The competition is open for cosplay photographers. It is worldwide and fully online. Participants must be 18 years or older.

Up to 2 in total. You choose one or two categories you want to compete in, and submit 1 photo per category. You cannot submit the same photo to both categories.

All photos must be original works. You may not submit an image that you edited but that was photographed by someone else. The photo must not contain vulgar, sexual, or controversial content (religion, racism, politics, etc.). You must have the legal right to submit each photo, including necessary permissions, licenses, or model consent where applicable.

The photographer who took the photo must be the one to submit it. Only the photographer or the model may retouch the photos — no third parties. The retoucher must be disclosed on submission.

Pay close attention to your selected category and its specific rules. Images containing any watermarks, signatures, or any identifying symbols will be immediately disqualified. Our judging process is completely blind to ensure fairness, and nothing should influence the jury's evaluation of the photo itself.

No. Submissions are completely free.

Minor generative adjustments that don’t alter the creative intent are allowed. No generative background replacement is permitted. Compositing is allowed only if all elements are photographed by you or created using 3D renders, and all subjects must be real people. Generally those rules are applied to all categories, but certain categories might have stricter requirements.

Current categories include: That Should be Printed, Landscape, Atmospheric Arts, Compositing, Narrative Sequence, Sunbound, Color Unleashed, Sculpted Light, Chili Jam. Note that the Ultimate Picture of the Year is a special category to which you cannot directly submit photos. Instead, top photos from each category will be automatically nominated for this award.

Submissions open on September 15 and close on October 15. This is followed by Jury Review until December 1. Final results will be published around December 14.

A panel of experienced judges will evaluate all eligible submissions. There are dedicated jury members assigned on each category. Only those jury members select the winner of the category.

Yes. The winner of the Ultimate Picture of the Year category receives a custom-made physical trophy. Only the winner of the Ultimate Picture receives a physical trophy.

Yes. You may edit your submission before the submission period closes or withdraw your submission any time.

Your photos are stored securely and accessed only by the jury. Your photos won't be publicly displayed on our website. Once the awards conclude, your photos and all associated data will be deleted from our server.

We intentionally avoid showcasing photos to prevent bias. The in-game screenshots we use instead are neutral and serve to illustrate the mood of some categories, not a specific photographic style.

Join us on Discord! Whether you have questions, need support, want to share feedback, or just want to connect with fellow cosplay photography enthusiasts, our Discord community is the best place to reach us. Our team and community members are active and ready to help.