World Cosplay Summit

World Cosplay Summit
Status	Active
Venue	Oasis 21 (2006–2013) Aichi Arts Center (2014–2017, 2019) Dolphins Arena (2018) Osu Shopping District (parade)
Location(s)	Sakae, Nagoya, Aichi
Country	Japan
Inaugurated	2003
Attendance	248,000 (2016)
Website	www.worldcosplaysummit.jp/en/

The World Cosplay Summit (世界コスプレサミット, Sekai Kosupure Samitto  WCS) is an annual international cosplay event, which promotes global interaction through Japanese pop culture. It developed from a cosplay exhibition held at the Aichi Expo in 2005.

The WCS incorporated in 2012, by which time it had grown to include two weeks of activities, chief of which are a parade and championship held in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, on Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend of August. Other related events are held in the Kanto, Kansai, and Tokai regions. Competitors are drawn from partnering anime/manga events held in the respective countries and regions.

The summit was organized by broadcaster TV Aichi until 2012. It is supported by several city organizations, businesses, the WCS student volunteer organization Omotenashi, and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT), and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Japanese embassy representatives often attend preliminaries of events in foreign countries. The WCS relies heavily on corporate sponsorship rather than ticket sales to fund its activities.

History

The first World Cosplay Summit was held in 2003 to highlight the international popularity of Japanese anime and manga through cosplay (costume play). It was subsequently held as part of Expo 2005 in Nagoya, where it gathered considerable media attention. The event grew to include participants from 40 countries and encompasses multiple activities including the Osu Cosplay Parade and the Cosplay Championship.

WCS key facts

Year	Dates	No. countries	Championship		Ref
			Venue	Winner
2003	Oct 12	4	not held
2004	Aug 1	5	not held
2005	Jul 31 – Aug 7	7	Expo Dome	Italy
2006	Aug 5–6	9	Oasis 21	Brazil
2007	Aug 4–5	12		France
2008	Aug 2–3	13		Brazil
2009	Aug 1–2	15		Japan
2010	Jul 31 – Aug 1	15		Italy
2011	Aug 6–7	17		Brazil
2012	12 days	22		Japan
2013	Aug 2–3	24		Italy
2014	Jul 26 – Aug 3	26	Aichi Arts Center	Russia
2015	Aug 1–2	28		Mexico
2016	Aug 6–7	30		Indonesia
2017	Aug 5–6	34		China
2018	Aug 3–5	36	Dolphins Arena	Mexico
2019	Aug 27 – Aug 31	40	Tokyo Dome, Aichi Arts Center	Australia
2021	Aug 8	30		Germany

2003–2007

Expo Dome, the venue for the 2005 Cosplay Championship

Oasis 21, the venue for the 2006-2013 Cosplay Championships

Aichi Arts Center, the venue for the 2014-2017 Cosplay Championships

Dolphins Arena (Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium), 2018 venue for the Cosplay Championship

On October 12, 2003, the first event was held at the Rose Court Hotel in Nagoya. Activities included a panel discussion and photography session. Five cosplayers were invited from Germany, France and Italy; "International Common Language" (MANGAは世界の共通語), a television programme dealing with the contemporary situation of anime and manga in Frankfurt, Paris and Rome, was produced and broadcast on November 24.

The 2004 event was held on August 1 at the Ōsu shopping district in Naka-ku, Nagoya. Eight international cosplayers were invited, and about 100 cosplayers participated in the inaugural Osu Cosplay Parade.

In 2005, the WCS was reorganized from an invitation-based system to a qualifying system with preliminary events held around the world, leading to the first WCS Cosplay Championship. Four cosplayers in single and group teams represented participating countries. Along with supporting activities, the event took place in two main locations: the Cosplay Parade was held in Osu on July 31 and the Cosplay Championship was held at the Expo Dome on August 7 during Expo 2005. 40 people from seven countries participated in the first Cosplay Championship, with France winning the group category, Italy winning the individual category, and with the overall contest winner being Italy. The initial goal of the event was to bring a part of Japanese youth culture to Expo 2005.

In 2006, the venue for the Cosplay Championship was moved to Oasis 21 in Sakae, Nagoya. Nine countries competed: Italy, Germany, France, Spain, China, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and Japan, with a total of 22 cosplayers. The grand prize was won by brother-and-sister team Maurisio and Monica Somenzari L. Olivas, representing Brazil. (Dressed respectively as Hughes de Watteau and Augusta Vradica from Trinity Blood, they made their costumes by hand with help from their parents.) The event was supported by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT). Over 5,000 people attended the Cosplay Championship stage event and several thousand more attended the Cosplay Parade. TV Aichi produced and broadcast, "World Cosplay Summit 2006: New Challengers".

In 2007, Denmark, Mexico and South Korea joined the event to bring the number of participating countries to 12, with a total of 28 participating cosplayers. About 10,000 people attended the Cosplay Championship. "World Cosplay Summit 2007: Giza-suge yatsura ga yattekita Z!" (The Super Cool Have Arrived!) was televised, and became a part of MLIT's 2007 "Visit Japan" campaign.

2008–2012

In 2008, with growing recognition of Japan's otaku culture, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) became the third national ministry to join in official support of the event. About 300 cosplayers participated in the Parade. Thirteen countries with a total of 28 representative cosplayers performed in the Championship in front of 12,000 visitors. TV Aichi produced and broadcast the WCS special "Everyone's Heroes Get Together!".

SKE48 Team KII performing at the World Cosplay Summit 2010.

In April 2009, the WCS Executive Committee was created to administrate the development and expansion of the event. The parade had grown to 500 cosplayers, and 30 participants from 15 countries competed in the Cosplay Championship before 12,000 spectators, with Australia and Finland being the two newest participating nations. The first international symposium was held at Nagoya University entitled "Outward Minded: Worldwide Impact of Cosplay and Interpretations in Japan". In 2010, the symposium was moved to the Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers.

In 2011, the Netherlands and Malaysia joined, bringing the total participating countries to 17. In 2012, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and Russia entered competitively at WCS, with Hong Kong and Taiwan participating under observer status, bringing the total number of represented countries to 22. WCS expanded to 12 days for its 10th anniversary, with official visits paid to Gifu, Mie, Tottori and Aichi Prefectural offices, and a second parade was held in Ichinomiya during the Tanabata Festival. The sequence of activities were altered, with the Championship held on the Saturday and the Parade on Sunday.

2013–2017

In 2013, Vietnam and the Philippines joined as observer nations, bringing the overall total to 24. The event was held with the help of local and international volunteers since 2009; however, this year saw the beginning of the Omotenashi student volunteer group. This was the first year of the WCS as an independent company after 10 years of being organized by the events department of TV Aichi. This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit has become available broadcast live via Niconico.

In 2014, the WCS Championship was first held at the Aichi Arts Center beside Oasis 21. Portugal and Kuwait joined.

In 2015, the Championship moved to the largest venue within the Aichi Arts Center called 'The Theater'. Canada and Sweden joined as observer nations.

In 2016, India and Switzerland joined the WCS, bringing the number of participating nations/region to 30. With this large field, the Championship was held in two stages over consecutive days. An error in tabulating the jury votes led to 18 teams being admitted to the final stage instead of the planned 16 teams. This year a backscreen was used for the first time to make a greater spectacle of the performances.

In 2017, Belgium, Chile, Myanmar, Puerto Rico, and United Arab Emirates joined, while Kuwait withdrew, bringing the number of participating nations/region to 34. This was the first year the WCS allowed the use of dialog and scenarios from Japanese live action adaptations for performances. During the final stage of the Championships, participants from Taiwan and Brazil made unexpected marriage proposals on the stage.

2018–2021

In 2018, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, and South Africa joined WCS. Kuwait returned to participate while Puerto Rico and United Arab Emirates were unable to send representatives, bringing the number of participating nations/regions to 36. The Championship was held in a single stage at the Dolphins Arena Gymnasium. The Taiwanese cosplayers who became engaged during the 2017 championship held their wedding ceremony in the Wedding Hall Photo Party event; at the reception, a cosplayer from Singapore made an unexpected marriage proposal. A night parade event was held for the first time at Central Park underground street.

In 2019, Austria, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Trinidad and Tobago joined WCS. United Arab Emirates returned to participate after being absent in 2018 while Kuwait and Puerto Rico were unable to send representatives for this year, bringing the number of participating nations/regions to 40. The WCS Championship expanded to a three-stage event: the Tokyo Round at Tokyo Dome City Hall on 27 August, and the semifinal and final rounds at Nagoya Aichi Arts Center. 8 teams from the Tokyo Round were granted an immediate advance to the finals, while the remaining 32 teams competed in the semi-finals with 16 of these advancing. The first two stages were broadcast on YouTube, before the top 24 teams competed in the finals. On 31 August, A bridal cosplay party was held in Wedding Hall Bleu Leman, where the male WCS Alumni 2018 from Chile made an unexpected marriage proposal during the event.

In 2020, the cosplay championship stage was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In place of the event, a 24 hour live stream fund-raising event and a Kickstarter campaign was held to support the event in Japan and its partner organizations around the world. The campaign raised over 11,000,000 yen.

In 2021, Colombia, Latvia, and Ukraine joined WCS and Saudi Arabia participated as an observer. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings and travel, a number of countries/regions were unable to send teams, including Colombia, Latvia, Austria, China, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, UAE, Portugal, Denmark, and Myanmar. This brought the number of participating nations to 30. WCS 2021 was planned to utilize a combination of recorded, online and in-person events. A large mosaic mural of the Oasis 21 complex depicting cosplay images of many of the campaign backers was hung at Chubu International Airport. The WCS Championship was broadcast live on multiple channels: officially on Facebook, Niconico, and YouTube and by recognized broadcasters in various languages on Bilibili, Discord, and Twitch.

2022 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the WCS.

Administration

In 2008, performance by Brazilian cosplayers, the Grand Champion of the year.

Regulations

Regulations of the preliminaries for each country are decided by the event in which the respective preliminaries takes place. The following are participation regulations of the WCS Championship (finals) in Japan.

Participant regulations (for WCS 2012)

1. Each country will be represented by one team of two cosplayers.

2. The costumes must be from Japanese anime, manga, and tokusatsu.

• Dojinshi and unique characters from live-action movies based on anime or manga are not permitted (i.e. Dragonball Evolution, etc.).
• When doing a costume from a game, the character must be recognizably Japanese (i.e. not a Disney or Star Wars character even though the game may be made in Japan).

3. Cosplay costumes are to be hand-made.

• It is permissible for family and friends to help with costumes, but the contestants should be actively involved in the construction process.

4. Prospective entrants must be able to travel to Japan for about one week from the end of July to early August for the World Cosplay Summit Championship.

5. Participating minors must have consent of a guardian (rules may vary depending on the preliminary rules in different countries).

6. Contestants must participate in a positive manner in order to ensure the success of the World Cosplay Summit.

7. Legal Documents (i.e. passport application, official documentation, etc.) must be prepared and submitted as quickly as possible at the request of the WCS sponsor (TV Aichi).

8. Media such as TV programs, Internet homepages, newspapers, magazines, etc. may use photos and images of the preliminary contests prior to the World Cosplay Summit. On these occasions, compensation will not be furnished.

9. All image rights in all media exposure, such as news from TV programs and other assorted media involved with the World Cosplay Summit, promotional activities in print media as well as events and performances, and announcements of the Cosplay Summit both prior and during the event, will be attributed to TV Aichi.

10. After the World Cosplay Summit, images, photographs, footage, programs broadcast, Internet homepages and DVDs, etc. of the contestants will come under the jurisdiction of TV Aichi. Compensation will not be furnished for such images used by the media.

Preparation: rules and considerations

1. A minimum of three costumes must be brought to Japan: one for the Parade, one for the Championship, and one for media appearances.

2. In the Cosplay Championship, the costumes of the characters must be from the same Japanese manga, anime, video game or tokusatsu series.

• It is not necessary to coordinate costumes for the Parade or otherwise.

3. All equipment, costumes and props for the Cosplay Championship performance are limited to a maximum weight of 40 kg (88 lb) combined for both performers.

4. All large props set on stage before the Cosplay Championship performance begins are limited to a maximum weight of 10 kg (22 lb). Prop dimensions are limited to 2,100 mm (83 in) in height, 2,100 mm (83 in) in width and 900 mm (35 in) in depth.

5. All large props set on stage are limited to a maximum of 3 items. Dimensions of hand held props carried onto the stage must be relayed to WCS head office in written form and accompanied by photographs.

6. It is not permitted to directly copy original drawings or logos to your equipment or props.

7. You are required to bear the cost of any overweight luggage charges when shipping costumes and other items. It is not possible to send them to Japan by air or ship beforehand.

8. Please prepare your own music for your performance. A performance sheet stating what you will perform is to be submitted in advance. The use of voice actors voices from original works in your music is prohibited.

9. Please send the documents and sound file at latest one month before the date of the Cosplay Championship.

Championship performances

1. Only handmade costume

2. The costumes must be from Japanese anime, manga, and tokusatsu.

3. The Stage Performance team must in group 2 judging time is 2.30 min for performance

4. Backscreen is available (2016–present)

5. The ranking is determined by the total score of the Character Judging and the Stage Performance Judging

=Video championship performances (2021)

1. The 2021 championship a special "online" edition

2. The national team will not be coming to Japan

3. Videos under 2 minutes and 30 seconds

4. Pair of 2 people (use of extras allowed)

5. Costumes are handmade, no weight or size restrictions

Judging

Tokyo Round (WCS 2019)

The Tokyo judges are a panel of usually organizer from participating nations/region, selected so that they are not judging the same group that contains their home team.

Judging criteria

1. Costume stage presence (50 points)

2. Fidelity towards the original (50 points)

Semi-final (for 2016-2018 and Nagoya Round 2019)

The Semi-final judges are a panel, usually of organizers from participating nations/regions. The organizers of each country are unable to participate in judging in the group that has their own country.

Championship finals

Judges are a panel of usually guest judges from the anime, manga and cosplay community.

Prior to 2016, judges awarded points for (a) costume, (b) performance and (c) faithfulness to the characters and story. The former two criteria were each weighted for twice as many points as the last criteria. Beginning in 2013, scoring for costume was increased to a weight of 3 times faithfulness and 1.5 times performance. In 2016, the costume criteria was divided into costume craftsmanship (weighted the same as performance) and costume expression (weighted the same as faithfulness). The number of points was increased in 2017, but the ratio between criteria remained the same. In 2019, the costume or costume craftsmanship criteria was changed to character judging.

In 2021, the hybrid year, the criteria were: (a) character judging, comprising costume precision (30 points), costume quality (10 points) and technique (10 points), and (b) video judging (100 points), comprising conception (45 points), acting (45 points), and "X-factor" (10 points).

List of guest judges

Year	Judges
2005	Leiji Matsumoto Hironobu Kageyama Ippongi Bang Akifumi Takayanagi (TV Aichi) Shin Nagai (Tokyo Mode Gakuin)
2006	Go Nagai Hiroshi Kitadani Essai Ushijima (Cosplay critic) Yuji Tokita (MOFA)
2007	Monkey Punch Ichirou Mizuki Essai Ushijima (Cosplay critic) Yuji Tokita (MOFA) Ken Nagata (MLIT)
2008	Yumiko Igarashi Rica Matsumoto 10 general judge
2009	Tōru Furuya Go Nagai Ichirou Mizuki Hamada Britney
2010	Tōru Furuya Hironobu Kageyama Himeka Hiroyuki Kobayashi (Video game nnd anime television series Producer from Capcom) Nobuyuki Takahashi (Inventor of the word cosplay)
2011	Tōru Furuya JAM Project (Hironobu Kageyama, Masaaki Endo, Hiroshi Kitadani, Masami Okui and Yoshiki Fukuyama) Takaaki Kitani (President, Bushiroad) Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Masaaki Nagase (Editor-in-chief, Tokai Walker)
2012	Tōru Furuya Go Nagai Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) May'n Rica Matsumoto
2013	Tōru Furuya Tomokazu Sugita Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Mel Kishida (illustrator) Ikenotani Ken (ACOS Producer)
2014	Tōru Furuya Mika Kanai Mel Kishida (illustrator) Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Andrea Vesnaver (WCS 2013 Champion Italy Representative) Dr.Oh (Bushiroad Producer) Azuma Fukashi (TV Tokyo Producer)
2015	Tōru Furuya Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Nek (WCS 2014 Champion Russia Representative) Nichi (WCS 2014 Champion Russia Representative) Nakazato Ikuko (Kodansha Nakayoshi Aria Editorial Department) Nao Hirasawa (Animation Producer of Ultra Super Pictures Ltd.) Ryutaro Ichimura (Dragon Quest Producer of Square Enix) Tomokazu Tashiro (Composer) Åsa Ekström (Swedish Cartoonist)
2016	Tōru Furuya Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Juan Carlos (WCS 2015 Champion Mexico Representative) Shema Arroyo (Jose Maria) (WCS 2015 Champion Mexico Representative) Keishu Ando (Japanese Cartoonist Creation of Hentai Kamen) Kahoru Yasuda (Representative of Comiket) and more (1st Stage Semi-finals Only)
2017	Tōru Furuya Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Sumire Uesaka Kazuyuki Okitsu Minami Tsuda Sayaka Sasaki Rian CYD (WCS 2016 Champion Indonesia Representative) Frea Mai (WCS 2016 Champion Indonesia Representative) Nao Hirasawa (ID-0 Animation Producer) Yuiji Yoriko (ACOS Producer) Mizuno Koichi (Event Organizer In Nagoya) Kazuki Foo Ming Wei (President of Eight Ministry "Malaysia" South East Asia) Makoto Shigeno (CosMode Thailand Editor) and more (1st Stage Semi-finals Only)
2018	Tōru Furuya Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Ichirou Mizuki Daisuke Tsuda (journalist) Arina Tanemura Suguru Sugita (Shueisha Weekly JUMP Media Relations of ONE PIECE) Natsuko Tateishi (Toei Animation) Nao Hirasawa (Anime Producer) Mizuno Koichi (Nippon Domannaka Festival) Yoriko Iuchi (Acts Executive Producer) Xue Yan Xue (WCS 2017 Champion China Representative) Tian Tian (WCS 2017 Champion China Representative) Eliot (WCS Photo Championship 2018 Grand Prix From Mexico) Yuyi (WCS Video Championship 2018 Grand Prix From France)
2019	Tōru Furuya Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Haruhiko Mikimoto (Illustrator, character designer “Job Tribes”) Hisayoshi Hirasawa (Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki Animation Director) Nao Yagi (Announcer) Ryuji Kuwahara (Hakone Ekiden gen 2nd god of the mountains marathon runner) Miki Kitagawa Junko Iuchi (Akos Corporation Executive Producer) Ed Lalo Peralta (WCS 2018 Champion Mexico Representative) Luis Sáenz Gamboa (WCS 2018 Champion Mexico Representative) Yuegene Fay (WCS Photo Championship 2019 Grand Prix From Thailand) Hummy Cosplay (WCS Video Championship 2019 Grand Prix From Spain) Diana Tolin (USA Representative) Shirou Tang (Germany Representative) Kazuki Foo Ming Wei (President of Eight Ministry "Malaysia" South East Asia) Ayman Ali (UAE Representative) and more (1st Stage Tokyo Round and 2nd Stage Nagoya Round)
2020	A.K. Wirru (2019 Champion Australia Representative) Banana Cospboys (2018 Champion Mexico Team) BOYS AND MEN Chris Glen (Announcer) K (2019 Champion Australia Representative) KANAME☆ KaoruLily (2019 Netherlands Representative) Mahio (2017 2nd Runner-up Japan Representative) Mariko (2006 1st Runner-up, 2017 2nd Runner-up Japan Representative) Matsuri nine. Maurício Somenzari (WCS 2006, 2011 Champion Brazil Representative) Osamu Masuyama Reika Arikawa Tatsumi Inui (Site administrator of Cure) Tōru Furuya Yaya Han Yuriko Tiger YO!YO!YOSUKE (Announcer) and more
2021	Asaka (musician) Asu BMK (Big Monster Kite) BOYS AND MEN Chirs Glenn (Announcer) Daisuke Nakamoto (Voice Actor) Dakara Eri Sakazaki (Voice Actress) Faras Guren Hana Isogai (Voice Actress) Hideaki Omura (Aichi prefectural governor) Iwori (Voice Actor) Komazawa Isolation (Video Creator) MATSURI nine. Michi Yokoi (Announcer) Miho Mashiro (Voice Actress) Mikeneko Kyouju Miki Yakata (Voice Actress) Monster Nagoya Cosplay Host Town PR Team Natsuki Ochiai (Voice Actress) Nishizuma Reika Arikawa Shingo Yoneyama (Voice Actor) Shoto Mizukami (Voice Actor) Tatsumi Inui (Site administrator of Cure) Tōru Furuya USAKO (Announcer) K (2019 Champion Australia Representative) A.K Wirru (2019 Champion Australia Representative) YO!YO!YOSUKE (Announcer) Yudai Noda (Voice Actor) Yuto Arai (Voice Actor) and more

Attending countries

  Countries that have at one time participated in the World Cosplay Summit (as of 2021)

Attending countries in bold indicate first attendance for that year:

Year	No.	Attending countries	Guest commentator/s	Date	Venue
2003	4	France, Germany, Italy, Japan	–	October 12	Rose Court Hotel
2004	5	France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United States	–	August 1	Ōsu shopping area
2005	7	China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, United States	Tōru Furuya Tomoe Shinohara	July 31	Ōsu shopping area
				August 7	Expo Dome
2006	9	Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Thailand	Tōru Furuya	August 5	Ōsu shopping area
				August 6	Oasis 21
2007	12	Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand	Tōru Furuya Shoko Nakagawa	August 4	Ōsu shopping area
				August 5	Oasis 21
2008	13	Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, United States	Tōru Furuya Natsuki Katō	August 2	Ōsu shopping area
				August 3	Oasis 21
2009	15	Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, United States	–	August 1	Ōsu shopping area
				August 2	Oasis 21
2010	15	Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, United States	–	July 31	Ōsu shopping area
				August 1	Oasis 21
2011	17	Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, United States	–	August 6	Ōsu shopping area
				August 7	Oasis 21
2012	22	Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong (Observer), Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan (Observer), Thailand, United Kingdom, United States	–	August 4	Oasis 21
				August 5	Ōsu shopping area
2013	24	Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong (Observer), Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines (Observer), Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan (Observer), Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam (Observer)	–	August 3	Oasis 21
				August 2	Ōsu shopping area
2014	26	Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kuwait (Observer), Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines (Observer), Portugal (Observer), Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam (Observer)	–	August 2	Aichi Arts Center
				August 3	Ōsu shopping area
2015	28	Australia, Brazil, Canada (Observer), China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden (Observer), Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam	–	August 1	Aichi Arts Center
				August 2	Ōsu shopping area
2016	30	Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam	–	August 6	Aichi Arts Center
				August 7	Ōsu shopping area, Aichi Arts Center
2017	34	Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam	–	August 5	Aichi Arts Center
				August 6	Ōsu shopping area, Aichi Arts Center
2018	36	Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam	–	August 3	Central Park
				August 5	Ōsu shopping area, Dolphins Arena
2019	40	Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile,China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam	–	July 27	Tokyo Dome City
				August 3	Aichi Arts Center
				August 4	Ōsu shopping area, Aichi Arts Center
2020	24 hour global online broadcast - August 1 - Aichi TV, Osu Studio
2021	30	The national representative no coming and send video only Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia (Observer), South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam	–	August 8	Oasis 21

Teams at the most recent edition of the WCS

The following representative teams were present at the most recent edition of the World Cosplay Summit.

Country/region	Cosplayers	Team name
Australia	TallJoke ElvisDitto
Belgium	Muralu Nyapy
Brazil	Jessy Kitsune Raposa
Bulgaria	Aleks Loki Afuro
Canada	Doll Damage Cosplay Harlot Queen Cosplay	Team DollQueenie/Double Queenie
Chile	Eriza Daiki	Pastel Aliens
Finland	Tor-Leif Design Hapsu Cosplay
France	Beryl Ariel (Hazariel Costumes)
Germany	Calssara Elffi	C&F Cosplay Factory
Hong Kong	Kizoku Koshi
India	Hotaru Juno Kitsune Blood	Team Lapis Lazuli
Indonesia	Gilbert Gerard	Genesis Art Semarang
Israel	Torekun Lenuchka
Italy	Diaboliko Cosplay Nero Cosplay
Japan	Usio Hazama	Team Hakumai
Mexico	Lorraine Chris	Team Power Up!
Netherlands	Alana Mirai	Team Metamorphe Sister
Philippines	Jin (behindinfinity) AC Hernandez
Russia	Zero Khan Kotyan Spirit Mint
Saudi Arabia	Memo cosplay Himocosplay
South Africa	Maoukami Cosplay Creative Chia
Spain	Ladysaphira rhue
Sweden	Shiroiaisu Cospla Grimalkin Cosplay
Switzerland	Chech Tanysa
Taiwan	Takahashi-LNG 陳小刀（CHEN SIAO DAO）	雞鴉戰隊 Team Jiya
Thailand	Ryou Reizier
Ukraine	Borf Animal Ririt
United Kingdom	Nomes Minney
United States	ChibiTifa Barracuda Cosplay
Vietnam	Fuu Kiragani Týt 四十雀	O.E.K. Team

Results

Yearly results for the top awards:

Year	Grand Champion		Runner-up 1st		Runner-up 2nd		Special award from "brother"
2005 ,		Giorgia Vecchini Francesca Dani Emilia Fata Livia						Nakamura-han
2006		Maurício Somenzari L Olivas (Mah Psylocke) Mônica Somenzari L Olivas (Kawaii Aeris)		Mariko Cyoko				Goldi Aoisakuya
2007		Damien Ratte Isabelle Jeudy		Kikiwan Naoki Shigure				Linaloe Rodriguez Rivera (Linamoon) Alejandra Rodriguez Rivera (Yunnale)
2008		Jéssica Moreira Rocha Campos (Pandy) Gabriel Niemietz Braz (Hyoga)		Zhao Chin Zhang Li				Yui Mino
2009		YuRi RiE		Bereniç Serrano Vidal (Piruletosa) Laura Fernández Ramos (Madoka)				Elizabeth Licata (fatwetdog) India Davis (Dia)
2010		Luca Buzzi Giancarlo Di Pierro		Gabrielle Christine Valerio Gabriel Niemietz Braz (Hyoga) Orawan Aggavinate (Alexis Seiz) Patawikorn Uttisen (Pat)		Laura Salviani (Nikita) Cecile Auclair (Sikay)		Orawan Aggavinate (Alexis Seiz) Patawikorn Uttisen (Pat)
2011		Maurício Somenzari Leite Olivas Mônica Somenzari Leite Olivas		Marika Roncon Daniela Maiorana		Deng Ya Qian Zheng Jia Hong		Tessa Beattie Jessica L. Allie
2012		Yukari Shimotsuki Kaito		Frank Koh (Raistlin03) Valerie Seng (ayatenshi)		Konnichi (Yesaya) Zhuge (Rizki)		Frank Koh (Raistlin03) Valerie Seng (ayatenshi)
2013		Andrea Vesnaver Massimo Barbera		Cassandra May (Breathlessaire) Tiffany Tezna (Starlighthoney)		Pongwat Honghiranrattana (Hisa Minuet) Chittaworn Veeraroj (Scarleta Win)		Cassandra May (Breathlessaire) Tiffany Tezna (Starlighthoney)
2014		Nek (Neko-tin) Nichi		NadiaSK MOGU		Dharma (Guriinko) Ryan (Ryan no Ryu)		Shinji TinYasuo
2015		Juan Carlos Tolento (TWIIN Cosplay) Shema Arroyo (TWIIN Cosplay)		Akiba (Manuel Capitani) Luca Buzzi		Alpacosplay (Ashley Rochelle) Yummy Gamorah (Sarah R.)		Alpacosplay (Ashley Rochelle) Yummy Gamorah (Sarah R.)
2016		Rian CYD Frea Mai		Shinji TinYasuo		LucioleS Lyel		Jesmo Yumi Koyuki
2017		Xue Yan Xue Tian Tian		Al Squall Doritaa		Mahio Mariko		Milou Aluota
2018		Banana Ed Banana Luis		Yumaki Machibun		Jasper Z (Zei) Kutto		Aik0hime TinYasuo
2019		K Ameno Kitarou (A.K. Wirru)		Joshua Hart Design Garnet Runestar (Elrowiel)		Kalimsshar SakuraFlame		Feder Cita
2020	Championship not held due to COVID-19
2021		Calssara Elffi		Diaboliko Cosplay Nero Cosplay		Nomes (Nomes Cosplay) Minney (Be More Shonen)		Jin (behindinfinity) AC Hernandez

• ^1 Group Champion: France (Pauline Mesa, Laurence Guermond Wendy Roeltgen)
• ^2 Individual Champion: Giorgia Vecchini
• ^3 3rd: Italy (Alessandro Leuti, Alessia de Magistris)

Results of the most recent Championship

Results of the 2021 World Cosplay Championship:

Award	Winner
1st Place (Grand Champion)		Calssara Elffi
2nd Place (Runner-up 1st)		Diaboliko Cosplay Nero Cosplay
3rd Place (Runner-up 2nd)		Nomes Minney
Brother Award (Best Costume)		Jin (behindinfinity) AC Hernandez
Best Prop Making Award		Lorraine Chris
Tamakoshi Award (Best Visual Directing)		Kizoku Koshi
Best Sound Directing Award		Eriza Daiki
Arda Wigs Award (Best Actor)		Shiroiaisu Cosplay Grimalkin Cosplay
Environmental Consideration In Costume Making Award		Hotaru Juno Kitsune Blood
Best Drama Performance Award		Zero Khan Kotyan Spirit Mint
Best Action Performance Award		Usio Hazama
Best Comedy Performance Award		Beryl Ariel (Hazariel Costumes)
The COTY 2021 Award (Selected By Grand Prix Of Cosplayer Of Year 2021)		Muralu Nyapy
The NFT Sponsorship Award (Super Massive Global)		Gilbert Gerard

Performance by country

This list contains the champions of World Cosplay Summit.

Club	Wins	Winning Years
Italy	3	2005, 2010, 2013
Brazil	3	2006, 2008, 2011
Japan	2	2009, 2012
Mexico	2	2015, 2018
France	1	2007
Russia	1	2014
Indonesia	1	2016
China	1	2017
Australia	1	2019
Germany	1	2021

Preliminary conventions, organizations and events

The following conventions, organizations and events have held or organized the preliminary contests to select the representatives of each country for the Cosplay Championship since 2005:

• Australia: SMASH! in Sydney
• Austria: AniNite in Ebreichsdorf
• Belgium: Made In Asia in Brussels
• Bulgaria: AnimeS Expo in Sofia
• Brazil: Editora JBC / Festival do Japão in Sao Paulo
• Canada: Otakuthon in Montreal
• China: Howell International Trade Fair Ltd. in Beijing
• Chile: AEX Santiago in Santiago
• Costa Rica: Con-X Convention in San José, Costa Rica
• Denmark: J-Popcon in Copenhagen
• Finland: Cosplay Finland Tour / Tracon in Tampere
• France: Japan Expo Sud in Marseille
• Germany: Connichi in Kassel
• Hong Kong: C3 in Hong Kong
• India: Winter Cosplay Wonderland 2 in Chümoukedima, Nagaland
• Indonesia: Indonesia Cosplay Grand Prix in Jakarta
• Italy: ROMICS in Rome
• Japan: Cossan in Tokyo
• Korea: Wonder Cosplay Festival in Seoul
• Kuwait: Plamo Con (2014) / Comic Con Kuwait (2017) in Kuwait City
• Malaysia: World Cosplay Summit Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur
• Mexico: Expo-TNT in Mexico City
• Myanmar: WCS Myanmar Preliminary in Mandalay
• Netherlands: Animecon in The Hague
• Philippines: Anime Alliance Philippines in Manila
• Portugal: Iberanime (2014) in Lisbon
• Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico Comic Con (2017) in San Juan
• Russia: Hinode in Moscow
• Singapore: Anime Festival Asia in Singapore
• South Africa: IconCGC in Gauteng
• South Korea: Samsung Everland / Wonder Cosplay Festival in Seoul
• Spain: FICOMIC / Salón del Manga (es:Ficomic / es:Salón del Manga de Barcelona) in Barcelona
• Sweden: Comic Con Stockholm in Stockholm
• Switzerland: Polymanga in Montreux
• Taiwan: Petit Fancy in Taipei
• Thailand: COSCOM / Orinos BKK / Asia Comic Con in Bangkok
• Trinidad and Tobago: Alias Entertainment Expo in Tunapuna
• UK: MCM Comic Con in London
• USA: Anime Expo in Los Angeles
• Vietnam: Touch FES in Ho Chi Minh City

Former preliminary conventions, organizations and events

• Australia: Animania in Sydney (2009-2013)
• China: Hangzhou True Design Company Ltd. (2005–2007)
• France: Epitanime (2005)
• India: Japan Pavilion in India Gaming Show (2017) in Delhi
• india: Japan Pavilion in India Gaming Show South (2018) in Bengaluru
• Japan: Cosplay Festa in Tokyo Dome City (Tokyo, 2006–2008)
• Japan: Layered XTRM at Osaka Castle Bandshell (Osaka, 2007)
• Japan: Cosplayers JAM Revolution (Osaka, 2008)
• Japan: Nipponbashi Street Festa in Osaka
• Singapore: Cosfest in Singapore (2006-2017)
• Thailand: Negibose Thailand (2006-2016) / Oishi Group (2010-2015 Co-organizations With Negibose Thailand) in Bangkok
• USA: New York Anime Festival (2008, 2009) in New York City
• USA: FanimeCon (2010) in San Jose
• USA: AM2 (2011) in Anaheim
• USA: Katsucon (2012) in Washington, D.C.
• USA: Anime Central in Chicago

Mascots

The WCS official characters

WCS has four official characters (mascots): Yuni, Ras, Glora and Barry. They were designed by Japanese illustrator Mel Kishida, who worked as character designer on projects such as Atelier, Sound of the Sky and Hanasaku Iroha.

1. Name: Yuni
   Age: 18
   Birthday: June 27
   Height: 153 cm (5 ft 0 in)
    
2. Name: Ras
   Age: 29
   Birthday: August 5
   Height: 186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
    
3. Name: Glora
   Age: 22
   Birthday: April 27
   Height: 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
    
4. Name: Barry
   Age: 19
   Birthday: August 18
   Height: 170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
    

Other international cosplay competitions

In addition to the World Cosplay Summit, there are other international cosplay competitions:

• China International Cartoon & Animation Festival (CICAF) Grand Cosplay Awards in Hangzhou, China
• Cosplay World Masters (CWM) in Lisbon, Portugal
• Euro Cosplay Championship (EuroCos) in London, U.K.
• European Cosplay Gathering (ECG) in Paris, France
• Yamato Cosplay Cup International (YCCI) in São Paulo, Brazil

See also

• Cosplay
• Anime convention
• List of anime conventions

External links

• Official World Cosplay Summit website