Otamatsuri
Otamatsuri 2023: Cosplay Tournament Registration is now LIVE!
It’s that time of the year again, and we are thrilled to announce the much-awaited cosplay tournament at Otamatsuri 2023 – an anime convention like no other!
Details
Saturday August 26th, 2023
Nairobi International School (senior school)
Maji Mazuri Road
10.00 am – 7.00 pm
Guidelines
We try to keep our Otamatsuri Cosplay tournaments less intensive, and more fun, but to ensure that we are all on the same page, please note the following guidelines:
- Only register if you want to compete. If you want to cosplay just for fun, no need to register.
- You must register correctly, supplying all information and content required in the registration form, by the deadline date of Monday August 14th, 11.59pm.
- You must be 13 years and above to take part in this competition.
- This competition category has a submission limit of 50 contestants.
- Do not cosplay based on fan art. Your costume must be of an existing fictional character from canon. Do not create your own character, or mix more than one character creating your own unique character.
- Do not mix different iterations/versions of your character, from different storylines/adaptations into one.
- You must select a fictional character which has featured in any anime, manga, anime/manga related video game, or anime/manga related movie (live action or animated). When submitting your registration, kindly be very clear on the anime/manga, character arc or chapter that your cosplay is from.
- You will defend the validity of your character’s source anime to the judges, so do your research, and follow our instructions to avoid disqualification.
- Register with an email, and mobile number you regularly check. Updates and changes may happen, and Movie Jabber will use those two avenues to communicate the same.
- You will be required to submit clear pictures, or videos, of your behind-the-scenes costume progress to cosplay@moviejabber.co.ke. Do not send via WhatsApp. These images/videos will be used to promote you as a cosplayer on the main stage, during the tournament.
- Movie Jabber will host one virtual meeting after registration closes, that you will be required to attend if you register successfully. This meeting will offer important event updates, as well as allow you to present your concerns or questions. Timings will be duly communicated well in advance.
- Outfits that contain weapons made of metal, or of material that can harm people, are not permitted. Use foam, or other similar soft material, to make your weapons look like weapons, but not function as such.
- All costumes must cover “swimsuit areas”, and, as such, no nudity. Whole body paint costumes are not eligible. This is a family-friendly event, we retain the right to disqualify such costumes, or bar entry.
- You can cosplay a gender-bent version of your character. However, male cosplayers shouldn’t wear skirts or dresses.
- The main judging will be communicated only to successful registrants.
Point Allocation
Here’s a rundown of how the judges will award points:
| CRITERIA | DESCRIPTION | POINTS |
| First Impression | Overall look of the outfit, in comparison to the actual character. How accurate looking, and impressive is your outfit? This category merely factors in the visual impact of your outfit, before we get into the details. | 1 to 5 maximum points awarded. 1 being the lowest, 5 being the highest. |
| Craftmanship | This is where we take a closer look at your outfit: we touch and feel it, get closer for all the smaller details. | 1 to 5 maximum points awarded. 1 being the lowest, 5 being the highest. |
| Compliance | Did you read, understand and follow all registration instructions and activities? | 1 to 3 maximum points awarded or deducted. |
| Time Keeping | Did you keep time? | 1 to 3 maximum points awarded or deducted. |
| Social Media | You need an audience to show off your work! Not only for that, but for cosplay and the convention scene to continue growing, we need a bigger audience tuning in. Posting regularly to show your costume creation process will help. And we are willing to reward that! When you post, please (1) only tag @moviejabber and @theanimecafeke (2) use the hashtag #Otamatsuri2023. | 3 points for more than 3 posts per week. Note: last-minute congested posts will not qualify. Spread them out across the weeks. |
| Stage Presence | When in your outfit, and on stage, do you embody the character you chose? You will be given a few minutes on stage to convince us you are your character! | 1 to 5 maximum points awarded. 1 being the lowest, 5 being the highest. |
All criteria, except ”Stage Presence” will be judged during the one-on-one sessions with the judging panel, whereas stage presence will be judged during the cosplay showcase segment, when cosplayers will have time on stage to showcase their craft to the crowd, and field questions about the character.
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