Ropecon 2009 © Marko Saari

Design Contest and Costume Show

Ropecon 2025 once again features two costume programmes: the Design Contest and the Costume Show. The Design Contest focuses on self-made and self-designed costumes, while the Costume Show follows the more traditional fashion show format.

Design Contest

Participation in the Design Contest can be done either solo or as a group of 2–5 people. All entries compete in the same category – there are no separate categories for solo or group entries. Costumes must be made by the participant(s). The design can be original or based on an existing character without official visual source material, or it may be a reinterpretation. For example, characters from literature, tabletop role-playing games, or entirely original creations are welcome.

A maximum of 10 entries will be accepted into the contest, in order of registration. Contestants will be judged by a panel of judges based on criteria such as technical execution, level of detail, and level of difficulty. The top three participants or groups will be awarded.

The contest includes pre-judging and a stage show. Participants must attend a stage rehearsal before the contest according to the schedule provided by the cosplay coordinator.

The stage show is a voluntary performance lasting up to five minutes. While it does not affect the judges’ evaluation, it is a great opportunity to bring your character to life on stage. The awards will be given after the programme.

The sign-up is done by filling out the sign-up form in Google Forms. When registering, you’ll need to provide personal information, the character’s name, and source material.

Contest rules:

• All costumes must be made by the contestant or group members. Small-scale assistance from a friend or family member is allowed.
• It’s not allowed to participate in the contest with so-called “shop-made cosplay” costumes, i.e. costumes that are intended for the selected character and are manufactured by a company, entrepreneur or other similar professional.
  • Allowances from this rule can be made for small accessories (e.g. jewelry), but these must be declared to the judges.
• A costume can include bought generic ready-made clothing (e.g. T-shirts, trousers, dress shirts) items as long as it is not designed for a specific character. These may make up no more than 30% of the costume.
  • Example: If the costume includes 7 pieces (wig, jacket, shirt, trousers, shoes, accessories, prop), the contestant may use at most two unmodified store-bought items.
  • Modified wigs (e.g. cut or styled) do not count as store-bought. Unmodified wigs do count toward the 30% limit.
• Costumes that have placed in previous competitions may not be entered. Costumes that have been entered before but did not place are allowed.
• Participants must submit reference material for their costume in advance via the Google Form.
  • Images should be submitted in PDF format, max. 1 A4 page. You may include multiple images.
  • The reference material will serve as a key comparison for the judges.

Judging criteria: