THE COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2026 MASQUERADE CALLS FOR COSTUME ENTRIES!

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This year’s Masquerade on-stage costume competition (or cosplay competition for those who favor that term), a tradition at the convention since 1974, will be Saturday evening, July 25, starting at 8:30 PM. The event celebrates not only the importance of costuming to the popular arts, but also the many amazing costumes that our attendees create and wear at the convention. The costume presentations, intermission entertainment, and then awards presentation will run about two and one-half hours and take place in the San Diego Convention Center’s 3,900-seat Ballroom 20, with overflow seating available and large projection screens in the center’s Sails Pavilion area and in a second ballroom.

Not a dance or party as the name may imply, it is similar to the style of a talent show, set on a large stage in front of an audience, presenting amazing costumes crafted by our non-professional but still highly creative and talented attendees. Most costumes will be impressive re-creations from movies, television, anime, comic books, Broadway shows, and video games; others will be completely original designs from the imagination. Some entries will be solo costumes; others will be groups with a shared theme, and no purchased costumes are allowed. There is no cost to participate, or to have a seat in the audience, for anyone with a Comic-Con badge valid for Saturday.

Why do we title this event the Masquerade instead of simply a costume contest? Simply stated, “to masquerade” means to portray someone other than yourself, and our contestants bring to the stage as much performance imagination as they do design and crafting skills by portraying characters and creating presentations that create story, mood, drama, humor and more. Our giant high-definition projection screens and multiple cameras provide close-up views of all the costumes, most presentations accompanied by special music and lighting effects. Audience members do not need costumes but are welcome to add to the fun and spirit of the event and dress in something fun as well.

Our emcee will again be the always entertaining five-time Hugo Award–winning artist and writer Phil Foglio. Together with his wife, Kaja Foglio, he’s created, published, and contributed to a variety of comics, art, and games in science fiction, fantasy, and steampunk genres through their company and website www.StudioFoglio.com, featuring their popular Girl Genius series.

After the costume presentations, while the judges tally their scores, the audience will be entertained by The Saber Guild, the largest not-for-profit Lucasfilm-recognized Star Wars lightsaber club in the world, thrilling us with an original Star Wars storyline, great screen-accurate costumes, and impressive choreographed action. Also, we will enjoy the exceptionally talented Corps Dance Crew returning to our stage for a new performance! The Corps, a non-professional entertainment group that melds cosplay, various modern dance styles, and popular music, perform all over southern California to bring anime, comics, movies, and other pop culture to life, bringing new shows each year at Comic-Con, WonderCon, and many other conventions and other events.

Masquerade tickets assure a seat, but are not required:

Rather than see attendees stand in line for hours Saturday to assure they get a seat, free Masquerade seating tickets will be given out at 12:00 noon on Saturday to those lining up near Ballroom 20, and tickets will be available again from 3:00–5:00 PM at the Masquerade Desk until all are given out. Once you have your ticket, you are guaranteed a seat, and you can go enjoy other programming and then line up later in the evening knowing there is a seat for you. After the ticket-holders line has gone into the ballroom, anyone without a ticket is welcome to come in and claim a seat until the room is filled. No tickets are needed for the overflow ballroom and Sails Pavilion viewing area.

Professional attendees that are program participants, and representatives of the press with verified credentials, may obtain seating tickets before Saturday at the Masquerade Desk near Ballroom 20 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Special invited guests of the convention may request VIP seating. Attendees with special needs should visit the Deaf Services or Disabled Services dDesks in the lobby of Hall A to learn about and reserve their special seating for the show. As always, there will be a sign language interpreter near the stage.

Fotografie:

No flash photography is allowed of the stage presentations, but non-flash photography and video recording are welcome. There will be a flash-allowed Photo Area set in a nearby room where contestants will pose after their stage presentations, and photographers or press wishing Photo Area access should reserve a spot by writing to masq@comic-con.org or signing up at the Masquerade Desk at the convention if spots are still available.

Masquerade Replay:For those who miss the show, or want a second look, on Sunday there will be a video playback of the costume presentations. The usual time for it is 2:30 PM but check the program schedule for the correct room and time. Contestants and others may find the Masquerade 101 Panel of interest for great tips and wisdom from past winners, usually programmed for Thursday afternoon.

Comic-Con International Masquerade awards:

Our Comic-Con Masquerade trophy medallions, custom-designed for us by popular fantasy artist Sue Dawe and fabricated by the same company that makes the Emmy® and Golden Globes® awards, will be given in categories of Best in Show, Judges’ Choice, Best Re-Creation, Best Original Design, Best Workmanship, Most Humorous, Most Beautiful, and Best Young Fan. Those trophy winners will also receive free 4-day plus Preview Night badges to Comic-Con International 2027! If a group wins a category, a maximum of five medallions will be given.

Additional awards:

Several companies and organizations closely involved with the popular arts are generously supporting the event by offering cash and other prizes of their own, and will be awarding winners selected by their representatives:

•  The Frank & Son Collectible Show of the City of Industry, California, “the first and last stop for all your collectible needs,” will once again take a break from their large bi-weekly mini-cons to present a generous $1,000 cash prize, plus a beautiful trophy, to the entry they deem to be the audience favorite, decided by the amount of applause each entry receives..

•  The Art Directors Guild, IATSE Local 800. The ADG, which has presented panels at Comic-Con for over a dozen years, has among its members art directors, graphic artists, illustrators, storyboard artists, model makers, pre-vis artists, production designers, scenic artists, set designers and title artists in the motion picture, theater, and television industries. The ADG is presenting two awards: The Art Directors’ Guild Cosplay Award for Original Concept Design, presented to the entry most exemplifying a wholly original concept, and The Art Directors’ Guild Cosplay Award for Best Visual Media Design, presented to the entry whose design best interprets a character or concept from a television show or motion picture. Each award comes with a $500 prize.

•  The Costumer’s Guild West (CGW), southern California’s costuming fandom group, will present a one-year membership to CGW, as well as a full scholarship and a complimentary two-night hotel stay to their weekend conference, Costume College®, held each July at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel. This year their event is the weekend after Comic-Con (July 30–Aug 3) so their winner may choose 2027 or 2028 to attend. Their prize will be awarded to the entry their representatives select as showing the most promise. Costume College provides educational lectures and workshops in every aspect of costuming.

•  Comic-Con International will once again present a special award given in memory of long-time Committee and Board member Alan Campbell, who passed away and is sorely missed. Alan was a great fan of the Masquerade, at times generously donating his own prizes. The Alan Campbell Award will be $500 cash, presented to the entry deemed Best Re-Creation of a Comics or Related Media Character or Characters, as selected by one of the guest judges.

•  The Comickaze Comics & Pop Culture Store, San Diego’s #1 source for comics, graphic novels, & collectibles, located in the Clairemont Mesa area since 1993, will present an award for what they deem the Best In-Character Performance, with a generous prize of a limited edition special collectible statuette, a $300 Amazon gift card, and a $200 Comickaze gift card.

• The Costume Designers Guild, IATSE Local 892, is excited to present to whom they choose as the best entry a special CDG trophy and generous gift certificate. The Costume Designers Guild is the labor union representing costume designers, assistant costume designers, and costume illustrators working in motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos, and new media. They often present very popular panels at the convention.
More prizes may join this list as the convention approaches, check the website for the latest updates, and for any questions email masq@comic-con.org.

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Comic-Con International 2025 Masquerade Winners & Honorable Mentions:

TROPHY WINNERS:

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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

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COMPANY AND ORGANIZATION SPONSORED AWARDS:

Old Spice – The Freshest Hero: Bumblebee, made by Maksym Maksym Dokienko, Vadym Lukhtyaska and Hanna Lukhtyaska. Worn by Lukhtyaska.

Frank and Son Collectible Show – Audience Favorite: Nyan Cat, made and performed by Megan and Taylor of Fernside Dragons.

Costume Designers Guild Local 892 – Best Costume: Cruella, made and worn by KStroobz Cosplay.

Art Directors Guild Local 800 – Best Original Concept Design: Elizabethan Xenomorph Queen, made and worn by Gabriella Blickenstaff.

Oksana Shore Award – Excellence in Craftsmanship: Atreus, from God of War Ragnarok, made and worn by Commander Vampire.

Comickaze Comics and Popular Arts Store – Best In-Character Performance: The Wiz, made by Tony Wakim, Chad Hatter, Shawn Ryan, Robert Vinter, Theo Tiedemann. Worn by Anita Riggs, Alia Ryatt, Shannon Theus, Bendy Mitchell, Black Bob Ross, anTerrance Thompson.

Comic-Con International Alan Campbell Award – Best Re-Creation of a Comics or Media Character: Berzerker Armor, made and worn by Mark Rinus.

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