The LA Comic Con National Cosplay Championship took place on Saturday December 2nd, and what a show it was. Some of the most incredible costumes at the convention made their way across the stage in front of a panel of judges with years of experience in costuming, robotics, and prop fabrication. While there were numerous jaw dropping displays throughout the competition, it was an exquisite cosplay of Kozuki Hiyori from One Piece that took home this year’s ultimate prize.
LA Comic Con Cosplay Contest
Cosplay is a huge part of the convention experience, and a lot of conventions feature a cosplay contest. LA Comic Con’s is a pretty big one, with sizable cash prizes for the winners. The contest is broken into three categories to allow for different levels of competitors. The first, called Novice, is set aside for first time participants or those who have not participated in the next two categories yet. Journeymen is for slightly more experienced creators who have placed in either the Novice or Journeyman tier previously, while the Master category is for those who have placed in either Journeyman or Master previously. This year, a total of $30,000 was distributed to the first place entries of each category – $4,000 to the Novice winner, $6,00 to the Journeyman, and $8,000 to the Master. There was also a Best in Show prize presented, which came with a whopping $12,000 in grand prize money.
The competition welcomes any handmade cosplays, including original characters. Store bought costumes cannot be entered at this particular convention, although a few pre-purchased items such as shoes can be included. The maker of the costume must also be the one to model it at the competition. Thus, every person who entered either made their costumes almost entirely by hand (props, robots, and electronics included), or heavily modified existing garments to create their masterpieces.
Winners of the Contest
This competition is heavily focused on the craftsmanship and creativity of the entries, both of which were definitely on display this year. From a picture perfect ape warrior from Planet of the Apes to an incredible Fennec Shand from the Star Wars universe, every category was stacked with talent.
First place of the Master category was granted to an unbelievably detailed Queen of Hearts, whose skirt was so massive she couldn’t quite make it up the stairs and had to take the lift up to the stage.
It was the final prize, Best in Show, that went to the stunning, handmade Kozuki Hiyori cosplay. The kimono was straight from the screen and absolutely stunning, and the inclusion of the kitsune mask was an excellent touch, but it was the perfectly styled wig with intricate hairpieces that really stole the show. The effort, time and care that was put into this cosplay was clear, to both the audience and the judges, and this cosplayer walked away with $12,000 and a lovely LA Comic Con cosplay trophy to boot.
Overall the competition was a celebration of cosplay and the talent of the people who participated, and it was very exciting to see a beautiful One Piece cosplay go up against so many impressive builds and take home the grand prize.
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