Day visitors: November 24 – 26
LAN attendees: November 23 – 26
We will host two separate competitions, DreamHack Cosplay Championship on Saturday at 17:00 CEST and ECG Qualifier Sunday at 15:00 CEST.
Be a part of our new Cosplay Incentive program!
Compete in four DreamHack Cosplay tiers.
Perks that are unique to cosplayers at DreamHack
Cosplay at DreamHack has several unique aspects that set it apart from other cosplay events.
Overall, the combination of gaming focus, massive scale, competition opportunities, integration with esports, and community spirit makes cosplay at DreamHack a unique & memorable experience for cosplayers and attendees alike.
DreamHack seamlessly combines cosplay with its esports tournaments, creating a unique synergy between the two worlds. Cosplayers often have opportunities to interact with professional players, esports teams, and gaming industry personalities, enhancing the overall experience. This integration enables cosplayers to immerse themselves in the gaming culture and be part of the larger DreamHack community.
We will have two competitions at DreamHack Winter: DreamHack Cosplay Championship on Saturday at 17:00, a catwalk competition focusing on craftmanship, and ECG Qualifier on Sunday at 15:00, a performance competition. See more information about ECG here
Cosplayers compete in four DreamHack Cosplay Championship tiers (Expert, Artisan, Novice & kids) for a share of the SEK 25 000 prize pool.
If this is your first time competing at DreamHack, please make sure you attend the information session at the start of the competition day to hear how the competition works. This is also a chance for you to ask questions and meet the judges. Everyone is welcome to join! Even if you are a seasoned competitor at DreamHack, there is still value in this meeting since we will inform you about things specific to the current event.
After pre-judging is done and we are getting closer to the time of the Cosplay Championship, all cosplayers competing will meet in the Cosplay Lounge to walk together through Elmia to the Main Stage, escorted by the Cosplay Crew and security. Each category will be announced by the hosts, and you will walk in the order that we have provided beforehand, one by one. The host will call your cosplay name when it’s your turn. The judges will sit in front of the stage, to see your catwalk.
The contestant has 30 seconds to one minute to present their cosplay to the audience and to show off their work. There will be several marked spots on stage that the contestant has to stand on to give photographers time to take pictures in that position. The stage portion will also be live-streamed through Twitch to allow viewers globally to view the competition.
Judge
Amenoo Cosplay is what we call a cosplay veteran, who has been cosplaying since 2009. She has represented Sweden in multiple international competitions, and placed 3rd at European Cosplay Gathering in 2019, with her Princess Daisy from Super Smash Bros. Amenoo is a very talented seamstress, and works as a tailor for theater and performing arts. Cosplay has made it possible for her to combine her passion for sewing with her love for performing on stage, which has resulted in participation in many competitions and performances throughout the years with great success. The last time we saw Amenoo Cosplay at DreamHack she won 1st prize in our Expert tier at DreamHack Cosplay Championship during DreamHack Winter 2022.
Judge
Our Nordic judge Sophie Riis has been cosplaying for 14 years. She is a licensed hairdresser and works at Tinerific (an agency for creativity, a lot related to cosplay), where she hosts panels or workshops mainly regarding makeup and wigs. Wigs and makeup in cosplay have been a real passion for her since she first started. She also co-arranged KawaiiCon, located in Porsgrunn Norway, and has been doing that since the very start, back in 2011. At every KawaiiCon they have an opening show, so performance is also something she loves a lot. Throughout the years she has judged in competitions at various conventions and events in Scandinavia and also worked as a cosplayer at a Japanese firm in Japan.
Judge
Mistvein is a Belgian cosplayer with a deep passion for all things geek, among which comics, anime, and video games. His journey began in 2014 when he first entered the cosplay world, and since then he has been continuously challenging himself to create and entertain.
Over the years, Mistvein has developed a large skill set, including event hosting, acting, foam smithing, tailoring, electronics, and moulding and casting. He takes great pride in hand making almost all his costumes with dedication and enthusiasm and is always eager to take on new cosplay challenges.
Mistvein’s skills have not gone unnoticed in the competitive cosplay scene, where he has won multiple Belgian competitions and served as the national representative for international cosplay competitions. He has even achieved world-renowned victories, including the European Cosplay Gathering (ECG) season 9 and the Polymanga Global Easter Cosplay 2022. Beyond the stage, Mistvein is a passionate designer who enjoys taking on fun projects. He has collaborated with the team at cosplayshop.be to design cosplay armours for YouTube celebrities such as PewDiePie, Big Moist Cr1TiKaL, and SMOSH.
Cosplayers compete in four tiers for a total share of the SEK 25,000 prize pool.
Ages 0-15 years old
Prizes and recognition for all competitors!
If you have previously won the Kids category, please apply for the Novice tier
Our cosplayers who have not won any cosplay competition before.
You are eligible if you do not have a crafting education (sewing, welding/3D-printing, etc
The costume must be self-made but may use modified/changed garments.
Contestants who have outgrown the novice tier, but are not quite ready for the Expert tier.
Self-made costume, but may use modified/changed garments.
Contestants who want to compete on a higher level.
The costume must be self-made, the exceptions are: Base wig, shoes, and undergarments.
EVENT
Since this is a family-friendly event, Costumes must be appropriate for wear in public.
No hateful, offensive or provocative symbols, designs or text are allowed.
We encourage cosplayers to participate in activities around the event.
Have fun, join competitions at the expo, and mingle with visitors.
But when walking around the event, full-cover masks/helmets are not allowed.
E.g. ski masks showing only eyes and mouth, or full helmets.
Please carry the helmet or mask, and put it on for posing and photo-op.
Some exceptions apply, like when walking to the competition and the cosplay parade.
When walking around the event, weapons should be sheathed or carried in a non-aggressive way. So no actively walking around the event aiming around you with a gun.
We love large cosplays but for extremely large ones please notify us before the event so we can plan to help you have the best experience possible.
This also applies if your cosplay makes it very hard to see.
Breaking the rules may lead to disqualification and/or a cut festival bracelet. DreamHack and Elmia will have the final say in decisions when enforcing the event rules.
Real weapons are not allowed, including soft air guns or other air/gas weapons.
Weapons made of metal are not allowed as props, these will be taken care of by security.
So no real swords, knives, bats, etc.
We do not allow explosive materials, fire, smoke, sparks, or similar effects.
Props will be checked by the Cosplay team and/or Security when entering the event and getting an approval tag, this tag may only be removed during the competition and if needed for a photo-op.
Participants cannot compete wearing a cosplay that previously placed in the top three at DreamHack Cosplay Championship.
Each contestant will have a couple of minutes for pre-judging and up to 1 min on stage from the entrance to exit – Expert contestants may send in up to 60-sec long music for their catwalk (optional).
Note that ultimately contestants must respect the judge’s decision and the judge’s interpretation of the criteria. The judges have the right to change the contestant’s tier before the stage show based on the contestant’s experience and the cosplay presented. The cosplayer will be consulted regarding this before the stage show.
We allow cosplays from all media, video games, role-playing games, comic books, manga, anime, TV or film adaptations, Fan-art, etc. We also allow for gender bends, gijinkas, and original characters (e.g. DnD characters, or your character from a game). Important to note that you still need to bring reference materials for your design.
Please note that mascot costumes are not accepted as cosplay.
Make sure to have your photo taken (for free) at our photo studio. Located by the Cosplay Lounge. We have a talented cosplay photographer there to take photos of you!
All weapons to be checked and tagged upon arrival. Tags need to remain at all times and can only be removed during competition and during Cosplay parade.
We will continue with special tags for masks this event, which needs to be checked with Security. The cosplayer need to submit picture of mask beforehand and a picture of themselves so that we can make sure it’s the correct person wearing it during the event, and upon security checks.
We will once again host our beloved ECG Qualifier on Sunday afternoon. This competition is a PERFORMANCE based competition and you need to prepare a performance with choreography and your own performance sound (mp3). European Cosplay Gathering (ECG) has recently changed its name to Extreme Cosplay Gathering, after season 11. For the new Season 12 they have made some big exciting changes, that you can read more about here.
If you wish to participate in our ECG Qualifier, you may enter as a solo, a duo, a trio, or a quartet. Participants wishing to participate as a duo, trio, or quartet must wear costumes from characters of the same source (for example, Kamui from X and Lina from Slayers cannot belong to the same group). It is allowed to mix sources of different opuses from the same license (for example Soul Calibur 2 and 3)
Solo, duo and trio Participants have the option to make use of a Stage Ninja for their performance. (Please refer to Article 5 in ECG Season 12 rules for further details about the Stage Ninja).
Solo Participants have 1 min & 30 sec maximum.
Duo Participants have 2 min & 30 sec maximum.
Trio Participants have 3 min & 0 sec maximum.
Quartet Participants have 3 min & 30 sec maximum.
