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
Location(s)	Sakae, Nagoya, Aichi
Country	Japan
Inaugurated	2003
Attendance	18,000 in 2012
Website	www.worldcosplaysummit.jp/en/

2008 World Cosplay Summit

The World Cosplay Summit (世界コスプレサミット, Sekai Kosupure Samitto), also known as WCS, is an annual international cosplay event that promotes friendly international exchange through Japanese pop culture. In 2012, the WCS was incorporated as a company and until that year was organized by the events division of TV Aichi. It is supported by city organizations, businesses and the WCS student volunteer organization Omotenashi. The parade and championship are held in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan with several related events being held in the Kanto, Kansai and Tokai areas. A cosplay stage performance competition called the 'Cosplay Championship' was first held at Aichi Expo in 2005 and selection of national representatives for the event comes from preliminary and regional rounds held at partnering anime/manga events the respective countries of the participants.

With keen interest in Japanese youth culture from abroad, as of 2008, three ministries of the Japanese government have given support to the event; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT), and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Japanese embassy representatives often attend preliminaries at events in different countries as well.

The WCS has grown from a weekend event in 2003 and is currently held over a one-week period where the representatives visit different parts of Japan, including Akihabara, Kyoto and Sendai, in promotion of Japanese youth culture and its ability to connect internationally. The parade and championship have been held on the Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend of August since 2006.

History

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), current venue for the Cosplay Championship

The first World Cosplay Summit was held in 2003 to highlight the international popularity of Japanese anime and manga through cosplay, and to brighten up Expo 2005 in Nagoya. The event has grown year by year and has come to include over 40 countries with over 80 cosplay representatives and encompasses several events including the Osu Cosplay Parade and the Cosplay Championship.

2003-2012: The first 10 years

2003

The first event was held on October 12 at the Rose Court Hotel in Nagoya. 5 cosplayers were invited from Germany, France and Italy; events included a panel discussion, photographs session, and mixer event.

An event review dealing with the contemporary situation of anime and manga in Frankfurt (Germany), Paris (France) and Rome (Italy) was produced called "International Common Language" (MANGAは世界の共通語). The program was broadcast on November 24.

2004

Held on August 1 at the Ōsu shopping district in Naka-ku, Nagoya. 8 cosplayers were invited from Germany, France, Italy and the United States. This year marked the introduction of the Osu Cosplay Parade, which featured about 100 participants.

2005

In 2005, the WCS transferred from an invitational based system to a system where preliminary events were held around the world to select cosplay participants. This was also the first year to hold the Cosplay Championship. Single and group teams came to represent each country with 4 cosplayers from each nation. Along with supporting activities, the event took place in 2 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 and the event enjoyed the support of the Expo organizing committee — the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition.

2006

The next year the event moved to the venue for the Cosplay Championship the location where it was held until 2013 at Oasis 21 in Sakae, Nagoya. 9 countries competed: Italy, Germany, France, Spain, China, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and Japan, with a total of 22 cosplayers. Maurisio Somenzari L. Olivas and Monica Somenzari L. Olivas are a brother-and-sister team who represented Brazil, winning the grand prize at the 2006 summit. Dressed respectively as Hughes de Watteau and Augusta Vradica from Trinity Blood, they made their costumes by hand with help from their parents.

This year the WCS gained the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the 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 broadcast another TV documentary special, "World Cosplay Summit 2006: New Challengers".

2007

The venue for the Cosplay Championship was Oasis 21 in Higashi-ku, Nagoya. Denmark, Mexico and South Korea joined the event this year to bring the number of participating nations to 12, with a total of 28 participating cosplayers. About 10,000 people attended the Cosplay Championship.

On the evening of the Championship, "World Cosplay Summit 2007: Giza-suge yatsura ga yattekita Z!" (World Cosplay Summit 2007: The Super Cool Have Arrived!) was televised. This year, the event became a part of the 2007 "Visit Japan" campaign of the MLIT.

2008

With growing recognition of the global economic benefits of Japan's Otaku culture, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) began to support the event. About 300 cosplayers participated in the Parade.

13 countries with a total of 28 representative cosplayers performed in the Championship in front of 12,000 visitors. TV Aichi broadcast a TV documentary special, "World Cosplay Summit 2008 - Everyone's Heroes Get Together!"

2009

In April 2009, the "World Cosplay Summit Executive Committee" was created to support the development and expansion of the WCS. The Osu Parade had grown to 500 people, and 30 representative cosplayers from 15 countries competed in the Cosplay Championship in front of 12,000 visitors, 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".

2010

SKE48 Team KII performing at the World Cosplay Summit 2010.

The symposium was moved to the Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers.

2011

This year, the Netherlands and Malaysia joined the participating nations to bring the total to 17.

This was the first year that the 'Special Tour' was held. After the last day of activities, all cosplay representatives and organizers went on a tour of the Central Japan region, staying that evening at a traditional hot springs hotel in the Chita Peninsula area.

2012

This year, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and Russia joined the event. Being the 10th anniversary of the WCS, the event was spread out over 12 days. Official visits were paid to Gifu, Mie, Tottori and Aichi Prefectural offices, and there were 2 parades held, one in Ichinomiya during the Tanabata Festival and the annual Parade in Osu, Nagoya. The order of the Parade and Championship were switched with the Championship held on the Saturday and the Parade on Sunday. This was also the first year that countries and regions could participate under Observer Status, and with Hong Kong and Taiwan taking part in this manner, the total number of participating countries and regions came to 22.

2013

Vietnam and the Philippines joined as Observer Nations this year, bringing the number of participating countries and regions 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 World Cosplay Summit as an independent company after 10 years where it was organized through the Events Department of TV Aichi.This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit has become available broadcast live via the Niconico.

2014

This was the first year that the Championship was held at the Aichi Arts Center beside Oasis 21. Portugal was selected to join. Also, Kuwait joined the WCS as the first nation from the Middle East, which brought the total number of participating nations/regions to 26.

2015

The Championship moved to the largest venue within the Aichi Arts Center called 'The Theater'. With the inclusion of Canada and Sweden as Observer Nations, the number of participating nations/regions now total 28.

2016

India (the first nation from South Asia) and Switzerland joined the WCS, bringing the number of participanting nations/region to 30. The World Cosplay Championship has now become a two-stage event. 1st Stage, held on Saturday, has the participants split into two groups of 15 teams, judged by two different juries, and 8 teams are selected from each group. Only special prizes (Brother, Niconico etc.) are awarded at the end of this phase. 2nd Stage, held on Sunday (the Osu Parade still regularly takes place earlier the same day), has the 16 selected teams bring their costumes and skits again in front of a third jury. Only 3rd place, 2nd place, and Grand Champion prizes are awarded during these finals. Minutes after the end of 1st Stage, an error in the vote counting was discovered which had caused the Germany and South Korea teams to not be admitted to 2nd Stage. The organization decided to admit them while not excluding other teams that had passed due to the error, bringing the total number of 2nd Stage participants to 18 teams. This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit has become available used backscreen for enhance abilities representative's performance.

2017

Belgium, Chile, Myanmar, Puerto Rico, United Arab Emirates joined World Cosplay Summit 2017. Kuwait, who previously participated, failed to participate this year due to undisclosed circumstances, bringing the number of participating nations/region to 34. This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit allowed the use of dialogues and scenario from Japanese live action adaptations for performances. During the final moments of 2nd stage grand championship program, the WCS Representatives from Taiwan and Brazil made unexpected marriage proposals on the stage.

2018

Bulgaria, Costa Rica, and South Africa joined World Cosplay Summit 2018, and Kuwait returned to participate. Puerto Rico and United Arab Emirates were unable to send representatives for this year, bringing the number of participating nations/regions to 36. The Championship has gone back to a single stage, and moved to the Dolphins Arena Gymnasium. The WCS Alumni 2017 from Taiwan who were engaged to marry during last year's championship, came back to the WCS for their wedding ceremony in the Wedding Hall Photo Party event; after the ceremony and the cake cutting, there was another surprise as the male WCS representative from Singapore made an unexpected marriage proposal. This was the first year the Underground cosplay parade or Cosplay night parade event at Central Park underground street.

2019

Austria, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad and Tobago joined World Cosplay Summit 2019, and United Arab Emirates returned as participants. Kuwait and Puerto Rico were unable to send representatives for this year, bringing the number of participating nations/regions to 40. The World Cosplay Championship expanded to a three-stage event, with the first stage being held in the Japanese capital for the first time. In the first-ever Tokyo Round at Tokyo Dome City Hall on 27 August, the teams are divided into 4 groups. The two best-ranked teams from each group in the runway and costume check would qualify directly for the final, and the remaining teams will go onto the Nagoya Round. It was originally announced that Group 3's Mexico and Costa Rica would advance to the Final, but it was later discovered that Russia had scored higher than Costa Rica, replacing them to advance to the final. 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. The Nagoya Round and Final or Championship moved to the venue within the Aichi Arts Center again. In the Nagoya Round, the remaining 32 teams would perform and 16 advance to the Final, joining the 8 teams from the Tokyo Round to a total of 24 teams in the World Cosplay Championship. This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit was broadcast live on YouTube, But Tokyo Round And Nagoya Round Only.

2020

The event was cancelled for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WCS Organisers hope is that this situation will be resolved by summer and it will be possible to continue scheduled events. Formally The event, which is scheduled for celebration on 1–2 August, will take place at multiple venues including "Oasis 21" in the Sakae ward of Nagoya city.A final decision on the celebration of the event will be taken upon a careful consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been decided to cancel the World Cosplay Championship include National and regional qualifying from other countries.

World Cosplay Championship rules and regulations

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 World Cosplay Summit 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.

World Cosplay Championship Performance Rule Description

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

Judging

Judging in Tokyo Round (for WCS 2019)

The Tokyo judges are a panel of usually organizer from participanting nations/region. The organizers of each country are unable to participate in judging in the group that has their own country.

Judging criteria

1. Costume stage presence (50 points)

2. Fidelity towards the original (50 points)

Judging in Semi-final (for WCS 2016-2018) / Nagoya Round (for WCS 2019)

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

Judging criteria 2016

1. Costume Craftsmanship (10 points) By Organisers + The Costume impact on stage (5 points)

2. Performance (10 points)

3. Faithfulness (5 points)

Judging criteria 2017

1. Stage Performance (10 points)

2. Respect for the source material (5 points)

3. Costume stage expression (5 points)

4. Costume Craftsmanship (10 points)

Judging criteria 2018

1. Stage Performance (100 points)

2. Respect for the source material (50 points)

3. Costume stage expression (50 points)

4. Costume Craftsmanship (100 points)

Judging criteria 2019

1. Stage Performance (100 points)

2. Costume stage presence (50 points)

3. Respect for the source material (50 points)

4. Character Judging (100 points)

Judging in Championship

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

Judging criteria

Each judge of the Cosplay Championship can award 10 points for costume, 10 points for performance and 5 points for faithfulness to the original work, for a maximum total of 25 points.

1. Performance (10 points): level of performance, inventiveness, entertainment

2. Costume (10 points): design, faithfulness to the original characters costume

3. Fidelity to Original (5 points): level of faithfulness of the performance towards the original story and characters

At a later time has been change to each judge of the Cosplay Championship can award 15 points for costume, for a maximum total of 30 points. In present-day has been change to used same criteria in Semi-final / Nagoya Round

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)

Attending countries

  Participating countries at the World Cosplay Summit (as of 2015)

  Observing countries at the World Cosplay Summit (as of 2015)

  Japan, host country of the World Cosplay Summit

Attending countries in bold indicate first attendance for that year:

Year	#	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

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	K Ameno Kitarou (A.K. Wirru)
Austria	Vivi Kolibri	Ketchum if you can
Belgium	Muralu Marinou
Brazil	Jessy Patri Popes	Team Stardust
Bulgaria	Wanyusha Mckoly
Canada	Damaged Cosplay Kaoru Doll	Doll Damage
Chile	Polakito André Cindy Le Miau	Taeam Polamiau
China	Xiao Yi Shin Ba
Costa Rica	Elí Cosplay Stan Cosplay	The Lords of Blood
Denmark	Chikara Cosplay Zuum Cosplay
Finland	Rorune Fukka
France	Kalimsshar SakuraFlame
Germany	Feder Cita	C&F Cosplay Factory
Hong Kong	Gino Hiroshi
India	Domino (Domino Dominic Khiangte) WonderBoy (Reuben)
Indonesia	Gilbert Gerard	Genesis Twin
Israel	Lucky Menace Cosplay SabraFish Cosplay
Italy	Diaboliko Cosplay Nero Cosplay
Japan	Lily Rubi
Malaysia	King Rusydi NASH SHAH	Team KuraMaker
Mexico	Kobalto Akira	Inglorious Bastards
Myanmar	Tiffany Thant Kiki	Team Sakura
Netherlands	Rei Suzuki Kaoru Lily
Philippines	Seigfred V. Enero Shenz kie	Team Class S
Portugal	Dio (Cláudio Santos) Meron (Catarina Magalhães)
Russia	Kurama Byakura Cheshire Fox
Saudi Arabia	Vega Cosplay Battosai
Singapore	Rithe リティ 莉提 KAI
South Africa	Kinpatsu Cosplay KomboKatjie
South Korea	Kyle Han Yuni
Spain	Madoka Crispychicken	Nezumi Cosplay
Sweden	Toriiko Mie-Rose Cosplay
Switzerland	Shunsuke Saya
Taiwan	Takahashi-LNG Siao Dao	雞鴉戰隊 Team Jiya
Thailand	Naito (Madara Naito) PaPiPu (Juthamas Sookkasem)
Trinidad and Tobago	General Glauca) Hallucin X
United Arab Emirates	TobiDXB Maru-dono
United Kingdom	Enja Plays Stephanie Dola
United States	Joshua Hart Design Garnet Runestar (Elrowiel)
Vietnam	Akai Cindy Kim

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

• ^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 2019 World Cosplay Championship:

Award	Winner
1st Place (Grand Champion)		K Ameno Kitarou (A.K. Wirru)
2nd Place (Runner-up 1st)		Joshua Hart Design Garnet Runestar (Elrowiel)
3rd Place (Runner-up 2nd)		Kalimsshar SakuraFlame
Air Asia Award (Alumni Vote)		Xiao Yi Shin Ba
Futaba Award (Best Respect)		Polakito André Cindy Le Miau
Brother Award (Best Costume)		Feder Cita
Bioré Award (Best Makeup)		Joshua Hart Design Garnet Runestar (Elrowiel)

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

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 Dimapur, 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

Official Characters (mascots)

The Official Characters of the World Cosplay Summit

The World Cosplay Summit has 4 Official Characters (mascots): Yuni, Ras, Glora and Barry.
 

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)
    

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.

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