About The Cosplay Photography Awards

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

While judging is 100% blind and we do not exclude based on nationality, participation is restricted by international law and logistics. Because of active EU trade sanctions (Regulations 269/2014, 833/2014, 765/2006, 2017/1509, 36/2012, 267/2012 and 401/2013), banking restrictions, and suspended postal services, we cannot fulfill prize distributions or logistical agreements in comprehensively sanctioned territories. As a result, residents of these regions are not eligible to participate.

Eligibility depends strictly on where a person legally resides, not their passport. If you live outside a sanctioned region, you are fully eligible to compete.

No. Submissions are completely free.

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.

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 violent, pornographic, explicitly sexual, or hate-speech content and must comply with public social media standards, with some exceptions for "Chili Jam". You must have the legal right to submit each photo, including necessary permissions, licenses, or model consent where applicable.

The base image must be captured by a camera — fully AI-generated images are not accepted. Minor generative AI adjustments for retouching are allowed and must be disclosed, but AI may not generate the primary costume or the background, or change the core creative intent. Photographic compositing techniques such as HDR and focus stacking are fine; combining several distinct photographs into a collage is not allowed in general. Some categories change these defaults — for example, the Compositing category permits blending multiple photographed and 3D-rendered elements, and Narrative Sequence requires a multi-photo sequence. Third-party stock assets are only permitted with a proper commercial license and must be disclosed.

The photographer who took the photo must be the one to submit it. Only the photographer or a person appearing in the photograph 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 other identifying marks are subject to disqualification. Our judging process is completely blind to ensure fairness, and nothing should influence the jury's evaluation of the photo itself.

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

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

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.

Prizes are shipped directly by sponsors. If a sponsor is unable to deliver to your country of residence — for example, there is no viable shipping route — that prize is waived. Judging itself is fully blind and never considers where you live.

Your photos are stored securely and, while judging is underway, are accessed only by the jury — nothing is shown publicly during the contest. If your photo is selected as a winner or nominee, it may be published on our website (including the archive) and our official social media channels, always with credit to you (see our Terms & Conditions). All other entries, along with their associated personal data, are deleted from our server after the awards conclude.

We want everyone here to feel safe and welcome. We have zero tolerance for homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, ableism, harassment, body shaming, and the non-consensual sexualization of anyone or their work, across our website, Discord, and every space connected to the contest. Cosplay is not consent, including in digital spaces, and using AI to create deepfakes or non-consensual explicit material is strictly forbidden. We also strictly protect our volunteer jury: any harassment, doxxing, or attempt to pressure or investigate judges results in immediate disqualification and a permanent ban.

Participants who publicly promote, glorify, or support military aggression, war crimes, or terrorism will be disqualified. We do not proactively monitor anyone’s social media, but we will investigate documented reports and act on verified findings. You can report a violation, with links or screenshots where possible, and we will review it confidentially.

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.