Cosplay, which is dressing up as a character, is very much allowed at Animecon, though in no way mandatory. In addition to our official cosplay programme and contests you have the opportunity to photograph yourself, or be photographed by our photographers. Most con goers also enjoy posing for pictures when asked. Please remember to check the rules and regulations to make sure your costume and especially your possible prop guns, are allowed at the event.

The cosplay individual contest will be held on Saturday at Animecon. There are no separate groups for beginners or more advanced cosplayers. Instead, contestants will be divided up into 2-3 categories based on their costume, their props, make-up and the difficulty level of their outfit. The costume must be mostly self-made, and the main focus of judgement will be on the overall implementation. Your cosplay character must be from an anime or a manga. More information and more detailed instructions will be published during the Spring.

On Sunday, Animecon is hosting the performance contest, where the main focus will be on the presentation. The contestants need to provide their own audiotape and lighting needs about a month before the event. The costumes in this category don't need to be self-made. More information and more detailed instructions will be published during the Spring.

Animecon is also hosting a CMV or Cosplay Music Video contest. You can participate with any video that contains cosplay, has been self-shot and edited, and hasn't been previously published. More information on this, and all of our cosplay programmes and workshops to come in the Spring. So like Animecon on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and keep up with all the newest information about our con!

All cosplay-related questions can be directed to our cosplay correspondent at cosplay@animecon.fi .