NATIONAL REGULATION

This page contains information for 2024. Please wait for a while as the 2025 participation rules will be revised in due course.

1. One team of two cosplayers will represent each country or region.

2. In order to participate in a preliminary round, cosplayers must provide, to the satisfaction of the preliminary round organizer, proof of citizenship or residency of the country or region holding the event. Participation as a representative of a country or region is permitted if the organizer or license holder is satisfied that the cosplayer is in the process of obtaining permanent residency in the specific country or region, and the corresponding residence status has been obtained under the legal system of the concerned country or region. In cases where regional affiliation is more relevant than national affiliation, or under joint systems such as confederations, participation is permitted as representative of the country or region to which cosplayers consider they belong.
However, after participation as a representative of a specific country or region, participation as a representative of a different country or region is not permitted for 5 years from the year of participation, despite any changes in the cosplayer’s place of residence or nationality.
The organizers of the corresponding country or region should be contacted for any question regarding the eligibility for participation and should they deem it necessary to be reviewed by the World Cosplay Summit Secretariat, the organizations and cosplayers shall adhere to the findings of that review.

3. Participants shall be aged 18 and over.
※ If they are under 18, they must have the consent of a guardian. Participation is allowed only if the permission of a guardian is obtained, and they are able to come to Japan on their own. Age restrictions may vary from country to country.

4. Participants shall be able to travel to Japan and participate in activities during the period of the World Cosplay Championship. In case it is not possible to travel to Japan, participants shall be able to participate in the schedule of the Championship and in the awarding ceremony via a remote online connection.

5. The organizers of preliminary round events are granted the right to select the representatives by a method of their choice. In the event that a change of representatives cannot be avoided, the organizers of preliminary round events can appoint new representatives provided that they meet the requirements for participation. In such cases, the organizers of preliminary round events shall duly inform the WCS Executive Office of the change of representatives and the grounds for the selection of the new representatives.

6. The two members of the team must wear costumes belonging to the same Japanese manga, anime, video game, or tokusatsu work. Also, these must be hand-made by the contestants themselves.

※ Characters from dôjinshi (fanzine), anthology works are not permitted.
※ When doing a costume from a game, the character must be recognizable of Japanese origin. (i.e. not a Disney or Star Wars character even though the game may be made in Japan.)
※ It is permissible to a limited extent for family and friends to help with costumes however it is preferable that costumes are hand-made by the contestants themselves
※ Costumes from stages or live-actions adaptations may be used as references, but championship’s costume judging will be based on the original work.

■ Conditions for representatives

1. Representatives shall cooperate in a positive manner in order to ensure the success of the World Cosplay Summit.

2. Media such as TV programs, internet sites, newspapers, magazines, etc., may use pictures of the representatives and images of the preliminary contests for the purpose of promoting the World Cosplay Summit. On these occasions, compensation will not be furnished.

3. Image rights in all media exposure such as the news from TV programs and other assorted media involved with the World Cosplay Summit, promotional activities in the print media as well as events and performances, announcements of the World Cosplay Summit during the World Cosplay Summit event period, will be attributed to World Cosplay Summit Executive Committee.

4. The representative cosplayers shall read the separate forms thoroughly and return them filled out upon agreement.

■ Rights of representatives

1. Representatives earn the right to be considered as past representatives (WCS alumni) in the World Cosplay Summit, being able to join the alumni group managed by the Executive Office and participate in programs addressed to them.

2. The following prizes will be awarded in the World Cosplay Championship. In case the received award includes secondary prizes provided by sponsors in addition to the commemorative items, these will be sent by mail to the winners at a later date. Also, there is the possibility that prizes other than those listed below shall be added.

Total score

1st prize (Grand Champion): Trophy, certificate of merit, commemorative items
Secondary prize: Participation as guest judges in the “World Cosplay Summit – Cosplay Championship” to be held in 2025, including return flight tickets for transportation to Japan

2nd prize: Trophy, certificate of merit, commemorative items

3rd prize: Trophy, certificate of merit, commemorative items

Other additional prizes are to be provided, such as secondary prizes provided by sponsors.
* Prizes are expected to be shipped within 2024

■ Important points regarding participation

1. Besides respecting the Competition and Judging rules, the following points shall also be taken into consideration when shooting and producing video footage at the country or region of the participants.

1) Participants are required to make their best efforts for the preservation of the filming environment.
In the case of filming on premises other than the private property of the members of the team, filming cannot be done without obtaining the corresponding permissions and authorizations. In case evidence of the obtaining of such permissions exist, it shall be provided.

2. As specified in the Competition and Judging rules, dangerous actions and ethically dubious content are not allowed. Additionally, the deadlines for the submission of each of the deliverables must be respected.The format and the contents of the aforementioned documents and other deliverables must conform to the formats provided by the Executive Office.

3. The Executive Office reserves the right to freely use the edited data and the original data of all the materials submitted to the Executive Office, including the costume construction reports and videos, for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Updated February, 2024
The World Cosplay Summit Executive Office