Flower City Comic Con

Cosplay has no bounds. It has no gender, no ethnicity, no weight, no age, and no race. Cosplay is diversity, it is about connecting with a character and feeling confident, and most importantly, cosplay is about having fun and sharing your love of a character with others.

At Flower City Comic Con we are a safe space for everyone to cosplay freely, no matter your background, how long you’ve been cosplaying, or your level of craftsmanship. Our cosplay contest is fully inclusive for you: the creators, artists, seamstresses, and performers!

This is like no other cosplay contest you have ever entered, we welcome veterans, first-timers, and everyone in-between!

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Saturday September 14th: Adult Competition

• The adult competition is limited to aged 18+

• You must pre-register at the designated table and bring your form with you for on stage judging (please only mark 1-2 categories that you are entering for, this however does not exclude you from potentially placing in other categories!)

• Line up for the contest is at (time TBA) with the contest starting at (time TBA). Please have your form with you- each participant will have 30 seconds to show off their cosplay or makeup to the judges and crowd!

• If you are entering as a performance, please come ready with your form and music selection, you are allowed  a 1-minute maximum time.

• If you are entering as a group (4 members max)- please have all group members ready to go on at the same time, if this means having someone go in-front of you in-line to not hold up the cosplay contest, please let others go first.

• Be respectful of the judges and other contestants, this means being in the designated area on time, as well as cheering on your fellow cosplayers!

 

Craftsmanship (Must pre-register online!)​

• This is limited to anyone age 18+

• This category is specifically for anyone who has made 60% or more of their cosplay from scratch and are an experienced cosplayer in their craft, no exceptions.

• You must have not previously won any major awards in the cosplay you are entering to qualify (no prior craftsmanship or best in show awards).

• You must pre-register here in order to be considered for craftsmanship.

  • Not every individual who submits will be accepted for pre-judging​. 

  • Every entrant will be contacted via e-mail on Saturday, September 7th- if selected you will be given a specific time to meet with the judges. If you are not ready at your given time and/ or miss your time you will be disqualified from craftsmanship (example: if you are assigned 2pm and show up at 2:01, you will be disqualified- no exceptions). 

  • ​You must submit a build book of the cosplay you will be entering- if the cosplay is not finished submit what you have and concept sketches of the final look (MUST be your own art). Upon submitting, at least 70% of your cosplay must be complete and included in your build book. ​

  • Pre-registration for craftsmanship will close on September 1, 2024 at 11:59pm est. 

  • If you have any questions please reach out to us at help@fc3roc.org. 

• Pre-judging should take around 5-10 minutes per person so please have everything you need ready when you enter the room, be respectful of the judge’s time as well as the other contestants.

• Be prepared to answer questions from the judges about your craft and why you chose that character!

• Bring your forms (you will receive this via email if accepted) with you to the cosplay contest at (time TBA) and show off your look to the crowd and judges!

 

Sunday September 15th: Teens and Kids Competition

• The kid’s competition is limited to kids and teens 17 years old and under

• You must pre-register at the designated table and bring your form with you for on stage judging (please only mark 1-2 categories that you are entering for, this however does not exclude you from potentially placing in other categories!)

• Line up for the contest is at (time TBA), the competition will start at (TBA), please have your form with you! Each participant will have 30 seconds to show off their cosplay or makeup to the judges and crowd!

• If you are entering as a performance, please come ready with your form and music selection, you are allowed 1-minute maximum time.

• If you are entering as a group (4 members max)- please have all group members ready to go on at the same time, if this means having someone go in-front of you in-line to not hold up the cosplay contest, please let others go first.

• Be respectful of the judges and other contestants, this means being in the designated area on time, as well as cheering on your fellow cosplayers!

• Parents are welcome to come on stage with their child, but they will not be scored, only the child will be scored on the cosplay.

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Awards and Categories

 

Adult Competition (awards TBA)

• Ultimate Craftsmanship (1st place craftsmanship)

• Craftmaster (runner up for craftsmanship)

• Best In Show (cosplayer that fully embraces and becomes their character)

• Best Makeup (special effects, beauty makeup, etc.)

• Best Performance

• Best Group

• Best Group Performance

• Judges Honorable Mention(s)

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Teens and Kids Competition (awards TBA)

• Best In Show (cosplayer that fully embraces and becomes their character)

• Best Makeup (special effects, beauty makeup, etc.)

• Best Performance

• Best Group

• Best Group Performance

• Judges Honorable Mention(s)

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Prohibited

• All cosplay props are subject to inspection by convention staff upon entering the convention. Props and weapons will be “tagged” by the staff to signify they have been deemed safe. Metal or sharp objects are prohibited. http://www.fc3roc.com/code-of-conduct

• If a cosplay judge sees you at the con and your weapon is NOT tagged, they will have someone bring you to the inspection area- this is to ensure that everyone at the convention is safe, including yourself!

• New York State weapon and firearms laws are in effect and no weapons will be allowed into the convention. No exceptions,

• No profanity, political, or religious statements should be made during the competition, this includes messages or signs on clothes. If you fail to comply you will be disqualified.

• Nudity, partial or total, is not acceptable for the convention area. This is a family friendly environment and if you do not follow this rule, you ae subject to removal from the convention center. If you have any questions about a cosplay you are planning on wearing that may be deemed unacceptable, please contact our judge Sweetheart Harley at harleen@sweetheartharley.com with any questions or photos of the cosplay and she will be able to tell you if it would be acceptable or not.

• If you are on stage- please do not throw any objects from the stage into the crowd, and if you are in the crowd do not throw anything on stage.

• You must have a valid FC3 ticket to enter the contest!