashing lights in the video are prohibited.

15. The video and audio of the performance must be in the same file, in MP4 format. The contestant must deliver the file to the competition organizers by a deadline to be announced later. In addition, the contestant is recommended to save the file as a backup on an external memory stick and take it with them to the competition.

16. The contestant must submit their wishes for the stage lights to the competition organizers by the deadline to be announced later. The contestant must plan their own light wishes. In addition to this, the contestant can use their own background video to create colored light on the stage.

     

CONTESTANT BENEFITS AT THE EVENT

1. Contestants participating in the preliminaries will receive a weekend pass to the Comic Con Finland 2025 event. If the contestant has bought a ticket for the event, the ticket sales contract conditions will be followed in these cases.

2. Small salty and sweet snacks and refreshments are available for the contestants in the back rooms of the cosplay competitions.

3. The information of a possible assistant must be notified to the competition organizer in advance. The assistant must have a paid ticket to the event on the day of the competition.

IN ADDITION

1. The winners of the preliminaries undertake to participate in an interview in their competition costume on Sunday (11.05.2025) at Comic Con Finland. The interview does not require advance preparation from the winners

2. Please check the rules regarding the final and representation in the original rulebook!
   

The competition is organized by Cosvision ry in collaboration with Comic Con Finland.