Thanks to the tireless work of a few key people, South Africans have the opportunity to get involved in ‘costume play’. Jade Bayes, Head of Cosplay at GES for the last five years, has done a magnificent job of growing the hobby, expanding the events, and even digitising the competitions to make cosplay more accessible to all.
rAge hosted the first official cosplay competition in SA almost two decades ago, in 2006. Since then, the competition has developed to hold an international pedigree in the cosplay community.
South Africa boasts some of the world’s most dedicated and tight-knit cosplayers. South Africa actually has the highest ratio of cosplayers to non-cosplayers within its gaming, tech, and geek culture industry.
This year’s rAge Expo has plenty for visitors and lovers of cosplay to expect, including some Competitive Cosplay.
Regarding the actual event, cosplayers can enter multiple categories.
There is a simple, baseline online competition where cosplayers send in a photo.
There is a ‘friendly’ masquerade, where everyone is invited to dress up and strike a pose on stage for everyone else.
But the real excitement comes in for the Craftsmanship Competition, and this is where the actual cosplayers get to flaunt their efforts. The Craftsmanship Competition has four main entry divisions:
Needlework Cosplay: Costumes which are 70% sewn or cloth.
Armour Cosplay: Costumes of 70% armour (such as board, foam, cardboard, plastics, etc.)
Festive Cosplay: This is for costumes that are festive in design and include armour and needlework.
Skit Division: This is a fantastic variation where solo or group cosplayers can do a small skit or performance with their costumes.
Winning at rAge is not where it ends, though. Winners from various comps are sent to represent Africa at the Crown Championships of Cosplay – pitting them against the best cosplayers in the world.
If you want to learn more about GES, follow the link to their official site here.
For more info about the upcoming rAge Expo 2023 and to get tickets, follow the link here.