Cosplay Lip Sync Showdown
Meet Our Hosts and Judges
A native of Portland, Momma Sammu was raised attending and dressing up at fantasy and sci-fi cons, but didn't start cosplaying until their first anime convention in 2006 and has been hooked ever since. Now with over 15 years of sewing and performance experience, they've earned over a dozen Master-level awards at conventions across the country and abroad. Sammu's specialties include corsetry, ballgowns, bodypaint, and making things as extra as humanly possible, which has recently included their original TTRPG character designs.
When not at conventions, they love to share their knowledge, encouraging other creatives to pursue their passions through Twitch livestreams and other social media. They have done their best to create not only a space to share new skills, but a safe space for anyone who needs it, spreading the mindset that anyone can cosplay.
Known both at conventions and online for their in-character panels and cosplay lip sync performances, Uptown Cosplay has been exploring the creative outlet of cosplay since 2012. Their first panels—hosted at Kumoricon in 2014—reignited a passion for bringing their favorite fictional characters to life. Their love for costuming, acting, and all things crafty motivates Uptown to share their shenanigans with in-person and Internet audiences to encourage people from all walks of life to enjoy cosplay. You may recognize some of their well-known cosplays from series such as Black Butler, Miraculous Ladybug, Soul Eater, and many more!
Photo credit: Kictor Cosplay
Corndog Ninja has been cosplaying for nearly a decade and loves finding new experiences with this craft. To him, lip sync is a way to further explore and express a character. Sharing the perfect song with a fun performance onstage is a real thrill, and he loves seeing the creativity that contestants bring to the showdown every year! Corndog Ninja performs sketch- or parody-influenced comedic lip syncs, and is always impressed with the spectrum of skill, style, and tone on display at the show.
Adept for a show with both a lightsaber and a giant hammer, Light in the Dark Cosplay is thrilled to be included as a judge in the panel this year after winning the Lip Sync last year with his stellar performance as Heisenberg from the Village!
Make way for Queen D! The self-proclaimed southern queen of crossplay! (What a mouthful!) You may recognize her from her wildly unsuccessful YouTube show the D-list or her chaotic Twitch streams (@majestyqueend), but however you know them, you're in for a ride. Queen D is a fourteen year seasoned cosplay veteran, emcee, and burlesque performer! Known for her wild antics and insane style of hosting shows, causing general chaos, and eating chicken nuggets!
A known makeup artist, brand owner, director and producer of The Royale Revue, a nationally known nerdy burlesque troupe, and mac and cheese enthusiast. She has traveled all over the country blessing peasants… uh… attendees with her shenanigans. She hosts a variety of panels throughout the day teaching general cosplay knowledge, stage presence, posing, and makeup! Known as the queen of late night at conventions, she is infamous for her 18+ panels, including her nerdy dirty one woMAN show! So be sure to attend if you are of age! D is so excited to visit the Pacific NW for the first time, and plans on not leaving it the same! Make sure to stop by one of her many events, or her booth, and say hi, maybe even grab a selfie! (She accepts blessings in the form of lip gloss and donuts.)
Cosplayers of all ages get up on stage and perform a 3 minute lip-sync.
Rules and Restrictions
Eligibility
- All participants must have a Kumoricon 2022 badge.
- All participants must read and agree to follow all rules of the Cosplay Lip Sync Showdown.
- Performances previously entered in a Kumoricon Cosplay Lip Sync Showdown are ineligible.
- By registering for the Cosplay Lip Sync Showdown, all participants agree to allow Kumoricon to use their images for promotional purposes, both photographs and video. Photographs of winning entries may be shown at the Kumoricon Closing Ceremonies.
- All convention policies must be upheld during the entirety of the Cosplay Lip Sync Showdown competition. Anyone breaking Kumoricon rules will be disqualified and reported to Operations or Yojimbo.
- Kumoricon regular staff may enter the Cosplay Lip Sync Showdown as long as staff-related responsibilities are fulfilled.
- Kumoricon board members may not compete in the Cosplay Lip Sync Showdown.
How to Enter
- Entries for the Kumoricon 2022 Cosplay Lip Sync Showdown are now open as of September 1, 2022.
- The deadline for online entry is September 30, 2022, at 11:59pm. At-convention entries may be available should any open slots remain.
- The maximum number that will be allowed this year will be 18 acts.
- This year, participants will be required to audition for the contest. To do so you must:
- Submit a 1-minute video of you performing a lip sync. This does not have to be fancy; we just need to be able to see your face and hear the music/lyrics. Please do not use your competition performance for your audition.
OR - Submit a previous performance video from 2022. For example, it may be from another convention or a social media platform like Instagram or YouTube. It must be from 2022.
- Please do not use filters (TikTok, Snapchat, etc.) on your audition video. Any video with heavy filters will not be considered.
- Submit a 1-minute video of you performing a lip sync. This does not have to be fancy; we just need to be able to see your face and hear the music/lyrics. Please do not use your competition performance for your audition.
- Entrants will be chosen by a small panel of judges and contacted within a week of the submission deadline. The top 5 entries not in the show will be put on the waitlist.
- The maximum number that will be allowed this year will be 18 acts.
- Entrants are required to attend the Check-In and Rehearsal and to show up at the requested time for the contest itself. Entrants who miss any of these events may be disqualified. This applies to waitlisted entries as well up until check-in. Please see the official Kumoricon schedule (once released) for times and locations of required meetings and activities.
- There will be a 3-minute live lip sync performance on stage.
- The top two entries will perform a final showdown lip sync to a pre-chosen song.
General Information
- Kumoricon is an all-ages-friendly event. Content should not go beyond a mild PG.
- Offensive language of any kind is not allowed—no racial or sexual epithets; no profanity, etc.
- No excessive violence.
- All sexual jokes must have a non-sexual interpretation that is at least as obvious as the sexual one.
- No nudity—all costumes must adhere to the official Kumoricon rules.
- Be clever, not crass! If you think your costume or presentation might be too risqué or offensive, it probably is.
- If you have a question about your content, please feel free to ask the Lip Sync Staff if it is allowable.
- You may surprise the audience, but never surprise the crew.
- No fire, flame, smoke, fog, dry ice, wind machines, lasers, pressurized gases, or liquids.
- No messy substances—wet, dry, or oily—in the green room or on stage.
- No jumping on or off stage—please use the officially designated stage entrances and exits.
- Entrants must abide by the convention weapons policies. All weapons must be peace-bonded and approved. Pointing weapons at anyone not in your cosplay group will not be tolerated. The Lip Sync Coordinator must approve any actions involving weapons.
- Contestants may not use stage time to make political, religious, insulting, or other demonstrations not related to their entry.
- If for whatever reason one contestant is removed from competition for any violation, the entire group may be disqualified as well depending on the situation.
- All decisions made by the Lip Sync Coordinator or Director of Programming are final and may only be changed by a formal challenge through Programming.
- You must have some kind of foot covering. Shoes, sandals, or boots are required. Be aware of safety concerns. If your character does not wear shoes the lack of accuracy will be forgiven; consider flesh-toned or clear shoes.
- COVID-19 precautions will be used throughout the whole event. Participants will keep their mask on up until their performance, then put it right back on after they have finished. Please consult the Kumoricon Code of Conduct for the most up-to-date COVID-19 requirements, which are subject to change based on the latest circumstances.
Judging
Contestants are judged solely on their performance. Costume construction has no influence on the performance judging.
- All entrants must give a performance.
- Contestants will be assigned a numerical score by each judge based on showmanship and presentation. In addition, "Coolness Points" can be earned. Coolness Points can be earned for anything which, simply, in the judge's determination, is cool, and can add an additional bonus to the score. The scores from each judge are then tallied to come up with a total score for the contestant.
- Each contestant will appear in only one stage performance.
- The judges are free to give as many or as few awards as they choose.
- Awards may include: Judge's Choice, Coordinator's Choice, and the Ultimate Showdown Award.
Performance
- Performance will be judged based on the performance of the contestant/whole group.
- Performance awards are granted to the entries that have shown excellent stage presentation.
- COVID-19 precautions will be used throughout the whole event. Participants will keep their mask on up until their performance, then put it right back on after they have finished. Please consult the Kumoricon Code of Conduct for the most up-to-date COVID-19 requirements, which are subject to change based on the latest circumstances.
- Costumes do not have to be self-made.
- Contestants must provide their own music.
- File uploads are preferred for online entries.
- Alternatively, you may deliver your file by USB thumb drive or CD.
- For this method, please include your person/group name and performance name in the filename.
- One track is preferred; we cannot change tracks or start in the middle of a track.
- We can accept MP3, M4A, and other common file types. We strongly prefer 128kbps or higher.
- Do not submit valuable original CDs. Bring backup copies of your audio on a USB thumb drive or CD to ensure it's not lost. Kumoricon is not responsible for damage to or loss of CDs or any other media.
- Clearly label your back-up CD with person/group name and performance title.
- We will not play or rip music off portable MP3 players, such as iPods or cell phones.
- Leave the stage as clean as it was when you set foot on it. Arrange to remove all items you brought on stage at the end of your presentation. If you have a particularly intricate presentation, we recommend you recruit your own stage ninjas.
- No entry may be a repeat of an entry from any previous competition at Kumoricon.
- Don't plan for complex lighting. The default lighting cue is: lights go up, music starts, you come on stage right, you leave on stage left, music stops, lights go down. If you desire anything other than default lighting or music cues, discuss it with the Lip Sync Coordinator before the convention.
Song Selection
- Entry is limited to one (1) entry per person/group.
- Songs may be from any category, but are limited to 3 minutes.
- You must include the lyrics for the song you are using so that we may review for approval. If the song is not in English, you must include lyrics in the original language and the English translation.
- No heavily edited audio (added voice lines, original medleys, etc.). Editing for time is okay.
- Be prepared to perform at least two different songs. If two people have the same song, one or both will be asked to sing an alternate song.
The "Showdown"
You can't have a true showdown without a face off! Contestants will be given a song prior to con to practice for the final lip sync performance! The top two contestants will face off at the end of the event for the Ultimate Showdown Award!
Check-In
Important: If chosen, you must check yourself in at Main Events (time to be determined—see schedule once it is released) to confirm your spot in the Cosplay Lip Sync Showdown.
Please email our Lip Sync team with any questions at lip.sync@kumoricon.org.