Cosplay Masquerade

Rules & Guidelines

• Applications will close on April 17, 2026. Applications will not be taken at the convention!

• Contestants can compete in both Craftsmanship and Performance (so long as they meet the criteria below).

• Best-In-Show prizes are given separately in Craftsmanship and Performance. There is no overall Best-In-Show. A contestant who competes in both categories can win both Novice, Intermediate, Masters and Best-In-Show prizes.

• Professional costumers and/or performers are not permitted.

• You must apply as an individual for Craftsmanship.

• You can apply as either an individual or as a group for Performance.

• If you are competing as a Group in Performance and would also like to compete in Craftsmanship, each member of the group will be competing in Craftsmanship separately.

• You will receive a confirmation after submitting your application. If you do not, please reach out to Cosplay@alteredrealityentertainment.com

• Once you submit your application, we will review your application, and you will be notified if you were accepted, waitlisted, or declined by April 30, 2026.

• All cosplays and performances will be considered, but preference will be given to those influenced by Japanese media and culture.

• All competitors must have a paid Weekend or Saturday badge to RIAC 2026.

• RIAC 2026 staff, volunteers, celebrities, vendors, artists in artist alley, and cosplay guests are prohibited from competing in the Masquerade.

• Entry into the event is at the discretion of the event staff, and we reserve the right to reject ANY entrant who does not adhere to these rules or whose costume is in violation of them.

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Craftsmanship

• If you are selected, you will be assigned a time slot for pre-judging.

• All judging will take place on Saturday before the Masquerade.

• Please do not be late. If you miss your time slot, you will be disqualified.

• Contestants consent to have their costumes touched and examined closely by the judges during judging.

• Costume Composition:

  • Store-bought costumes are NOT PERMITTED! Your costume needs to be made or modified by you.

  • 75% of the costume must have been made or modified by you.

  • Original character designs and concepts are accepted as well! We are also allowing mashups and different takes on existing characters. Please be prepared to show the judges your reference for all characters not cannon to their original intellectual property.

• You must have a build book or build sheet to share with the judges during pre-judging.

• A build book or build sheet should include:

  • Reference images of the character(s)

  • Work-in-progress pictures

  • A list of any purchased items

  • Swatches of fabrics used

  • A list of any third parties who helped with the costume

• We recommend that you keep your build book to 10 or fewer pages (that includes front and back).

• Builds do not need to be complete at the time of application.

• Craftsmanship entries will be scored on:

  • 20% Design Accuracy

  • 20% Technical Proficiency

  • 20% Creativity/Problem-Solving

  • 20% Attention to Detail

  • 20% Level of Difficulty

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Performance

• Costumes do not need to be homemade to compete in the Performance category.

• If the costume(s) are homemade and meet the Craftsmanship criteria above, then you can also compete in Craftsmanship. If you are competing as a Group in Performance and would also like to compete in Craftsmanship, each contestant will need to compete in Craftsmanship separately.

• All performances will be considered, but preference will be given to original performances.

• Contestants should not perform skits that have been entered into other competitions and won an award.

• Skit lengths are limited to:

  • ​Novice - 1 minute, 30 seconds

  • Intermediate - 2 minutes, 30 seconds

  • Master - 3 minutes, 30 seconds

• Skit duration does not factor into judging. You do not need to fully use your allowed time.

• Items that cannot be picked up and removed in a few seconds are not permitted, including glitter, confetti, fake blood, bubbles, and rose petals.

• Smoke, fog, vapor, flash powder, lasers, explosives, open flame, electronic flashes or strobe lights are not permitted.

• Performances must be confined to the stage area. Throwing objects off the stage or jumping off the stage is not permitted.

• RIAC 2026 staff reserve the right to cancel a performance at any time for any reason.

• Performances must be PG-13.

• Live microphones will not be available.

• Electrical sockets will not be available.

• Video will not be available.

• Special lighting will not be available.

• Audio is expected to be clean, clear, and well-balanced.

• Recommended audio format is MP3.

• Staff may ask contestants to correct or re-record audio.

• Performance entries will be scored on:

  • 20% Originality

  • 20% Execution of Concept

  • 20% Choreography/Blocking

  • 20% Portrayal and Use of Costumes

  • 20% Props and Set Pieces

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Competition Levels & Prizes

• Novice – A cosplayer who has never entered a contest, or a cosplayer who has not won an award in any costume competition at the adult level.

• Intermediate – A cosplayer who has won one (1) but less than three (3) awards in adult competition such as Best Costume, Best Skit, Best Workmanship, First Place, etc., and has not won a "Best in Show" or "Best in Class" award, or won an award at the Master level.

• Master – A cosplayer who has won three (3) or more awards in adult competition, has won a "Best in Show" or "Best in Class" award, or has won an award at the Master level.

• Contestants can always compete in a level higher than their level.

• If you compete as a group, the competition level will be the level of the highest cosplayer in the group.

• The Cosplay Coordinators and Cosplay Guest Judges reserve the right to move contestants to a higher level should they deem it appropriate.

Performance​

• Best-In-Show: $250

• Masters: $125

• Intermediate: $75

• Novice: $50

Craftsmanship​

• Best-In-Show: $250

• Masters: $125

• Intermediate: $75

• Novice: $50

 

​Additional Prizes TBD. Judges Award Certificates

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Masquerade Application 

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