I don’t know about you, but one of my absolute favorite things about GeekGirlCon is seeing the amazing feats of our cosplayers. Each year, I look forward to seeing everyone’s craftsmanship and artistry—it’s truly amazing to see what you’ve spent hours stitching, building.
If you are a cosplayer and attending GeekGirlCon ‘19 this November, we want to see your best work. Join us on the mainstage for our Cosplay Contest and our Kids’ Cosplay Celebration!
You can submit your entry online right now! Whether you’ve been hard at work preparing your costume or are eager to get started, we want to see you strut your stuff.
Calling all cosplayers (and aspiring cosplayers)! If you’re 13+ years old, submit your application now. Please note that all minors will need to be accompanied by an adult during the contest.
For our mini-geeks, join us for the Kids’ Cosplay Celebration! To join in on the fun, you must be at least 3 years old and no older than 13, and your application needs to be filled out by a parent or legal guardian. All Kids’ Cosplay Celebration contestants must also be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian during the event and must be able to cross the stage by themselves (while our tiniest cosplayers are adorable, no babes in arms). Please note that participation in the Kid’s Cosplay Celebration is not guaranteed.
Prizes will be awarded for achievements in craftsmanship and stage presence by a panel of judges who will be announced at a later time!
Have a question? No problem! Reach out to tk@geekgirlcon.com with any questions or inquires about your submission.
We will be accepting submissions from now until November 8.
As I write this—sitting in my hotel room just hours away from the official start of the convention—I am thrilled, excited, and relieved. Another year of hard work and we’re finally ready to share it with all of you. My outfit is spread out, my bag is packed, and I’m ready to commence a weekend of geeky fun as we celebrate the importance of diversity and inclusivity in this community.
Brought together by our love of fandom, popular culture, STEM, fashion, gaming, comics, and just about anything that we can possibly geek out about, GeekGirlCon gives us the ability to express what we love and share those passions with our friends and peers. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or this is your first year, we welcome you and we are honored that you’ll be apart of this journey alongside us.
This year’s content lineup includes a plethora of panels, events, workshops, and meetups for you to learn something new or explore an old favorite (with some added spooky happenings for Halloween!)
So without further ado, here are but a few things you can looking forward to during the first day of GeekGirlCon 2018.
Panels
Cosplay Quickfire
10am to 11am in Garnet
A roster of experienced cosplayers will instruct you on how to make any costume for under $100 in less than 7 days. No costume is unattainable. With a mix of suggested costumes from internet polls and ideas from the audience, the goal is for everyone to gain crafty, affordable methods of costuming.
Featuring Jay Justice and Emily Finke.
25 Years of MYST & MYST Fandom
11:30am to 12:30pm Samus
Since its release in 1993, MYST has had a dedicated following, built a complex world and lore, and Cyan has continued to push expectations of what is possible in video games. Join us as we reminisce on the joys, sorrows, and mayhem of the D’niverse, and ponder the future of Cyan and their fans.
Featuring Eleri Hamilton, Rand Miller, and Melinda Rose.
Feminist Frequency Radio Live!
1:30pm to 2:30pm in Storm
FemFreq Radio is a podcast tackling feminism & pop culture from the folks that ruined your favorite video games! Anita, Ebony, and Caro deliver funny, irreverent, take-no-prisoners opinions on the good, bad, and ugliest media that pop culture has to offer.
Featuring Ebony Aster, Anita Sarkeesian, and Carolyn Petit.
This month is the month, people! GeekGirlCon has arrived (basically)!
Throughout October, look to our blog for everything you need to know about the weekend, from Panel Highlights to Cosplay Contest announcements, we’ve got you covered.
Though our epic panels are what attract a lot of folks to GeekGirlCon (me included), they don’t comprise the whole of the weekend’s festivities. Today, I’m going to walk you through some of the other kinds of activities we have in store.
First up, meetups, the perfect event for meeting like-minded attendees to share the weekend with. To name a few of our offerings this year, we have meetups for first timers, Black Panther fans, Star Wars/Star Trek enthusiasts, and more! Meetups will take place throughout the duration and venue of the con, so check out the schedule for specifics.
[Image Description: Data from Star Trek saying to Worf, “You have friends here.”] Source: MRWGIFS
One especially exciting meetup we have slated for this con is Meet & Geek: A Networking Event for Mavens-in-the-Making. This is the event for folks who are looking for mentors and advice to assist with anything geeky-career related. Bring your questions and look forward to discussions of everything from writing to digital media to game design. In addition to the meetup, GeekGirlCon will be hosting a Mentor Booth in the Connections area of the Exhibitor Hall where you can sign up for one-on-one sessions with a mentor who can look at your resume and give you tips for breaking into the geeky career of your dreams!
[Image Description: Winston from New Girl at a job interview saying, “I know Word. I can open a document, Save, Save As, Print, Print Preview.] Source: Rockwood Search
Also in the Exhibitor Hall will be VAIN’s booth for impromptu hairstyle sessions. Need a touch up on your cosplay look? Need a general spruce? VAIN, a longtime supporter of GeekGirlCon, will be there to save the day.
[Image Description: River Song fluffing her hair and mouthing, “The hair!”] Source: Giphy
And last but far from least is the QUEST, our con-wide scavenger hunt. We set up this event each year to help folks touch base with everything GeekGirlCon has to offer, and this year is no different. To play, you’ll need just your program and sense of enthusiasm. There are six checkpoints: attend a panel, play a game on the gaming floor, attend a workshop/meetup, post on social media using #GGC18, do an experiment in the DIY Science Zone, and complete the con survey. You’ll receive one stamp per activity you complete, and each stamp gains you an entry into a raffle for a bag of the sweetest goodies from our vendors. It’s up to you whether you collect one stamp or six! If you do complete every step, you’re rewarded with a pin of the GeekGirlCon avatar of your choice. And if you fill out the con survey at the GGC QUEST table, you can receive a second avatar pin of your choice!
More details about the checkpoints and how to get your stamps will be included in the program, but until then, get your game face on!
[Image Description: Sherlock walking out of a door saying, “The game, Mrs. Hudson, is on.”] Source: SteemKR
GeekGirlCon Costume Contest at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, WA, on Saturday, September 30, 2017.
This year I started dabbling in cosplay, and very quickly came to learn that making a costume is not only an expression of love for a fandom, but it’s also a great opportunity to show off your creative side and your design skills! A LOT of hard work goes into creating outfits, weapons, gear, and props, and it’s only right that if you’ve put in the time for that, that you be recognized for it.
That’s why we’re bringing back the Costume Contest to GeekGirlCon this year! Register in one of the two age categories: adults (13+, holding an adult GeekGirlCon pass), and kids (12 and under, with child passes). Adults can also register as a group of no more than five, if you have a squad effort happening.
Show us what you’ve sewn, hot glued, welded, knitted, or otherwise put together to celebrate your favorite geeky characters.
Image description: a cosplayer holds a R2-D2 parasol while in a ballet-themed R2-D2 costume. Photo by Danny Ngan.
After you register for the category that best suits you, you’ll also be given the option to meet our amazing panel of judges backstage. They’ll be to ask questions about your costume and look up close at it. (This is optional and you can chose not to participate in pre-event judging.) Then, all you need to do is show up on the day for the contest and strut your stuff.
Plus, there are fabulous prizes to be won for your efforts!
A participant in the kids’ costume celebration is asked about their Child of Light cosplay. Photo by Danny Ngan.
Registration is NOW OPEN and will close when all of the spots are filled, or at the time of the convention, whichever comes first. Spots are limited, so make sure you get in quick to snag yours.
One area of geekdom that I haven’t delved much into so far has been cosplay. I’ve tested my chops as a gamer, a pop culture nerd, and within the realms of academic geekery, but building objects to represent my geekiness isn’t something I have much experience with. I’m learning how to be more crafty, but I’m also the type of person who took up crochet and literally tied their hand together, so I can’t say that I’m super confident in my skills for how to create something tangible from a video game.
This is a story about my forays into a whole new world of working with power tools, sports equipment, various spray paints, and friends, and working against my type-A mentality.
One of the hardest things about GeekGirlCon is that point on Sunday night when you realize that the con is coming to its inevitable conclusion. It’s such a bittersweet moment, but it’s also a good time to reflect on the cultural phenomenon that is GeekGirlCon.
We at GeekGirlCon know every cosplay is a labor of love, which is why we want to give you the opportunity to showcase your hard work and win fabulous prizes at this year’s GeekGirlCon Cosplay CONtest! Cosplayers of all ages and experience levels are welcome to register and reserve their spot for the CONtest on Saturday, September 30 at 4:00 p.m.
Whether you’re equipping yourself to fight Ganondorf:
This year the contest will have two age groups: Adult, for adult GGC passholders, and Child, for 12-and-under attendees with child GGC passes. The event will also have a new, masquerade-type format to give everyone more time on stage. Space is limited and entries are online-only, so submit your application early! Registration opens Tuesday, September 5 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time and closes when all of the spots are filled, or on Friday, September 22 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, whichever comes first.
By now I’m sure you’ve all noticed a theme in my updates: plan ahead! As I’ve mentioned before, I love not only the calm but the increased anticipation that comes with making plans early. In terms of GeekGirlCon, there’s even perks to prepping in advance. First of all, the sooner you take care of the mundane task of acquiring Saturday, Sunday, or Saturday-Sunday passes for you, your parents, your kids, your friends, and your Dungeon Master, the sooner you can start sorting out the epic costume you’ll be entering in our cosplay competition. Second of all, the sooner you buy passes, the less likely it is that you’ll forget and have to contend with the upcoming price increase. And if you prefer, passes will go on sale in local Seattle stores in late July!
Alternatively, if you’re interested in participating in more of the behind-the-scenes of GeekGirlCon, apply to be an Agent now! Agents receive passes in exchange for eight to 10 hours of volunteer work during con weekend, which this year will be September 30 and October 1.
It’s time to get to know another GeekGirlCon staffer! This month, we are talking to Torrey Stenmark, who is an expert in all sorts of geeky endeavors, from gaming to chemistry. Torrey also has some serious skills when it comes to cosplay–she has won numerous awards for her works! Find out about her below.
Who are you and what do you do at GeekGirlCon?
I am Torrey Stenmark, the DIY Science Zone Assistant Manager. I’ve also served on the Programming Selection Committee in past years.
What do you do for your day job/when you’re not being awesome as a GGC staffer?
I teach chemistry (introductory, general, and organic) at Shoreline Community College.
Have you always considered yourself a geek?
At least since college. I’m sure I would have been classified as a geeky or nerdy kid, but I owned the term in college. Back in high school I was a theater kid, which is not quite the same thing.
What sort of geeky things do you like to do in your spare time?
I make and wear science fiction and superhero costumes! I’ve won awards in local and national costume contests. I also volunteer with a couple of costumed charities, in which we dress up to raise money for children’s causes or to visit schools and hospitals. There’s a very special joy in demonstrating to young girls that they can be superheroes too, or showing all kids that they can be both superheroes and princesses.
The GeekGirlCon staff is abuzz with activity as we get preparations rolling for GeekGirlCon 2017. We’re extremely excited to put on another great con, just as I’m sure you all are excited to attend one! While we’re busy scheduling panels, perfecting layouts, and planning another spectacular weekend, here are five things you can do right now to prepare for #GGC17, commencing on September 30:
