What: Cosplay Mania
When: October 12, 2008, Sunday
Where: SM Megamall, Mega Trade Hall 3

Cosplay events are stirring up a storm, I already count six events on my calendar and I doubt I can attend them all (yaoi con….. no!) and here’s the first (in the order that they arrived on my mail at least) one of on that list, Cosplay.ph’s very own Cosplay Mania.

I’m hoping that it will be a bash, not like me and my friends’ previous experiences with Mangaholix and Toy Con, it’s people who knows the cosplay scene that’s taking the reins (with the hope that Team Kyoudou will still keep their presence throughout all future events as well).

Cosplay Mania is going to hold activities that focus mostly on cosplay such as cosplay catwalks, tutorials, demonstrations, historical galleries, and etc.  Instead of cosplay being just a crowd magnet, it’s going to be the main attraction.  A generous shift on how things are on current conventions if you ask me.

While they’re still ironing out the details on other events, they’ve released the official guidelines for group and individual cosplay found below:

Cosplay Competition

Cosplay Mania 08 Cosplay Guidelines

1. The Cosplay Mania cosplay event is open to all event attendees.
2. The Cosplay Mania cosplay event will be an OPEN CATEGORY event where participants could cosplay any character that they want from any genre: whether it’s from an anime, manga, games, comics, movies, western animation, visual kei, harajuku fashion, etc. Pls. keep in mind that Original Characters are not qualified.
3. The Cosplay Mania cosplay event will be held on October 12, 2008. Both the INDIVIDUAL COSPLAY and the GROUP COSPLAY will be held on the said date.
4. The cosplay registration will be both an on-site/at-con registration and an online pre-registration. The on-site/at-con registration will be on October 12, 2008. Please refer to the Cosplay Online Pre-Registration procedure for each category.
5. All registrants are required to submit a reference picture of the character that they’ll be cosplaying upon registration. Please refer to the Picture Reference Submission section for the procedure.
6. Pre-registrants are required to confirm their pre-registrations on-site during the cosplay registration period. Pre-registering doesn’t guarantee a slot in the official cosplay list.
7. All cosplay competition participants are not qualified to join the Costume Building Contest.
8. Cosplayers under eighteen (18) years of age as of the event date must have their parent/s and/or legal guardian/s sign the waiver/image release form which will be distributed at the event.
9. Fanservice (e.g. yaoi, yuri, etc.) is allowed but should be “General Patronage”. Any kind of extreme kind of fanservice (e.g. kissing, PDA, etc.) that is deemed inappropriate for minors are strictly prohibited. Keep in mind that Cosplay Mania is a wholesome and a General Patronage event.
10. Costumes that are too revealing (ie. exposes private parts) are prohibited. Scantly clad and/or sexy costumes are allowed but are not encouraged. The Cosplay Mania Cosplay Team has the right to disqualify any participant on this ground.
11. All kinds of costume props must be handled with utmost care and must not be harmful to fellow cosplayers, event staff and event attendees. Any kind of sharp and/or bladed objects that will be used as costume props that could cut human flesh are strictly prohibited. Any kind of pyrotechnic equipment/s that will be used as costume props that could render damage to the venue and/or property is strictly prohibited.
12. The Cosplay Mania Cosplay Team, Cosplay Mania organizers and its staff will not be held responsible for damage or injury resulting from mishandling and/or negligence of a cosplayer in his/her use of props/materials throughout the duration of the event.
13. The Cosplay Mania cosplay judges’ decisions are final and can’t be appealed.
14. The Cosplay Mania organizers reserve the right to disqualify any cosplayer who ignores and/or violates any of the aforementioned guidelines.
15. Registration and participation to the cosplay event constitutes that the cosplayer gives the right and the authority to Cosplay Mania organizers/staff, its sponsors and authorized press media to take pictures and/or videos of registered cosplayers, cosplay groups and its members. These will be the sole property of the organizers/staff, its sponsors and authorized press media to be used for future publications and/or advertising promotions.
16. Cosplay Mania organizers and its staff and their relatives up to the 2nd degree of affinity or consanguinity are disqualified from participating in the cosplay event.

Individual Cosplay Guidelines

1. There will be an entry limit of one hundred (100) cosplayers for the Individual Cosplay event. There is a deadline for the registration and qualified cosplayers who registered before the deadline quota is included in the official list of Individual Cosplay participants.
2. Cosplay registration for the Cosplay Mania Individual Cosplay event will be both an online pre-registration and an on-site/at-con registration.
3. The online pre-registration will be done through here which is hosted by Cosplay.ph.
4. If the 100 Individual Cosplay quota has been reached but pre-registrants fail to confirm their registration from 10am-1pm on October 12, 2008, the next available slot(s) will be given to the on-site Individual Cosplay registrants.
5. Individual Cosplay participants are only allowed to have a maximum of two (2) human props.
6. Individual Cosplay participants will be given number tags that must be worn at all times.
7. Individual Cosplay participants are not qualified to join the Group Cosplay event even as a minor role or as a prop.

Group Cosplay Guidelines

1. A cosplay group must consist of a minimum of six (6) and a maximum of ten (10) members. Human props and the Cosplay Group’s Technical Director are included in the member count.
2. There will be any entry limit of ten (10) groups for the Group Cosplay. There is a deadline for the registration and qualified teams that registered before the deadline quota is included in the official list of Group Cosplay participants.
3. A member of a particular cosplay group can only join ONE COSPLAY GROUP and he/she will not allowed to join multiple cosplay groups.
4. A member of a particular cosplay group is not qualified to join the Individual Cosplay event.
5. Cosplay registration for the group cosplay will be through online pre-registration only. On-site group cosplay registration will not be accepted.
6. The online pre-registration will be done through here which is hosted by Cosplay.ph.
7. All cosplay groups are required to have a cosplay skit. Each cosplay group will be given a maximum of 5 minutes of stage time to do their skits.
8. All background music (BGMs) that will be used for the cosplay skit must be in audio or MP3 format (.CDA or .MP3) and must be within the time limit of their cosplay skit. Audio CDs must be properly labeled and submitted on October 11, 2008 as well as the script of the group skit. Procedures for submission will be emailed after the groups submit an on-line registration. A cosplay group is required to have a Technical Director who will assist the Cosplay Mania technical team in the usage of their BGM.
9. A pre-production briefing will be held on October 11, 2008. All cosplay groups are required to send a representative to the briefing. Group sequence will also be determined that day. Failure to attend the pre-production briefing will result in disqualification for the group.

Picture Reference Submission

1. Each cosplayer is required to submit a digital file of the picture of the character that they’ll be cosplaying.
2. All digital pictures must be in either JPEG, GIF or PNG format and must not exceed 10MB.
3. All digital pictures must not go below 144 x 288 pixels (wallet size) and must not go beyond 792 x 594 pixels (short bond paper size).
4. It is highly recommended to submit a full-body colored picture of the character that will be cosplayed. We’ll accept black/white pictures.
5. For on-line cosplay registrants, digital pictures must be uploaded to an online hosting site (e.g. Photobucket, Multiply, etc.) and a link provided during on-line registration.
6. For on-site registration, pictures must be stored in either a USB thumb drive or a CD and submitted upon registration. Please ensure that they are in the proper formats specified above and the storage device is free from viruses. Printed pictures will not be accepted. No picture means no registration.

Guidelines were originally posted here.

Cosplay Mania has it’s own website at CosplayMania.com.  You can check future news from there or here on Atma Xplorer.  If you’re interested in a discussion about the event, you can join us on Ichiraku and participate on the thread here.