2026 COSPLAY MASQUERADE
Important Dates
APPLICATIONS OPEN - 11/20
APPLICATIONS CLOSE 12/20 - @ 11:59 PM EST
ACCEPTANCE/ WAITLIST EMAILS WILL BE SENT BY 12/23
Please be sure to read all rules and policies below before applying!
As of IsshoCon 2026, all entries will be juried for the Cosplay Masquerade.
There will be no in person signups for the IsshoCon 2026 Cosplay Masquerade.
All Entries will be judged on the Performance Aspect.
The Cosplay Masquerade is open to ALL media types. This includes Anime, Manga, Comics, Western cartoons, and more.
Original designs are allowed; however, we must have documentation of both the front and back of the design you are submitting.
NO ASPECT OF AI (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE) Anyone found doing so will be immediately disqualified AND WILL BE BANNED FROM COMPLETING IN ISSHOCON MASQUERADE.
All participants and handlers must have an IsshoCon Badge (Either a 3-day badge or a Saturday badge). Isshocon Badges are not complimentary to participants or handlers. Badges must be purchased by all parties involved.
You must participate in both Craftmanship and Performance to be considered for the “Best in Show” award.
It is perfectly acceptable to enter into a category under a different division:
For example: Entering as a Beginner in Craftsmanship but Intermediate in Performance.
Hall Exhibition will not be eligible for any of the Masquerade awards mentioned below (this includes any cash prizes that will be given out)
If you participate in the Hall Exhibition, you may enter the official Cosplay Masquerade; however, you must submit a different costume entry.
All participants must follow all IsshoCon policies - Cosplay Policies / Weapon Policies. For more information, please click here.
No harmful imagery may be used in your costume or skit. This includes cosplays that require you to change into a race that is not your own (Blackface and other forms of harmful imagery). If you are found doing so, you will be immediately disqualified from the cosplay contest and removed from the convention.
IsshoCon Masquerade is family-friendly. Please keep all performances for all audiences. If you have any questions regarding a performance or cosplay, please email us at isshocon.cosplay@gmail.com.
All participants are required to wear shoes that cover their feet while on stage. IsshoCon wants to make sure that contestants stay safe while executing their costumes/ performances.
Participants must keep the size of their costumes/props in mind while moving through the convention center. It is highly recommended that participants choose a costume/props that fits through an average doorway /hallway.
Participants will be allowed 1 handler through the contest if needed. Only cosplay masquerade participants/ and approved handlers will be allowed into the Green Room. Each cosplayer participating in the contest will have a time slot to enter the Green Room for pre-judging.
Contestants 12 and under must have a parent or guardian present with them throughout the entire cosplay masquerade process. This includes when prizes and awards are given out. There will be a required parental consent form that will be available for those 12 and under.
There will be strict rules for contestants to be mindful on stage. This includes no running, jumping, flips, etc.
IsshoCon staff must be made aware of everything to be done on stage. Anyone caught breaking these rules will be immediately disqualified.
No explosives such as smoke bombs/ machines etc.
Contestants are not allowed to bring/ use anything that could cause a mess or be hazardous to other contestants/ attendees. This includes shooting things into the audience, such as confetti/ t-shirts/ other merchandise, etc. However, items like throwing streamers are allowed. (When in doubt, please send an email @ isshocon.cosplay@gmail.com)
Contestants may model a costume made by someone else. The original creator of said costume must be present during the entire judging process.
IsshoCon reserves the right to deny someone entry/ the continuation of participating in the cosplay contest for any reason.
In order to attend the Cosplay Masquerade, you must read all of the following rules and agree to them. Anyone found breaking these rules may be denied entry/ asked to leave.
Judges reserve the right to move contestants up/ down a division if it is found they are considered to be above/ below the division level applied for. If you have any questions about which division you should be entered into, please email us @ isshocon.cosplay@gmail.com.
IsshoCon has a zero tolerance policy on bullying/ harassing other attendees and contestants during all events, including the Masquerade. Anyone found doing so will be immediately disqualified. This will also include prizes being revoked and being banned from participating in any future Masquerades at IsshoCon. You also may be asked to leave the convention
Isshocon also has a Zero-Tolerance policy on cheating and sandbagging. Anyone found doing so will be immediately disqualified and banned from participation in any Masquerades or Cosplay Contest that IsshoCon may host in the future.
General Masquerade rules
MASQUERADE PRIZES
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Best Beginner - $75
Best Intermediate - $100
Best Advance -$125
Best Craftsmanship - $150
PERFORMANCE
Best Beginner - $75
Best Intermediate - $100
Best Advance -$125
Best Performance - $150
Best in Show - $500!
(Best in Show must participate in both Performance and Craftsmanship!)
All winners listed above will also win a 3-Day badge for IsshoCon 2027.
IsshoCon Best In Show Winner 2025: Leviathan Blaze
DIVISION CATEGORIES
INTERMEDIATE
70% of the costume entry must be handcrafted.
Requires adequate knowledge in costume making or performances.
Has won 1-4 awards that include major awards.
BEGINNER
50% of the costume entry must be handcrafted.
Requires minor knowledge in costume making or performances.
Has not won major awards.
MASTERS
80% of the costume entry must be handcrafted.
Requires advanced knowledge in costume making or performances.
Has won 5 or more awards that include major awards.
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Craftsmanship SignUPS
Online sign-ups will begin on 11/20/25 and will end on 12/20/25 at 11:59 pm EST.
Once signed up, you will receive a confirmation email from the IsshoCon Cosplay Department within 48 business hours.*
*This email is only for confirmation that we received your application.Sign-ups will take place online until 12/20/25 @ 11:59 pm EST. Once the application closes, IsshoCon Cosplay Department will not take any more Masquerade applications after the deadline.
If any participant is WAITLISTED, after sending out emails on 12/23/25, please note that there is a chance that you will not participate in the Masquerade unless someone drops.
Due to the Masquerade being juried, there will be no in-person signups for Isshocon 2026 Masquerade.
However, we will have a Hall Cosplay Contest on Friday and Saturday.All pre-judging will take place on Friday and Saturday of the Convention in the Cosplay Judging Room.
Our Cosplay Department will do a final check of all e-folders on 12/21/25 at 12 noon EST. If no progress is uploaded to your craftsmanship folder, we will reach out via email to check in. If no progress is uploaded by 12/23/25 11:59 pm EST, you may be dropped from the competition.
All e-folders must be SHARED with the Cosplay Department so we can see your progress.
Craftsmanship RULES
This part of the contest will not require speaking or the use of microphones.
Every participant in the Craftsmanship Category is required to attend a pre-judging session for their costume entry. Contestants who do not participate in pre-judging will not be allowed to walk across the stage and will be ineligible for any awards.
All Craftmanship contestants must have the folder requirements mentioned above as part of their application. If you are still deciding on your costume, that’s ok! Our Cosplay Department requires a link to the folder for when you add materials.
Handlers must purchase a badge for the convention. Handlers will not be provided a complimentary badge by our Cosplay Department.
If you do not have a handler but need assistance, please ask our cosplay department when you check in for your time slot, or please email isshocon.cosplay@gmail.com
Craftsmanship group entries are limited to 5 people.
PErformance
PERFORMANCE SignUPS
Sign-ups for performance will take place online only. There will be no sign-ups in person for performance, as our Cosplay Department needs to approve skits before the Masquerade.
Online sign-ups will begin on 11/20/25 and will end on 12/20/25.
All audio must be in .mp3 format. The Cosplay Department will not pull audio from sites such as YouTube on the day of the Masquerade.
Scripts must be acceptable to all audiences. Please avoid harsh language and inappropriate content.
All Scripts and Audio are due in your e-folder by 1/3/2026 at 11:59 PM EST.
Failure to upload materials to your e-folder may result in disqualification from the Masquerade.
REGARDING IDOL PERFORMANCES
If you plan on submitting a performance that includes anything related to Idol materials. Your story must include 50% non-idol-related content.
We suggest that if you are looking to submit a full idol performance to apply for our 2026 Idol Fest! That information will be available very soon!
Performance Time Caps:
1 Person: 90 Seconds Max
2 People: 2 Minutes Max
3 People: 2 Minutes 30 Seconds Max
4-5 People: 3 Minutes Max
There will be a limited number of performance/ skit entries so please be sure to apply as soon as possible. Any additional performances over the expected number will be waitlisted, and we will notify you via email if we have space open up.
Cosplayers are encouraged to wear costumes that have been hand-crafted for performances, but it is not required.
Handlers must purchase a badge for the convention. Handlers will not be provided a complimentary badge by the Cosplay Department.
The stage for the contest size will be announced soon!
APP E-FOLDER REQUIREMENTS
Craftsmanship E-FOLDER
- ALL FOLDERS MUST BE CREATED VIA GOOGLE DRIVE -
Please be sure your e-folder is public/shared.
This can be done by clicking share and changing the privacy from “restricted” to “anyone with link.”
Failure to provide a public/shared e-folder may result in disqualification from the Masquerade.
Reference Images - Photos of the character you are cosplaying. The more references you have of the character in different poses the easier it will be for judges. Reference images are mandatory for the application.
Progress Photos - Photos that show you working on the costume over a period of time. These photos may be what you have so far, it's also ok if you don't have images just yet! Just make sure to update this folder as you start to work on your costume.
*Please enter these into two separate folders within the original folder*
In the application, there will be a section where you can add a link to a folder that includes all of these images. Please provide a link that will be able to be viewed by our judges. If the link you provided does not allow our team to view the files, you may be asked to resubmit your application. Please make sure the folder is able to be viewed. We understand if your folder is empty until the con. Our Cosplay Dept. just needs access to the e-folder whenever you add.
If you are basing your costume off of a design that is not your own (non-canonical works found on sites such as Instagram/ Facebook/ DeviantArt), you must have written consent from the said artist you can showcase that costume. This consent file must be located in your folder as well. If you fail to provide consent from said artist(s) you will not be able to enter the costume contest.
The same rules mentioned above will apply to costumes that have been commissioned by someone else. You must have their permission to enter the costume contest. If you fail to provide consent, that costume will not be allowed to enter.
PERFORMANCE E-FOLDER
- ALL FOLDERS MUST BE CREATED VIA GOOGLE DRIVE -
Please be sure your e-folder is public/shared.
This can be done by clicking share and changing the privacy from “restricted” to “anyone with link.”
Failure to provide a public/shared e-folder may result in disqualification from the Masquerade.
Script - This folder within your overall folder must include your script for your performance. If your script is not included in your folder by 01/03/2026, you may be dropped from the Masquerade. If you have any questions regarding your script, please reach out to our Cosplay Department “isshocon.cosplay@gmail.com”.
Audio - This folder within your overall folder must include the audio for your performance. If your audio is not included in your folder on 01/03/2026 by 11:59 EST, you may be dropped from the Masquerade. If you have any questions regarding your audio, please reach out to our Cosplay Department @ “isshocon.cosplay@gmail.com”.
Please be sure your audio is in .mp3 format.
INFO ON SANDBAGGING
Sandbagging is an act that is forbidden at Isshocon.
Anyone found doing so will be immediately disqualified from the competition.
Acts related to sandbagging are:
Entering a costume that has previously won a major award at another convention. (For example: Best in Show/ Other “Best of” Awards)
Purposefully entering into a division below your current skill level