Our cosplay contest is returning for another year at Maker Faire Bay Area! We started this fun little competition last year, and had a great time in New York, seeing the incredible creations that makers brought to show off. Take a peek at the concluding ceremonies and winner announcements from that event.
Again, we’re asking you to build and bring your most impressive props to show off. They must be original work (at least 75% something you made), and we can’t have realistic looking weapons at the event. Just make sure you’re following the typical “con safe” standards.
To enter, you have to enter your prop into maker share, then add it to the “misison” located here.
Prizes
this year’s prizes are fantastic! We’ve got a Prusa I3 Mk3S 3D Printer, a Janome H-3000 Black Edition heavy duty sewing machine, and several bundles from TNT cosplay to give away. There is also a bonus TESTED membership and for runners up, patterns for armor.
Emcee
Cosplayer and costume designer Jackie Craft has taken her passion for costume and prop making and turned it into a career. Jackie has worked with many game companies including Blizzard Entertainment, Nintendo and Versus Evil. You can check out some of her work in commercials for Blizzard’s Hearthstone.
Jackie is one half of a podcast called “Craft & Geek” where she shares everything from stories of her convention travels to wild material mistakes and crafting disasters. She has carried that microphone from podcast to stage where she hosts cosplay contests all over the U.S. and now recently internationally. In 2017 Jackie partnered with Simplicity Patterns to bring the first all foam female armor pattern to stores in the US and Canada. Jackie’s goal is to spread her confidence and enthusiasm for cosplay to as many interested crafters as possible while trying to make their journey a little easier through her love of pattern making. Looking to start a new cosplay? Check out her site, Jackie Craft Cosplay to get a kick start with one of her patterns!
Judges
Norman Chan
Norman Chan is the co-founder and Editor of Tested.com. Norm loves learning new photography tricks, is fascinated by comic book and cosplay culture, and is still on the hunt for the perfect pair of headphones. He is also an unabashed adult fan of LEGO. Follow Norm on Twitter.
The Egg Sisters
The Egg Sisters are two sisters from Chicago who enjoy making creature-type costumes with an emphasis on SFX, prop work, armor building, and costume design. Their builds come to life through the use of diverse materials, intricate detail work, and a whole lot of trial and error. They approach each project as an opportunity to try out new tools and learn new techniques.
Since starting in 2014, Egg Sisters have won Best in Show at the FFXIV Fan Festival (2014), 1st in the “Larger Than Life” category at C2E2 (2017), and 1st in the Individual/Duo category at Blizzcon (2018). Their projects and DIY tutorials have been featured in various publications, including Kotaku and Cosplay Culture magazine. Follow the Egg Sisters on Instagram.
Shawn Thorsson
Shawn Thorsson is the founder of Thorsson & Associates Workshop. A lifelong tinkerer, he learned at a very young age that the best way to have the coolest toys is often to make them yourself. Shawn’s hobby of building prop and costume pieces for his own collection has long since gotten out of control. Follow Shawn on Instagram.
Chad Hoku
Hokuprops is a team Lead by Propmaker Chad Hoku and Sammy Hoku. Chad’s background in 3d has him designing props and costumes digitally and utilizing different fabrication techniques to produce armor, props, and other costume components. Sammy works with fabric, covering all sewn requirements. HokuProps is best known for their Lionhardt cosplay which won Twitch’s 2016 Twitchcon Cosplay Contest’s grand prize. Follow Chad on Instagram.
Just remember, you have to sign up to participate! You’ll find all the details about the prizes and judges, as well as rules located on the makershare page for the contest.
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