Anyone interested in Supanova National Cosplay Championship?

[Obelix]

Hi Everyone!

With Supanova going almost national in 2008 I thought I'd check to see if there's an interest in having a "Supanova National Title" with the winners of each Supanova expo (Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth) going for the "Australian" Supanova title.

Obviously we'd need to set out and think through some rules but in principal what do you think and please feel free to share your thoughts on the pros and cons of doing so.

Daniel Z
Supanova Event Director

[Mittens]

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Would the winners all have to meet up somewhere, or would they just be judged on photos? If the former, then would airfares be provided? My brother had to pay when he made nationals for something I'm not going to mention because I can't walk anywhere in my house without treading on his cards.

Also, would the winners be determined solely on how good the costume is, or is there also a roleplaying aspect of the contest?

Sorry if I seem to be asking a lot of questions; this sounds like it could really have potential.

[Obelix]

Hi Mittens!

I [you]LOVE[/you] your questions as they are just the beginning of what we have to think about and the more questions that get asked the better prepared we'll be if we go ahead with it.

Or the more questions that get asked that make us realise we should put the idea in the "too hard basket" is also a help to us as we won't get in over our heads.

But issues that you bring up immediately include "what budget would we need to allocate to it", "does role-play count and if yes how much" and "do we need to be booking a venue for the finals"?

And if all the champs come together for a final would there need a new costume made or is the original winning entry from each respective Supanova the one and only entry they are judged on? If its the original costume only then the need for a final Cosplay-Off wouldn't be necessary. But if we're accepting new costumes should the top three per comp be represented instead and not just THE winner per city?

Great questions!

[brodez]

what would the prizes be if ????

and would there be rules on if you bought it or made it yourself like a certain amount you could spend to keep it fair ??

but i like the idea of a national cosplay championship sound like fun

[Aven]

It seems like a good Idea, I'm going to go with picking the winners from each event (Both Days.) Taking a photo or recording a video of their skit if they did one, things like that.

But that's my Idea..

So yeah..

I say hells ya.

[starfirephoenix]

It really depends on what you hope to achieve from it. Is there any benefit to having an overall winner? Is it worth the effort? Obviously, since you are asking for feedback, you also want to know if people want it. I think there'll be a lot of interest, as people like to have something to work towards.

However, what would you do if the winners actually don't want to, or aren't able to (for a bunch of reasons) compete again, and you only end up with a handful of people? Although a lot of people are often really dedicated, sometimes they may not be interested in making something new. Sometimes a winning costume / cosplay is a once-off, or a once a year big deal costume. So, having to build something new is not always easy.

I think it's a great idea, but I just wonder how it will work. Surely there must be some way though

[Janeka]

I think it's a great idea. These kinds of things are what motivate me to learn more and get better. The World Cosplay Summit doesn't really motivate me, as I know it's utterly hopeless anyway, with all those crazy full on people from around the world participating.

If everyone did need to make a new costume and they all met up somewhere, I think it would be really cool. Meeting the best cosplayers from all over Australia would be very exciting! As well as the final judging, there could also be a photo shoot, so that professional looking pictures could go up on the supanova website. Maybe into a 'Supanova National Cosplay Championship' winners gallery or something.

Personally, I think the judging at the individual events (like preliminaries?) is what could make or break it. There's always going to be someone who doesn't agree with a certain person winning, but if the judges got to have a close up look at say... their top five, it could make the judging a bit more accurate. Some people also might not be interested. Maybe when you sign up for the cosplay competition, there could be a "Do you want to participate in the Supanova National Cosplay Championship?" box or something. So those who just want to have fun and go on stage don't need to worry about that 'MUST WIN' crowd.

[Username]

I like the sound of a national cosplay thingy.
I have no chance in hell of winning or even getting in but it still sounds cool.

[Megumii]

I think it's a great idea. These kinds of things are what motivate me to learn more and get better. The World Cosplay Summit doesn't really motivate me, as I know it's utterly hopeless anyway, with all those crazy full on people from around the world participating.

If everyone did need to make a new costume and they all met up somewhere, I think it would be really cool. Meeting the best cosplayers from all over Australia would be very exciting! As well as the final judging, there could also be a photo shoot, so that professional looking pictures could go up on the Supanova website. Maybe into a 'Supanova National Cosplay Championship' winners gallery or something.

Personally, I think the judging at the individual events (like preliminaries?) is what could make or break it. There's always going to be someone who doesn't agree with a certain person winning, but if the judges got to have a close up look at say... their top five, it could make the judging a bit more accurate. Some people also might not be interested. Maybe when you sign up for the cosplay competition, there could be a "Do you want to participate in the Supanova National Cosplay Championship?" box or something. So those who just want to have fun and go on stage don't need to worry about that 'MUST WIN' crowd.

Totally agree with you, I would love to enter the world cosplay summit however after seeing all the great people i have no hope. Also having all the winners together for a photo shoot would be amazing. This is a good idea *^_^*

[Hana-Chan]

About time I reply to this no? XD, anywhosit, I must agree with Poke_Egg, he has raised some good points. I think this has the potential to be good; however I also think it could be bad. It can cause a strain on the Cosplay community. With Animania holding the World Cosplay Summit it seems like it may be taking the fun out of Cosplay with the large competition and I wouldn’t want to see the fun get taken out of Supanova. For if there is National Titles there will be drama and that drama may turn new Cosplayers off. However it may encourage the standards of Cosplay to rise, though that in itself may cause even more drama when the casual Cosplayers make their outfits they may be looked down upon by the elite if they are not up to standard.

Another thing, how many people do you want to compete? Something along the lines of WCS with only a pair of Cosplayers winning or just the “best of” or the top three in each category?

Indeed how would the Cosplay be judged? Would it be like WCS with having costume and role-play elements combined to reach the final decision or would you have it like a new competition and allow people just to flaunt their costumes without a skit or if they choose to, they can perform a skit as well?

Which Leads to another question, I know it has already been asked but it would be nice to know if people would have to make another costume for the ‘finals’. If so when would the finals be held? If you choose to have the winners make another costume then it would be a wise decision to have a good amount of time until the final judging so that a new costume can be produced. Perhaps have the competition towards the end of the year since the cons are towards the beginning of the year. I know it can take a lot of time to make a costume and I also know having a short amount of time can cause stress and then the final piece may end up rushed and not up to standards.

Another point that’s been raised by brodez, is the workmanship factor. Will you allow commissioned costumes in? Or will you have a separate category for them if you do allow them? As I have said before, if someone enters with a commissioned/store bought costume then it’s unfair for the people who have made the effort to make their own costume.

Anywho, I think I’ve ranted enough for now ^^;;;;;;;