World Cosplay Summit

, also known as WCS, is an annual international cosplay event, which promotes global interaction through Japanese pop culture. 
In 2012, the WCS was incorporated as a company. Until then, the summit was organized by the events division of TV Aichi. It is supported by several city organizations, businesses, and the WCS student volunteer organization "Omotenashi". The parade and championship are held in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. Other related events are held in the Kanto, Kansai, and Tokai regions. The first cosplay stage performance competition called the 'Cosplay Championship' was held at the Aichi Expo in 2005. This later developed into the World Cosplay summit. The selection of national representatives for the event comes from preliminary and regional rounds of the partnering anime/manga events held at the respective countries of the participants.
As of 2008, with keen interest in Japanese youth culture from abroad, three ministries of the Japanese government have given support to the event; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT), and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Japanese embassy representatives often attend preliminaries of events in different countries as well.
The WCS has grown from a weekend event in 2003, to week-long event where representatives visit different parts of Japan, including Akihabara, Kyoto and Sendai, for promotion of Japanese youth culture and its ability to connect internationally. The parade and championship are held on Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend of August.
History.
The first World Cosplay Summit was held in 2003 to highlight the international popularity of Japanese anime and manga through cosplay, and to brighten up Expo 2005 in Nagoya. The event has grown each year and has now includes over 40 countries with over 80 cosplay representatives and encompasses several events including the Osu Cosplay Parade and the Cosplay Championship.
2003-2007.
In 2003 the first event was held on October 12 at the Rose Court Hotel in Nagoya. 5 cosplayers were invited from Germany, France and Italy; events included a panel discussion, photographs session, and mixer event.
An event review dealing with the contemporary situation of anime and manga in Frankfurt (Germany), Paris (France) and Rome (Italy) was produced called . The program was broadcast on November 24.
The 2004 summit was held on August 1 at the Ōsu shopping district in Naka-ku, Nagoya. 8 cosplayers were invited from Germany, France, Italy and the United States. This year marked the introduction of the Osu Cosplay Parade, which featured about 100 participants.
In 2005, the WCS transferred from an invitation-based system to a system where preliminary events were held around the world to select cosplay participants. This was also the first year to hold the Cosplay Championship. Single and group teams came to represent each country with 4 cosplayers from each nation. Along with supporting activities, the event took place in 2 main locations: the Cosplay Parade was held in Osu on July 31 and the Cosplay Championship was held at the Expo Dome on August 7 during Expo 2005. 40 people from seven countries participated in the first Cosplay Championship, with France winning the group category, Italy winning the individual category, and with the overall contest winner being Italy. The initial goal of the event was to bring a part of Japanese youth culture to Expo 2005 and the event enjoyed the support of the Expo organizing committee — the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition.
In 2006, the event moved to the venue for the Cosplay Championship the location where it was held until 2013 at Oasis 21 in Sakae, Nagoya. 9 countries competed: Italy, Germany, France, Spain, China, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and Japan, with a total of 22 cosplayers. Maurisio Somenzari L. Olivas and Monica Somenzari L. Olivas are a brother-and-sister team who represented Brazil, winning the grand prize at the 2006 summit. Dressed respectively as Hughes de Watteau and Augusta Vradica from Trinity Blood, they made their costumes by hand with help from their parents.
This year the WCS gained the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT). Over 5,000 people attended the Cosplay Championship stage event and several thousand more attended the Cosplay Parade.
The same year, TV Aichi broadcast another TV documentary special, "World Cosplay Summit 2006: New Challengers".
In 2007, the venue for the Cosplay Championship was Oasis 21 in Higashi-ku, Nagoya. Denmark, Mexico and South Korea joined the event this year to bring the number of participating nations to 12, with a total of 28 participating cosplayers. About 10,000 people attended the Cosplay Championship.
On the evening of the Championship, "World Cosplay Summit 2007: Giza-suge yatsura ga yattekita Z!" (World Cosplay Summit 2007: The Super Cool Have Arrived!) was televised, and became a part of the 2007 "Visit Japan" campaign of the MLIT.
2008 - 2012.
With growing recognition of the global economic benefits of Japan's Otaku culture, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) began to support the event. About 300 cosplayers participated in the Parade.
13 countries with a total of 28 representative cosplayers performed in the Championship in front of 12,000 visitors. TV Aichi broadcast a TV documentary special, "World Cosplay Summit 2008 - Everyone's Heroes Get Together!"
In April 2009, the "World Cosplay Summit Executive Committee" was created to support the development and expansion of the WCS. The Osu Parade had grown to 500 people, and 30 representative cosplayers from 15 countries competed in the Cosplay Championship in front of 12,000 visitors, with Australia and Finland being the two newest participating nations.
The first international symposium was held at Nagoya University entitled "Outward Minded: Worldwide Impact of Cosplay and Interpretations in Japan".
In 2010, the symposium was moved to the Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers.
In 2011, the Netherlands and Malaysia joined the participating nations to bring the total to 17.
In 2012, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and Russia joined the event. Being the 10th anniversary of the WCS, the event was spread out over 12 days. Official visits were paid to Gifu, Mie, Tottori and Aichi Prefectural offices, and there were 2 parades held, one in Ichinomiya during the Tanabata Festival and the annual Parade in Osu, Nagoya. The order of the Parade and Championship were switched with the Championship held on the Saturday and the Parade on Sunday. This was also the first year that countries and regions could participate under Observer Status, and with Hong Kong and Taiwan taking part in this manner, the total number of participating countries and regions came to 22.
2013 - 2017.
Vietnam and the Philippines joined as Observer Nations in 2013, bringing the number of participating countries and regions to 24. The event was held with the help of local and international volunteers since 2009; however, this year saw the beginning of the "Omotenashi" student volunteer group. This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit as an independent company after 10 years where it was organized through the Events Department of TV Aichi. This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit has become available broadcast live via Niconico.
2017 was the first year that the Championship was held at the Aichi Arts Center beside Oasis 21. Portugal was selected to join. Also, Kuwait joined the WCS as the first nation from the Middle East, which brought the total number of participating nations/regions to 26.
In 2015, the Championship moved to the largest venue within the Aichi Arts Center called 'The Theater'. With the inclusion of Canada and Sweden as Observer Nations, the number of participating nations/regions now total 28.
In 2016, India (the first nation from South Asia) and Switzerland joined the WCS, bringing the number of participating nations/region to 30. The World Cosplay Championship has now become a two-stage event. 1st Stage, held on Saturday, has the participants split into two groups of 15 teams, judged by two different juries, and 8 teams are selected from each group. Only special prizes (Brother, Niconico etc.) are awarded at the end of this phase. 2nd Stage, held on Sunday (the Osu Parade still regularly takes place earlier the same day), has the 16 selected teams bring their costumes and skits again in front of a third jury. Only 3rd place, 2nd place, and Grand Champion prizes are awarded during these finals.
Minutes after the end of 1st Stage, an error in the vote counting was discovered which had caused the Germany and South Korea teams to not be admitted to 2nd Stage. The organization decided to admit them while not excluding other teams that had passed due to the error, bringing the total number of 2nd Stage participants to 18 teams. This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit has become available used backscreen for enhance abilities representative's performance.
In 2017, Belgium, Chile, Myanmar, Puerto Rico, United Arab Emirates joined World Cosplay Summit 2017. Kuwait, who previously participated, failed to participate this year due to undisclosed circumstances, bringing the number of participating nations/region to 34. This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit allowed the use of dialogues and scenario from Japanese live action adaptations for performances. During the final moments of 2nd stage grand championship program, the WCS Representatives from Taiwan and Brazil made unexpected marriage proposals on the stage.
2018 - 2020.
Bulgaria, Costa Rica, and South Africa joined World Cosplay Summit 2018, and Kuwait returned to participate. Puerto Rico and United Arab Emirates were unable to send representatives for this year, bringing the number of participating nations/regions to 36. The Championship has gone back to a single stage, and moved to the Dolphins Arena Gymnasium. The WCS Alumni 2017 from Taiwan who were engaged to marry during last year's championship, came back to the WCS for their wedding ceremony in the Wedding Hall Photo Party event; after the ceremony and the cake cutting, there was another surprise as the male WCS representative from Singapore made an unexpected marriage proposal. This was the first year the Underground cosplay parade or Cosplay night parade event at Central Park underground street.
In 2019, Austria, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad and Tobago joined World Cosplay Summit 2019, and United Arab Emirates returned as participants. Kuwait and Puerto Rico were unable to send representatives for this year, bringing the number of participating nations/regions to 40. The World Cosplay Championship expanded to a three-stage event, with the first stage being held in the Japanese capital for the first time. In the first-ever Tokyo Round at Tokyo Dome City Hall on 27 August, the teams are divided into 4 groups. The two best-ranked teams from each group in the runway and costume check would qualify directly for the final, and the remaining teams will go onto the Nagoya Round. It was originally announced that Group 3's Mexico and Costa Rica would advance to the Final, but it was later discovered that Russia had scored higher than Costa Rica, replacing them to advance to the final. On 31 August, A bridal cosplay party was held in Wedding Hall Bleu Leman, where the male WCS Alumni 2018 from Chile made an unexpected marriage proposal during the event. The Nagoya Round and Final or Championship moved to the venue within the Aichi Arts Center again. In the Nagoya Round, the remaining 32 teams would perform and 16 advance to the Final, joining the 8 teams from the Tokyo Round to a total of 24 teams in the World Cosplay Championship. This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit was broadcast live on YouTube, But Tokyo Round And Nagoya Round Only.
In 2020, the event was cancelled for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WCS Organizers hope is that this situation will be resolved by summer and it will be possible to continue scheduled events. Formally The event, which is scheduled for celebration on 1–2 August, will take place at multiple venues including "Oasis 21" in the Sakae ward of Nagoya city. A final decision on the celebration of the event will be taken upon a careful consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been decided to cancel the World Cosplay Championship include National and regional qualifying from other countries.
World Cosplay Championship rules and regulations.
Regulations.
Regulations of the preliminaries for each country are decided by the event in which the respective preliminaries takes place. The following are participation regulations of the World Cosplay Summit Championship (finals) in Japan.
Participant regulations (for WCS 2012).
1. Each country will be represented by one team of two cosplayers.
2. The costumes must be from Japanese anime, manga, and tokusatsu. 
3. Cosplay costumes are to be hand-made.
4. Prospective entrants must be able to travel to Japan for about one week from the end of July to early August for the World Cosplay Summit Championship.
5. Participating minors must have consent of a guardian (rules may vary depending on the preliminary rules in different countries).
6. Contestants must participate in a positive manner in order to ensure the success of the World Cosplay Summit.
7. Legal Documents (i.e. passport application, official documentation, etc.) must be prepared and submitted as quickly as possible at the request of the WCS sponsor (TV Aichi).
8. Media such as TV programs, Internet homepages, newspapers, magazines, etc. may use photos and images of the preliminary contests prior to the World Cosplay Summit. On these occasions, compensation will not be furnished.
9. All image rights in all media exposure, such as news from TV programs and other assorted media involved with the World Cosplay Summit, promotional activities in print media as well as events and performances, and announcements of the Cosplay Summit both prior and during the event, will be attributed to TV Aichi.
10. After the World Cosplay Summit, images, photographs, footage, programs broadcast, Internet homepages and DVDs, etc. of the contestants will come under the jurisdiction of TV Aichi. Compensation will not be furnished for such images used by the media.
Preparation: rules and considerations.
1. A minimum of three costumes must be brought to Japan: one for the Parade, one for the Championship, and one for media appearances.
2. In the Cosplay Championship, the costumes of the characters must be from the same Japanese manga, anime, video game or tokusatsu series.
3. All equipment, costumes and props for the Cosplay Championship performance are limited to a maximum weight of combined for both performers.
4. All large props set on stage before the Cosplay Championship performance begins are limited to a maximum weight of . Prop dimensions are limited to in height, in width and in depth.
5. All large props set on stage are limited to a maximum of 3 items. Dimensions of hand held props carried onto the stage must be relayed to WCS head office in written form and accompanied by photographs.
6. It is not permitted to directly copy original drawings or logos to your equipment or props.
7. You are required to bear the cost of any overweight luggage charges when shipping costumes and other items. It is not possible to send them to Japan by air or ship beforehand.
8. Please prepare your own music for your performance. A performance sheet stating what you will perform is to be submitted in advance. The use of voice actors voices from original works in your music is prohibited.
9. Please send the documents and sound file at latest one month before the date of the Cosplay Championship.
World Cosplay Championship Performance Rule Description.
1. Only handmade costume
2. The costumes must be from Japanese anime, manga, and tokusatsu.
3. The Stage Performance team must in group 2 judging time is 2.30 min for performance
4. Backscreen is available (2016–present)
5. The ranking is determined by the total score of the Character Judging and the Stage Performance Judging
Judging.
Judging in Tokyo Round (for WCS 2019).
The Tokyo judges are a panel of usually organizer from participating nations/region. The organizers of each country are unable to participate in judging in the group that has their own country.
Judging criteria.
1. Costume stage presence (50 points)
2. Fidelity towards the original (50 points)
Judging in Semi-final (for WCS 2016-2018) / Nagoya Round (for WCS 2019).
The Semi-final judges are a panel of usually organizer from participating nations/region. The organizers of each country are unable to participate in judging in the group that has their own country.
Judging criteria 2016.
1. Costume Craftsmanship (10 points) By Organizers + The Costume impact on stage (5 points)
2. Performance (10 points)
3. Faithfulness (5 points)
Judging criteria 2017.
1. Stage Performance (10 points)
2. Respect for the source material (5 points)
3. Costume stage expression (5 points)
4. Costume Craftsmanship (10 points)
Judging criteria 2018.
1. Stage Performance (100 points)
2. Respect for the source material (50 points)
3. Costume stage expression (50 points)
4. Costume Craftsmanship (100 points)
Judging criteria 2019.
1. Stage Performance (100 points)
2. Costume stage presence (50 points)
3. Respect for the source material (50 points)
4. Character Judging (100 points)
Judging in Championship.
The Championship judges are a panel of usually guest judges from the anime, manga and cosplay community.
Judging criteria.
Each judge of the Cosplay Championship can award 10 points for costume, 10 points for performance and 5 points for faithfulness to the original work, for a maximum total of 25 points.
1. Performance (10 points): level of performance, inventiveness, entertainment
2. Costume (10 points): design, faithfulness to the original characters costume
3. Fidelity to Original (5 points): level of faithfulness of the performance towards the original story and characters
At a later time has been change to each judge of the Cosplay Championship can award 15 points for costume, for a maximum total of 30 points. In present-day has been change to used same criteria in Semi-final / Nagoya Round
Attending countries.
Attending countries in bold indicate first attendance for that year:
Teams at the most recent edition of the WCS.
The following representative teams were present at the most recent edition of the World Cosplay Summit.
Results.
Yearly results for the top awards:
Results of the most recent Championship.
Results of the 2019 World Cosplay Championship:
Performance by country.
This list contains the champions of World Cosplay Summit.
Preliminary conventions, organizations and events.
The following conventions, organizations and events have held or organized the preliminary contests to select the representatives of each country for the Cosplay Championship since 2005:
Official Characters (mascots).
The World Cosplay Summit has 4 Official Characters (mascots): Yuni, Ras, Glora and Barry.<br> 
They were designed by Japanese illustrator Mel Kishida, who worked as character designer on projects such as Atelier, Sound of the Sky and Hanasaku Iroha.
Other international cosplay competitions.
In addition to the World Cosplay Summit, there are other international cosplay competitions: