Cosplay Contest Judge Application

Are you passionate about cosplay and have a sharp eye for craftsmanship, creativity, and performance? We’re looking for experienced cosplayers and industry professionals to join the WeebCon 2027 Cosplay Contest judging panel!

What We’re Looking For

• Strong knowledge and experience in cosplay craftsmanship, construction, performance, or related areas.
• A high level of expertise in your area of cosplay.
• Previous cosplay judging experience is preferred, but not required.
• A commitment to fairness, impartiality, and creating a positive experience for every contestant.
• The ability to provide thoughtful, constructive feedback to help fellow cosplayers grow.

Judge Responsibilities
Cosplay judges may evaluate contestants based on:

• Craftsmanship and construction
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Creativity and originality
• Difficulty and execution of techniques
• Overall presentation and character portrayal
• Stage performance and audience interaction
• Creativity and entertainment value

Judges will also work alongside the WeebCon Cosplay Coordinator team and fellow judges to help ensure a fair, fun, and memorable competition for everyone involved! 

Submit your application through the form below to be considered!

Appearance & Engagement

• Accepted Judges may be invited to participate in panels, autograph sessions, photo ops, cosplay contests, or promotional activities.
• Harassment, discrimination, or unprofessional behavior may result in removal from the guest list.
  Approved guests must agree to not interact, invite, or create content with any banned guests from the show - name of banned guests will be given to approved guests for discretion.
• Any Approved Guest or Content Creator who creates or interact with above banned guests on site at convention or at the Gaylord will be asked to leave and their appearance fee and any benefits will be revoked.
• Compensation

Judge's compensation (badges, travel reimbursement, hotel, appearance fees, etc.) will be determined on a case-by-case basis. All agreements must be confirmed in writing prior to the event.

Please note: Submitting this application does not constitute a contract, agreement, or guarantee of placement as a WeebCon 2027 cosplay judge. Applications are reviewed based on the needs of the event and the qualifications of each applicant.

Application & Selection

• Submission of an application does not guarantee selection.
• WeebCon reserves the right to select judges based on experience, qualifications, availability, and the needs of the event.
• WeebCon may contact applicants for additional information or clarification on anything outlined in the contract or application submission

Availability & Commitment

• Selected judges must be available for all required judging activities, meetings, rehearsals, and/or the cosplay contest during WeebCon 2027.
• Judges are expected to arrive on time and remain available for the duration of their assigned responsibilities including hosting up to 2 panels.
• Failure to fulfill these responsibilities may result in removal from the judging panel.

Impartiality & Conflicts of Interest

• Judges must disclose any personal, professional, or financial relationships with contestants that could create a conflict of interest.
• Judges may be required to recuse themselves from evaluating a contestant when a conflict exists.
• Judges must evaluate contestants based solely on the established judging criteria.

Confidentiality

• Judges may receive confidential information regarding contestants, judging criteria, scores, or contest operations.
• Judges agree not to share confidential judging information, scores, deliberations, or results before they are officially announced by WeebCon.

Professional Conduct

• Judges are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respectfully toward contestants, staff, fellow judges, volunteers, and attendees. 
• Judges are to uphold both common morals and ethics at all points of being a representation of WeebCon- this includes comments, posts, or conversations that may be found as bully or hate speech to a select person or group. 
• Harassment, discrimination, bullying, inappropriate conduct, or abuse of a judge's position will not be tolerated.
• WeebCon reserves the right to remove a judge from their position for conduct that violates event policies or negatively impacts the contestant/show experience.

Judging Decisions

• Judges understand that judging decisions must be made according to WeebCon's official contest rules and criteria.
• Judges agree to participate in discussions regarding scoring and rankings in good faith.
• Final contest results will be determined according to WeebCon's established judging process.
• Judges are expected to present any and all awards related to the Cosplay Contest

Media & Promotion

• By accepting a judging position, judges acknowledge that they may be photographed, filmed, or otherwise recorded during WeebCon 2027.
• WeebCon may use this content for event-related promotional, archival, and social media purposes.

Removal / Termination

WeebCon reserves the right to remove a selected judge from their position at any time for failure to meet expectations, violation of event policies, conflicts of interest, misconduct, or other circumstances that may affect the integrity of the contest.