State Farm LCS Summer Finals Cosplay Contest
LCS Summer Finals presented by Rocket Mortgage is right around the corner, and this year we’re bringing sick ults, gallons of salt, and incredible League of Legends action to the one and only Motor City, Detroit, Michigan. But that’s not all!
Riot is also partnering with State Farm to host the very first LCS Summer Finals Cosplay Contest! 5 talented cosplayers will get flown out to experience the LCS Summer Finals live in Detroit. They will also be featured as Cosplay Guests onsite, with tickets provided for them and one handler. All of this will be fully integrated as a part of our LCS Fan Event, so keep your eyes peeled for our finalists onsite and on broadcast.
And there’s more! While at the LCS Finals, the 5 cosplay finalists will compete for the grand prize: round trip tickets to the 2019 World Championship Finals for them and one friend, and a cash prize of $5,000!
Runners up will receive prizes as well! 2nd place will receive $2,000, with 3rd place being awarded $1,000. For those of you not at LCS Finals, you’ll also be able to vote on social for your favorite finalist. The fan favorite award will win an extra $500.
Judges
As we hit one week out from the submission due date, we are pleased to announce our Judges! They eagerly await your final submissions, let’s learn a little about our judges.
Stella started cosplaying in 2011 and is a self taught artist and entrepreneur. She dedicates her days to creating cosplay and promoting geek culture, through her work as a cosplayer, and a streamer. When not traveling around the world to conventions and events, she enjoys sharing her passion and knowledge with the community. In 2017, Stella attended the World Finals in China as an official cosplay guest of Riot, where she showed off her Riven Cosplay. Her creative and quirky personality has led her to be featured on Cosplay Culture Magazine Cover, CNBC, Kotaku, Nerdist, Mashable, Tech Insider, Geek and Sundry, and more.
Michelle has been in the league cosplay community for years, being featured many times by Riot for her creations. Michelle is most well known for her sewing expertise, having worked professionally in wardrobe for Jimmy Kimmel. Now, she is the senior community manager for Super League Gaming, where she gets to combine her love of esports and community! Some of Michelle’s most recognizable cosplays are her Captain Missfortune, Base Lux, Vi, and Leona.
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Mystery Judge
Stay tuned for our 3rd Judge to be revealed at the live judging at Summer Finals!
We’re sure you have a ton of questions of how to submit your cosplay to the contest! So let’s get into the nitty gritty...
What is the online submission process?
As part of the process, we’ll be asking cosplayers to submit photos and/or videos online prior to LCS Summer Finals via our link at the bottom of this article. This is to allow for the selection of 5 finalists before the event. As such, we will be opening online submissions on Thursday, July 18 2019 at 2 PM PST and closing submissions on Thursday, August 8 2019 at 11:59 PM PST. Submissions outside of this time period will not be considered in the judging.
From all that enter (and qualify), our judges will select the finalists. For all finalists, State Farm will be sponsoring the flight and accommodations for you and one handler.
How are finalists selected?
There are tons of amazing ways for people to express themselves in cosplay! However, for this contest, the judges will be issuing scores (between 1 and 10) in the following categories. The 5 submissions who earn the most points will head to the LCS Finals, and be considered as cosplay finalists!
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Quality & Construction (33%): Show us those amazing details and techniques! How have you raised the bar in terms of craftsmanship in your costume? What are some materials and uses that set your cosplay apart from others?
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Creativity (33%): How inventive have you been with this build? Every costume comes with its own set of challenges, so let us know how creative you’ve been in solving for those tricky designs and project hiccups.
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Accuracy (33%): How faithfully does this cosplay represent the champion? We’ll be looking at the accuracy of the costume and presentation to assess the character’s thematic. Please note that an individual’s natural body type and skin tone will not impact the judging or final results.
At the time you enter, please provide photos and/or videos of your cosplay that are unedited, and show the costume on a person. Costumes should be at least 80% completed at the time of submission to allow for judges to get an accurate depiction of your cosplay for pre-judging.
What are the Online Submission Rules?
As with all contests, there is a ton of legal things we need to cover. Read all the official legal rules here. However, here is the outline of our submission guidelines:
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Costumes submitted should be primarily crafted and not purchased. At least 80% of the costume must be made by the person submitting the cosplay to the contest.
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If you are using a cosplay model, the creator of the cosplay must be the one entering the contest, and not the model.
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3D printed pieces are allowed, however the original 3D file must have been made by the person submitting to the contest. Files found on free websites such as ThingiVerse count towards the “purchased” percentage of the costume.
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At the time of submission, at least 80% of your costume must be completed.
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Costumes submitted cannot have won a Grand Prize or First place at another cosplay contest.
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Each contestant may only enter one costume into the competition.
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All who enter must be residents of North America (United States or Canada), and currently be living in one of those countries.
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All who enter must be 18 or older and eligible to travel internationally.
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All who enter must be able to attend the LCS Summer Finals in Detroit on August 24 and 25. If you cannot attend, you will not be considered for any prizes.
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Finalists will have travel and accommodation provided by State Farm.
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All contestants must submit a League of Legends related cosplay.
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No nudity. No costume is no costume.
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No political or religious statements please. That includes messages on signs, clothing, or in video submissions. Anyone who violates this will be disqualified from the competition.
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No profanity allowed. That includes messages on signs, clothing, or in video submissions. Anyone who violates this will be disqualified from the competition.
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Do not submit heavily photoshopped or edited photos. Photos that appear to be altered will be removed from the competition.
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The period to submit your cosplay for the contest is Thursday July 18 2019 at 2 PM PST through Thursday August 8 2019 at 11:59 PM PST. Submissions outside of that time frame will not be considered.
What if I’m selected as a Finalist?
Finalists will be contacted and announced on Monday, August 12 at 2 PM PST. We will be contacting all finalists via the email they submit with, so keep an eye on your inbox! In addition to being finalists in the contest, those creators will be invited as guests to the Summer Finals. As featured guests they will have their flight and accommodations paid for by State Farm, as well as an event tickets for them and one handler. Additionally, there will be access to a backstage cosplay room, and osite judging at the LCS Fan Event before the 3rd place and finals matches.
If I’m not selected as a finalist, but I still want to dress up, can I? What are the rules?
Of course you can dress up! We are still working on the exact rules for cosplayers at this venue, so keep your eyes peeled for more info about that soon!
But wait, I have more questions!?
No worries! We’ve created a Discord to answer those questions, and allow you to connect with your fellow cosplayers and share progress. Please join us here: https://discord.gg/DTszgYb
Ready to dive in? Submit your costume here: https://forms.gle/mmndxENy17nz7pk6A
We cannot wait to see what you create!
that was actually very accurate. But why bother posting when you know you won't win?
Rock solid!!!
