The Baltimore Comic-Con and Hard Rock Cafe Baltimore have joined forces to proudly present the 2021 Annual Costume Contest. The Hard Rock Cafe Baltimore has joined as the 2021 Costume Contest sponsor, bringing an internationally recognized pop culture brand and destination in as a partner to one of the show’s premiere events.

This year, the adult costume contest is being held on Saturday, October 23rd at 3:30pm. All participants must be in the pre-judge room by 1:30pm or their deposit will be forfeit. Prejudging will start at 2:00pm and be split into amateur and professional contests.

The children’s costume contest will be held on Sunday, October 24 at 2:30pm. All participants must be in the prejudge room by 1:00pm.

To ensure your spot for the contest, we encourage you to register as soon as you are able. While you will be able to complete your registration on-site, early Online Registration is now available to secure your spot.

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This year’s contest is being headed up by Carrie Wood, who will be joined at the judging table by ChibiTifa and Amanda Cadavid.

Carrie Wood brings with her nearly two decades’ worth of cosplay experience to the judges’ table, having started in the hobby in 2002. A veteran of the mid-Atlantic convention scene, she has cosplayed dozens of characters from comics, anime, video games and more, and has previously helped run contests at other local events. In 2015, she was able to merge cosplay with her day job when she penned The Overstreet Guide to Cosplay for Gemstone Publishing, a book that provided an insider’s look at the hobby. As a Baltimore native, she looks forward to bringing her unique perspective on cosplay to this year’s costume contest.

ChibiTifa is a cosplayer and seamstress from Maryland who has been in the hobby for over 15 years. She has made a vast array of costumes and has been a cosplay craftsmanship judge at several conventions on the East Coast. As part of Team Stellar Rose, she was chosen to represent the United States as Team USA 2021 at the World Cosplay Summit. She makes it her mission to make the cosplay world more welcoming and diverse to any and all newcomers.

Amanda Cadavid, also known as Bluucircles, hails from New York City and has nearly two decades of cosplaying under her belt. Starting by hand-sewing her first costume in 2003, she’s taught herself as many techniques as she’s had time to learn and has made everything from ballgowns to bodysuits. In addition to her personal cosplay work, she has taken on a number of outside commissions as well, and always enjoys the satisfaction of seeing someone feel their best in their new costume. She’s more than happy to share crafting tips, tricks, and advice – but she’ll be just as glad to talk your ear off about her favorite video games!

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This year’s contest will once again be split into several categories:

Adult – “Professional” ($10 Entry Fee)

• Those working a job involving building or fabricating costumes.
• Those who make costumes or pieces for casual sale (eBay, Etsy, etc.).
• Those who have won a major award at a costume contest at any convention.
• Those that have been invited to the show in any official capacity based on their cosplay.

Adult – “Amateur” ($5 Entry Fee)

• Any adult 18 years or older that does not meet the above requirements.

Kids (Free)

• Ages 17 and under.

Group – “More Than One Person” ($10 Entry Fee)

• Any group with more than one person choosing to enter and be judged as a single entity.

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PRIZES
Overall Best Costume (Best in Show) 

• $1,000 Grand Prize in Cash for Professional

Prizes in each of the Professional Adult categories:

• $250 Cash for 1st Place
• $150 Cash for 2nd Place
• $100 Cash for 3rd Place

Amateur Adult categories:

• $150 Cash for 1st Place
• $75 Cash for 2nd Place
• $50 Cash for 3rd Place

Group category (winning groups divide prize amount between members):

• $200 Cash for 1st Place
• $150 Cash for 2nd Place

Kids Prizes in each of the Newborn to Age 11 and Age 12 to Age 17 categories:

• $100 Grand Prize in Cash for Kids
• $75 Cash for 1st Place
• $50 Cash for 2nd Place

Each winner will also receive free admittance to the Baltimore Comic-Con in 2022!

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RULES:

1. All participants must have Baltimore Comic-Con admission wristband or badge (this includes Associate, Dealer, Press, and other specialty badges) as well as COVID protocol wristband. Members of Baltimore Comic-Con staff are ineligible to compete.
2. Participants can register at any time up to 1:00pm on Saturday or Sunday for the respective Costume Contests by visiting the Costume Contest Booth located in booth 1200.
3. All participants will be required to sign a permission/release/waiver form to participate in the contest. Minors under 18 years of age may participate only if a permission/release form signed by the minor’s legal guardian is provided. Forms are available at the Costume Contest Booth (see #2 above).
4. Participant category (Amateur or Professional) shall be determined by a set of 3 judges during the pre-judging portion of the contest.
5. Pictures will be taken during judging of all participants and throughout the costume contest and will be the property of Baltimore Comic-Con.
6. All costumes must abide by the rules of Baltimore Comic-Con, including but not limited to the Baltimore Comic-Con Weapons and Harassment policies as well as COVID protocols. If a policy violation is discovered, that entry will be disqualified.
7. Professionally made, purchased, or rented costumes are prohibited.
8. Costumes that have won any major awards at any convention may not be entered in the Baltimore Comic-Con Costume Contest unless major (50% or more) work has been improved or worked over with photographic proof of the changes.
9. No glitter, confetti, pyrotechnics, live flame, or smoke generators of any kind are allowed in the Baltimore Convention Center.
10. No electrical power connections will be provided. If your costume requires power, it must be part of your costume design.
11. Groups from the same series are welcome to enter, but random characters from different series are discouraged. Groups will be considered as one entry and the winners will receive one prize to share.
12. Each contestant may present (wear) only one costume, or a group of people may wear one costume at the same time (i.e., a large costume that requires several people inside to move it).
13. All entrants are encouraged to bring reference material for their costume. Not all judges know all characters, so it is in everyone’s best interest to bring a color picture (or several) if possible. The reference should depict the details of the costume you are presenting. Please do not ask to e-mail or print out references at the convention.
14. Costumes will be judged on a variety of criteria, including craftsmanship and overall effect.
15. All judges’ decisions of the costume contest are final.