Midway Cosplay Contest

Competitors will be evaluated across three primary areas:

CRAFTSMANSHIP
Construction quality, creativity, complexity, materials, techniques, modifications, finishing, props, and overall execution.

ACCURACY & CREATIVITY
How effectively your cosplay represents its character or source material—or how creatively you've developed an original interpretation, variant, mashup, or original character.

PERFORMANCE & PRESENTATION
Bring the character to life! Judges will consider stage presence, posing, character portrayal, confidence, presentation, and overall impression.

Cosplayers of all experience levels are welcome. You don't need to be a professional costume builder or veteran competitor.

Handmade, modified, commissioned, and purchased costume elements may be permitted, but contestants must accurately disclose what they personally created or significantly modified. Craftsmanship scores will focus primarily on the work performed by the contestant.

Solo and group entries may be permitted, and original characters and creative interpretations are welcome.

All costumes, props, and performances must be appropriate for a public festival environment and comply with Future Play Festival and Peoria Civic Center safety policies. Real firearms, functional weapons, explosives, live ammunition, and dangerous items are prohibited. Props may be subject to inspection.

Contestants should be prepared to discuss how their cosplay was created during judging. Reference images, build photos, and other materials documenting your work are encouraged.

Contestants must complete event-day check-in and report for any assigned judging, staging, or competition times. Final competition procedures and detailed rules will be provided to registered contestants prior to the event.

All judging decisions are final. Future Play reserves the right to update contest rules, procedures, categories, and scheduling as necessary.

Registering for the Cosplay Contest does NOT include admission to Future Play Festival.

Every contestant must also purchase or possess a valid Future Play Festival ticket for Sunday, October 4.

You need two things to compete:

1. Register for the Cosplay Contest
2. Purchase your Future Play Festival ticket

Submitting a contest registration alone does not provide admission to the festival.