Welcome to the highlight event of Ponyville Ciderfest 2021 – The Cosplay Competition!

Calling all cosplayers of all skill levels – we want to see the best that you can do! We want our Cosplay Competition this year to be the grandest we’ve ever had, which is why for the first time ever, we’re offering a total prize purse that’s worth over $4,000 in cash, prizes, sponsorships, and awards! This will be spread over several categories and places in each category, with the grand prize going to the Best in Show winner, who alone will receive a package that is worth at least $1,000, including a professional photoshoot after the event, generously donated by Oakcreek Photography!

ADVANCE REGISTRATION OF YOUR ENTRY IS REQUIRED BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22 AT 9 PM CENTRAL TIME!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER or scroll to the bottom of this page!

Ponyville Ciderfest Cosplay Competition Organizers, Judges, and Participants will adhere to the ICG Guidelines for Fair Competition and Judging Standards.

JUDGING CATEGORIES

The following applies to ALL categories:

Only contestants who constructed more than 80% of their costume are eligible for the Best in Show award

All contestants are eligible for a Judges Choice Award

All categories have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners

Kids: This level is for contestants under the age of 13 years old. Children in this category should have assisted with their costume build in some way and can only be eligible for 1st place if they assisted with more than 50% of the costume build. A child wearing a costume designed and built entirely by an adult should be entered either in the adult’s appropriate skill division, or entered as an exhibition (out of competition) piece at the Showcase Event. 

Teens: This level is for contestants at least 13 years old and under 18 years old. Teens in this category should be the primary creator of their costume. Teens can only be eligible for 1st place in the category if they made more than 80% of the costume build. A teen wearing a costume designed and built entirely by an adult should be entered either in the adult’s appropriate skill division or entered as an exhibition (out of competition) piece at the Showcase Event.

Novice: This level is for adults at least 18 years old who have never been in a cosplay competition before, do not have a lot of experience costuming, and/or have constructed less than 60% of their costume. Contestants are only eligible for 1st Place in the Novice category if they constructed more than 80% of the costume build. They may be moved up to Journeyman if they meet the percentage requirement, on a case-by-case basis (determined by the judges). “Closet Cosplays” will be entered into the Novice Category.

Journeyman: This level is for adults at least 18 years old with some costuming experience. Journeyman contestants must have constructed at least 60% of their costume to qualify for this category. If you constructed less than 60% of the cosplay, you will not be allowed to compete for Journeyman and will be moved to Closet Cosplay/Novice. Journeyman contestants may also be moved up to Master if they meet the percentage requirement, on a case-by-case basis (determined by the judges). Contestants are only eligible for 1st Place in the Journeyman category if they constructed more than 80% of the costume build.

Master: You must have constructed at least 80% of your costume to qualify for the Master category, which must show evident advanced technique in one or more cosplay mediums, or have won a previous Journeyman/Intermediate competition or a previous Best In Show for a different cosplay. If your experience is Master/ Advanced and you constructed less than 80% of your cosplay, you will not be allowed to compete in the Master category.

According to the ICG (International Costumer Guild) guidelines, it is unreasonable for somebody who is new to cosplaying to compete against cosplayers with years of masquerading experience. The category system is not intended to provide recognition, the awards themselves do that. It exists merely to promote fairness.

RULES

While it is highly encouraged and preferred for cosplays to be related to My Little Pony, it is NOT required.

You must be registered for the competition by the registration deadline and be a Ponyville Ciderfest 2021 attendee in order to compete. Each member of your group must have a Ponyville Ciderfest 2021 badge – Register Here

If the costume you are wearing has won a major award before at a prior Ponyville Ciderfest or any other cosplay competition, you are not eligible for any awards for that costume in this competition. Award-winning costumes are encouraged to participate in the separate Showcase Event.

Ponyville Ciderfest adheres to the “Family Friendly” G-rated rule when it comes to attire, language, and hand gestures.  Profanity, political, or religious statements/signage are not allowed.

Hate symbols, even historical hate symbols, will not be tolerated. Anything that represents any hateful or discriminating organizations (I. E. Nazi, KKK) is against the Convention Rules. If any of these images or costumes are brought to the convention, the cosplayer will be immediately removed and may be banned from the convention.

All costumes must cover “swimsuit areas” – no nudity. Body-paint costumes are not considered covered.

During the competition, enter and exit the stage at the designated points only. Costumes must be handled by the contestant or by any handler(s) the contestant brings to help. Handlers are required to be registered attendees of the convention, and Ponyville Ciderfest cannot provide on-stage assistants. You are liable for your own safety and the safety of others. All participants are to keep at least one foot on the stage at all times.

Contestants are not allowed to throw anything off the stage, nor use projectiles or use anything on stage that will leave a mess. This includes (but is not limited to) liquids, glitter, and confetti.

No pyrotechnics, fire, explosive devices, or similar special effects can be used during the competition; this includes smoke/fog machines and flash paper/powder.

Animal companions ARE allowed to be a part of your cosplay but are your responsibility to control. The liability for any damage to any property, or injury to any person caused by an animal rests solely on the contestant that brought it to the event.

All prop weapons must conform to the Ponyville Ciderfest prop policies, including being checked.

Each contestant may only enter one costume into the competition and can be in only one Division.

Pre‐Meet & Check-In: There will be a pre‐meet and check-in before the Cosplay Competition in Mane Events beginning 25 minutes prior to the Competition start time. This Pre‐Meet is where we will do a check-in before briefly going over where you will enter and exit the stage as well as explain etiquette. During check-in, you will be lined up and prepared to start the Cosplay Competition. It is mandatory to attend the pre‐meet to take part in the Competition. Entries should show up to the pre‐meet in costume, ready for the competition.

Contestants under the age of 13 must have a parent or legal guardian present at the Cosplay Competition and Pre-Meet.

A person wearing a made costume designed and built entirely by someone else should give credit to the maker, and the maker must be present or the costume may be entered as an exhibition (out of competition) piece for the Showcase Event.

Additional Guidelines

A “professional cosplayer” is a competitor who does costume design, makeup, or FX for a living. Professionals are typically excluded from competing with non-professionals. We encourage Professionals to participate as a Showcase Event participant.

Skits will not be entered into the competition but will be eligible to apply to exhibit during the Showcase Event. Please see Showcase Event participation rules and guidelines. The Showcase Event is a separate event.

When scoring judges will pay close attention to the quality, stitching, and finish of the fabric, the choice of structural materials such as foam, worbla, wood, or cardboard and the way they were treated, the detail put into crafting the decorations and trimmings, the overall techniques used and the originality of ideas applied in the costume, the quality of the wigs, wig-styling, props, customized shoes, and makeup, the effort that was put into collecting the appropriate parts and pieces, and their character portrayal.

All awards are final, except for those who are found to have been cheating. Any claims of “sandbagging” brought to the staff’s attention will be investigated to determine if an award should be revoked. Displays of poor sportsmanship may result in disqualification and/or barring from future Ponyville Ciderfest cosplay competitions. Harassment of judges or staff, or any conduct that violates the Ponyville Ciderfest convention policies may result in disqualification and barring from future Ponyville Ciderfest cosplay competitions.