Aurora Cosplay Tournament

Photo: Nyymix. 

• Competition application opens June 1, 2026, at 18:00
• Competition application closes June 22, 2026, at 23:59
  
• All applicants will be informed about the competition spots by June 30, 2026
• Technical form and material’s deadline August 16, 2026
• The winners will be announced at Tracon during the Saturday cosplay competition on September 5, 2026

Tracon’s preliminary follows the Aurora Cosplay Tournament Final Rules with a few changes, which are listed below. The official rules can be found on the official website of the Aurora Cosplay Tournament.

• A group must consist of 2–4 members.
• Groups are allowed to have assistants with them, by the following rules:
  • Groups of 2 may have up to two (2) assistants.
  • Groups of 3 may have one (1) assistant.
  • Groups of 4 are ot allowed to have any assistants.
• Each member of the Group and assistants has to be at least 18 years old by 29th of August 2027.
• Each member of the Group must be a citizen or a permanent resident of Finland.
• Aurora Cosplay Tournament reserves the right to verify eligibility.
• If the selected representatives are not able to attend the Finals, the first Runner-Up will take their spot.

• All costumes must be self-made by the competing group members.
• The work on costumes between group members has to be divided equally and each member has to have their craftsmanship visible on the costumes.
• At least 80% of each costume must be made by the members of the group.
  • Store-bought base items are allowed only if they are significantly altered.
  • 3D print models, embroidery patterns and all other patterns are highly recommended to be designed by the contestants, but they can be store-bought. If they are store-bought it has to be communicated clearly to the ACT team and towards judges.
  • Generative AI is not permitted pattern making or in any other ways.
• Costumes must be based on officially published and licensed source material (e.g., anime, manga, video games, films, comics)
  • Each member of the group has to have a costume from the same source.
  • Contestants will have to be able to deliver official full body reference images of all the costumes.
  • Designs based on fanart, genderswaps and gijinkas are not permitted unless they are officially licensed.
  • Hannah Alexander illustrations and Sakizô are allowed. 
  • Designs based on artbooks, posters and dolls are allowed if they are officially approved and licensed.
  • Original designs are not permitted.
• Offensive costumes and make-up (such as black face) are strictly prohibited.
• All costumes must be completed before arrival to Tracon. Repairs are permitted if something has broken, but building parts for the costume is not allowed. Failing to follow this rule will eliminate the Group’s chance for placing in the preselection.
• Costumes with which a contestant has either placed or participated in previous international competitions (e.g WCS, ECG, NCC, GIGOF…) are not allowed.
  • Contestants are allowed to compete with costumes that have placed (but not won) in the National Qualifiers for previous international competitions. Please note that in such a case, the performance has to be modified to be at least 50% original for the Aurora preliminary.
• Contestants are allowed to use the same costumes in ACT preliminaries and the Final.

Groups are advised to document the making of their costumes and performance from the beginning with photos and notes as each group has to provide required documentation by the given deadline.

• Each Group must submit a digital buildbook within the given timeline.
• The buildbook must be sent to craftsmanship and performance juries a week before the preselection, so they can get familiar with the costumes and the performance before pre-judging.

• Groups will use the official template for buildbooks provided by Tracon.
• Groups are not allowed to bring physical documentation or buildbooks to the pre-judging.
• However, if for example the costume has tricky colors and the contestant is worried how they will show on screen, it is permitted to bring printed reference photos to the pre-judging.

• The buildbook and other documents requested are supporting tools in judging. They do not replace live evaluation.

The Aurora Cosplay Tournament Preliminary will be judged similarly to the Final.There will be two judge panels in the preliminary: Craftsmanship Jury and Performance Jury.

• Craftsmanship of the costumes will be evaluated in pre-judging.
• Each Group will have 15 minutes with the judges.
• Judging will be mostly in English but parts of it can also be done in Finnish.
• Each group member must be present at the pre-judging.
• Each Group will be given a specific time for costume judging. If the Group is late from the judging, this will negatively affect their craftsmanship points.

• Performances will be judged during the Selection.
  • Judges will see the performances only once (1).
• Judges are allowed to discuss craftsmanship / performances within their own judge panel before confirming final scores of their own.
  • Judges will not be allowed to see each other’s scores.

Each judge panel (craftsmanship/performance) is eligible to award up to 60 points. In total, a Group’s maximum score is 120.

• Performance length: 90-210 seconds.
• Groups are allowed to use visible assistants in their performance.
  • Assistants must not take too much attention away from the actual contestants during the performance.
  • Assistants’ costumes are not judged.
•  You can find the technical requirements for the performances on this page by scrolling down to “Competitor Instructions”.

• Competitors must follow staff instructions.
• Inappropriate behavior or being late from official contestant events such as judging, photoshoots and practices may affect scoring negatively or result in disqualification.
• Aurora Cosplay Tournament follows Safe Space and anti-harassment principles. All participants are expected to act on these principles.

• The competition is recorded and photographed.
• By participating in the National Selection, competitors grant Tracon and Aurora Cosplay Tournament permission to use event photos and video footage for promotional and archival purposes related to the Tournament.

You can apply for the competition through the form available via the link once applications open. The form opens on June 1, 2026, at 18:00. Applications will be accepted until June 22 at 23:59. Applicants must register on the Kompassi.eu service to fill in the application form.

Competitors will be selected based on their portfolios. Thus, you do not need to hurry when filling in your portfolio.

All applicants will be informed of the selections no later than June 30. In case of problems or questions, you can contact cosplay@tracon.fi.

Selected competitors must submit the following materials:

• Media file 
• MP3/MP4 file containing the audio, video and music in the same file.
• Technical form
• List of stage props
• Places for the stage props marked on the stage map.
• Stagelight requests
• Description of performance events

The technical form will be provided to selected competitors together with their acceptance letter.

All technical materials must be submitted by August 16 at 23:59 via the Xfer server. Instructions for using the service will be provided after the applicant selection.

The media file that contains background video and audio must be the same length as the performance. The media file must be submitted as an MP3/MP4 file. It is recommended to pay attention to the sound quality of the file. AI-generated audio or visual content are not allowed.

Microphones are not available in the competition, so all possible dialogues that are part of the performance must be included in the media file. Even if a lot of sound is used on stage, it will not be heard very well by the audience without microphones, which means that all the soundscapes that are essential to the performance must be part of the background music. When submitting the media, please provide information about where it will be played, for example before or after the group members go on stage.

Video may also be used as a background element. AI-generated videos or artwork are not permitted. Please note that the screen will reach all the way to the ground. You should place e.g. captions higher / closer to the center of the screen so that they will be properly visible to the audience.

Please send any questions related to the media file by email to isosali@tracon.fi.

• Audio should be submitted in the highest quality available
• Recommended video resolutions are 1920×1080 or 1280×720. The minimum accepted resolution is 480×360.
• Frame rate: minimum 23.976 fps, maximum 60 fps.
• The recommended file format is MP4/MP3. Other accepted formats are AVI, WMV, and MOV.
• Recommended codec: H.265

Competitors may influence the stage lights in the competition. This year we will be using both a regular smoke machine and a heavy smoke machine. Light instructions will be provided as part of the technical form according to the instructions given in advance.

A few general tips for lighting requests:

Keep it simple
Light instructions should not be overly complicated. The most successful performances in recent years have been implemented with very simple instructions. Simpler requests are easier for technicians to execute accurately and allow them to use their expertise to enhance the performance.

Use clear terminology
When referring to stage places or directions, use the terms “stage left” and “stage right”, which are defined from the performers’ perspective facing the audience. Please clearly describe the characters on the stage in the light instructions. We cannot know all the characters by name, so “the figure dressed in red” or “the seated figure” are clear descriptors.

Minimal instructions are good
A light request can be as simple as: ”Red color palette and energetic atmosphere throughout the performance.”

Any questions about lights and stage technology should be directed to the Main Auditorium team by email at isosali@tracon.fi.

Participants must submit reference images of all characters portrayed in the performance when applying. The reference should be a full body image. The reference image must show the character(s) in the costume that the participant(s) is wearing. The reference images are provided for the jury to use. 

A character reference image will also be shown to the audience as part of the contestant introduction before the performance.

• Stage props must be lightweight, easy to move and they must be movable by the stage crew (4 people).
• Stage setup and cleanup may not exceed 30 seconds.
• The recommended maximum number of stage props is four (4).
  • Please note that large stage props (such as tables) require more crew members to move, which may reduce the allowed quantity.
  • Similarly, if a single crew member can easily carry multiple items (such as a chair and blanket), additional props may be permitted.
  • Props brought on stage by contestants but left behind during the performance (for example, a cloak removed during a costume change) are also considered to be stage props.
• Contestants should carefully plan how stage props will be moved onto and off the stage.
• Organizers reserve the right to limit the amount of props if the stage team cannot move stage props safely within the time limit.
• Carried set pieces must weigh less than 30 kg. Wheeled set pieces may weigh more.
• The size of an individual prop must be a maximum of 2 meters high, 2 meters wide and 1 meter deep. The set may increase in size on stage (for example, opening doors).
• Each stage prop must be safe for the stage crew to handle. Cosplay organizers have the right to demand changes if a prop or set piece presents a safety risk to contestants, crew members or the audience. (for example, hinges, sharp parts). Contestants are responsible for the durability of the set.

• Liquid fake blood is prohibited. Dried fake blood on costumes is permitted.
• Spreading small pieces of confetti, petals, feathers, etc. on the stage is prohibited.
• Nothing may be intentionally broken on stage if it creates additional cleanup.
• Adult (18+) content is prohibited. Performances may contain horror, distressing themes, violence or profanity, within reason. The performance must be suitable for minors to watch together with a parent or guardian.
• The performance must take place on stage and may not reach the audience.
• Organizers reserve the right to interrupt any performance that threatens the safety of contestants or audience members.

• Tracon’s committee is not permitted to participate in any cosplay competition.
• The competitor must be either a Finnish citizen or a permanent residence permit holder.

Personal information of the participants will only be processed by the Cosplay Manager and the Cosplay Team of Tracon. In the competitions, the participants’ names or usernames will be announced according to their choices, as well as the information on the characters and shows.

The information will be processed according to the Data Protection Principles of Tracon. https://ry.tracon.fi/tietosuoja/rekisteriselosteet