Flower City Comic Con

Cosplay has no bounds. It has no gender, no ethnicity, no weight, no age, and no race. Cosplay is diversity, it is about connecting with a character and feeling confident, and most importantly, cosplay is about having fun and sharing your love of a character with others.

At Flower City Comic Con we are a safe space for everyone to cosplay freely, no matter your background, how long you’ve been cosplaying, or your level of craftsmanship. Our cosplay contest is fully inclusive for you: the creators, artists, seamstresses, and performers!

This is like no other cosplay contest you have ever entered, we welcome veterans, first-timers, and everyone in-between!

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*** PLEASE NOTE ***

Cosplayers in the convention representing Cosplay Organizations are not eligible for this competition. Please ask a member of the staff if you are unsure.

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Saturday September 14th: Adult Competition

• The adult competition is limited to aged 18+

• You must pre-register at the designated table and bring your form with you for on stage judging 

• Line up for the contest is at 4:45pm with the contest starting at 5:00pm. Please have your form with you- each participant will have 30 seconds to show off their cosplay or makeup to the judges and crowd!

• If you are entering as a performance, please come ready with your form and music selection, you are allowed  a 30 second maximum time. If you have/need music, you will need to come early so the DJ can get it ready.

• If you are entering as a group (4 members max)- please have all group members ready to go on at the same time, if this means having someone go in-front of you in-line to not hold up the cosplay contest, please let others go first. Only ONE form per group.

• Be respectful of the judges and other contestants, this means being in the designated area on time, as well as cheering on your fellow cosplayers!

 

Craftsmanship (Must pre-register online!)​

• This is limited to anyone age 18+

• This category is specifically for anyone who has made 70% or more of their cosplay from scratch and are an experienced cosplayer in their craft, no exceptions.

• You must have not previously won any major awards in the cosplay you are entering to qualify (no prior craftsmanship or best in show awards).

• You must pre-register here in order to be considered for craftsmanship.

  • Not every individual who submits will be accepted for pre-judging​. 

  • Every entrant will be contacted via e-mail on Saturday, September 7th- if selected you will be given a specific time to meet with the judges. If you are not ready at your given time and/ or miss your time you will be disqualified from craftsmanship (example: if you are assigned 3pm, please be there at 3pm, otherwise we may not be able to judge you). 

  • ​You must submit a build book of the cosplay you will be entering- if the cosplay is not finished submit what you have and concept sketches of the final look (MUST be your own art). Upon submitting, at least 70% of your cosplay must be complete and included in your build book. ​

  • Pre-registration for craftsmanship will close on September 6, 2024 at 11:59pm est. 

  • If you have any questions please reach out to us at help@fc3roc.org. 

• If selected for judging, you must bring a physical copy of your look book with you and hand it in at the Cosplay Registration table by 12pm on Saturday the 14th. Failure to do so will result in your craftsmanship submission being removed.

• Pre-judging should take around 5-10 minutes per person so please have everything you need ready when you enter the room, be respectful of the judge’s time as well as the other contestants.

• Be prepared to answer questions from the judges about your craft and why you chose that character!

 

Sunday September 15th: Teens and Kids Competition

• The kid’s competition is limited to kids and teens 17 years old and under

• You must pre-register at the designated table and bring your form with you for on stage judging 

• Line up for the contest is at 2:45pm, the competition will start at 3:00pm, please have your form with you! Each participant will have 30 seconds to show off their cosplay or makeup to the judges and crowd!

• If you are entering as a performance, please come ready with your form and music selection, you are allowed a maximum time of 30 seconds. You will need to come early to the stage to make sure the DJ has the music you will be using.

• If you are entering as a group (4 members max)- please have all group members ready to go on at the same time, if this means having someone go in-front of you in-line to not hold up the cosplay contest, please let others go first. Only one entry form is needed per group.

• Be respectful of the judges and other contestants, this means being in the designated area on time, as well as cheering on your fellow cosplayers!

• Parents are welcome to come on stage with their child, but they will not be scored, only the child will be scored on the cosplay.

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Awards and Categories

 

Adult Competition 

• Ultimate Craftsmanship (1st place craftsmanship) - Trophy, $200 prize

• Craftmaster (runner up for craftsmanship) - Trophy, $100 prize

• Best In Show (cosplayer that fully embraces and becomes their character) - Trophy

• Best Performance - Certificate

• Best Group - Certificate

• Best Upcycle (best use of adapted/reused/recycled anything) - $25 Gift Certificate sponsored by Crafting for Good

• Most Original (something out of the box, either an unusual character or created) - Certificate

• Best Prop - Certificate

• Best Headpiece - Certificate

• Best Throwback - Certificate

• Judges Honorable Mention(s) - Certificate

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Teens and Kids Competition 

• Best In Show (cosplayer that fully embraces and becomes their character) - Trophy

• Junior Craftsmanship (more than 50% made by the cosplayer) - Certificate

• Best Performance - Certificate

• Best Group - Certificate

• Most Original (something out of the box, either an unusual character or created) - Certificate

• Best Throwback - Certificate

• Judges Honorable Mention(s) - Certificate

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Prohibited

• All cosplay props are subject to inspection by convention staff upon entering the convention. Props and weapons will be “tagged” by the staff to signify they have been deemed safe. Metal or sharp objects are prohibited. http://www.fc3roc.com/code-of-conduct

• If a cosplay judge sees you at the con and your weapon is NOT tagged, they will have someone bring you to the inspection area- this is to ensure that everyone at the convention is safe, including yourself!

• New York State weapon and firearms laws are in effect and no weapons will be allowed into the convention. No exceptions,

• No profanity, political, or religious statements should be made during the competition, this includes messages or signs on clothes. If you fail to comply you will be disqualified.

• Nudity, partial or total, is not acceptable for the convention area. This is a family friendly environment and if you do not follow this rule, you ae subject to removal from the convention center. If you have any questions about a cosplay you are planning on wearing that may be deemed unacceptable, please contact our judge Sweetheart Harley at harleen@sweetheartharley.com with any questions or photos of the cosplay and she will be able to tell you if it would be acceptable or not.

• If you are on stage- please do not throw any objects from the stage into the crowd, and if you are in the crowd do not throw anything on stage.

• You must have a valid FC3 ticket to enter the contest!