The GeekGirlCon Cosplay Contest 2016
My mind is blown by all of the imagination and ingenuity I’ve just seen that I’m not sure how to even write a post about it. Thank goodness I have Indigo, my fellow GGC copywriter to help me out! We’ve decided to tag team the writing of this panel to maximize the awesomeness.
It was crazy! In no time at all, Adrienne and I were drawn to the pure craftsmanship of the host and judge’s costumes. Lauren Bond was charismatic and made for a stellar Evie Frye. Cheyenne, Priscilla, and Li were no less, dressed as our favorite Nintendo and anime characters. The show started off strong, and only got better as it went on.

GeekGirlCon ’16 at Washington State Conference Center in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, October 8, 2016. Photo by Danny Ngan.
Since my mind is blown, we’re going to hit the highlights of this year’s contest in an effort to paint a picture of this inspiring event. All of the participants were placed into one of five categories: anime, comics, other, film & tv, or video games.
Anime
“No patterns” was a huge thing in this category. So many incredibly crafty people went DIY, and the results were of the highest caliber.

GeekGirlCon ’16 at Washington State Conference Center in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, October 8, 2016. Photo by Danny Ngan.
Speed Racer “speed raced” all the way across the stage to glorious cheers, and Ashi Taka and Princess Mononoke were near true to life. I loved when Ashi explained that they made their demon arm out of rubber snakes!
Comic Books
Steampunk Wonder Woman made her costume out of other pieces of other costumes, and Spider Gwen hand stitched all of her blue spiderwebbing on hers!
These two ladies were the only two of their category, but goodness, the amount of work that went into their costumes! Like Adrienne said, Wonder Woman’s Steampunk attire was completely constructed out of the contestant’s prior costumes, to make one big floofy dress. Likewise, my fingers throbbed in appreciation when Spider Gwen described how much hand-stitching went into the spiderweb details of her suit.
Other

GeekGirlCon ’16 at Washington State Conference Center in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, October 8, 2016. Photo by Danny Ngan.
Harry Potter House Couture was a high-fashion take on the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin House’s Yule Ball attire — and it was fit for a runway.
The Strong YA Female Characters were mind-blowing (to say the least!) Lyra’s costume was so detailed I could have sworn it was functional clothing. It looked like it would keep her warm in the frigid north. Her alethiometer was repurposed from a pocket watch with images that she painted herself.
Geeklettes Vignette

GeekGirlCon ’16 at Washington State Conference Center in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, October 8, 2016. Photo by Danny Ngan.
For a fun little break, the contestants vacated the stage. In their wake, the smaller geeks of GGC ’16 were invited to the spotlight (ages 11 and below, to be exact). Little Links, Supermen, mini-Pokemon Masters, a small Silver Surfer, and even a Little Sister from Bioshock took to the stage to show their best work and strut their stuff. Adrienne and I nearly fell from our chairs our cries of adoration were so intense, especially after one boy yelled out when asked why he cosplayed as Superman, “so I can bring love to everyone that has a loved one.” I couldn’t take it, the pure cuteness radiating from that bit of stage.
Film & TV
I thought I had seen everything, and then Princess R2D2 took the stage. She dropped and patterned the entire costume herself, and the whole thing cost less than $100 to construct.

GeekGirlCon ’16 at Washington State Conference Center in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, October 8, 2016. Photo by Danny Ngan.
Budget costuming seemed to be a significant trend this year’s Cosplay Contest, and by no means did it take away from the sheer quality of work and craftsmanship that we saw on stage. Having never done cosplay myself, I was in constant awe when Princess R2-D2 (also known as R2-Queen2 by our con-goers) explained her tight budget. The creativity was impressive!
We even saw some amazing Disney-themed costumes on stage too. A Megara cosplayer flaunted her spectacular, totally handmade wig, whilst a battle-babe Tinker Bell wooed us with her vestments.
Video Games
Oh man! If there was one thing that blew me away today, it was Springtrap from Five Nights At Freddy’s. It was this cosplayers first costume and it was amazing! If they hadn’t told us it was there first costume I wouldn’t have thought they were a pro!
Springtrap was great, but did you see Shepard? I swooned in my seat! The delicacy that went into her armor was amazing.
The gaming category was one of my favorites (since I am, of course, a pretty hardcore gamer). There was a suave Morrigan from Dragon Age, a sultry Aion cosplay with absolutely amazing prop-work, and a downright sexy bunny-suit Mara Sov from Destiny. As someone that has never done a full-blown cosplay, these ladies sure did their darnest to convince me to give it a shot.
Guest Star
While the judges deliberated, there was a surprise performance by SAMMUS. She preformed a song so fresh that she had her lyrics on her phone. She said she was nervous, but her performance was awesome. I love everything about SAMMUS’ music, and I was so honored that she shared her energy and music with us again today after helping us kick off the con at the Hard Rock the night before.
Winners
After much deliberation, the judges came to a consensus. Awards were given out for each category, personal awards given by each judge, and awards were given for a runner-up and Best-in-Show.

GeekGirlCon ’16 at Washington State Conference Center in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, October 8, 2016. Photo by Danny Ngan.
Category Awards:
Anime – Victorique de Blois, Libby
Comics – Spider Gwen, Kristen
Other – Hogwarts Couture, Finishing Touch Cosplay
TV & Film – Princess R2-D2, Miss. Tyo
Video Games – Commander Jane Shepherd, Due Queue Cosplay
Judge Awards:
Cheyenne’s “Best Construction” Award – Morrigan from Dragon Age, May
Priscilla’s “Best Wig” Award – Megara, Royalberry Cosplay
Li Kovack’s “Best Prop” Award – Spiritmaster from Aion, Avalyn Cosplay
Then it was time for Runner-up and Best-in-Show:
Runner-up – Springtrap, Neverland Cosplay
Best-in-Show – Heroines of YA Literature, Anna, Grace, and Sean

GeekGirlCon ’16 at Washington State Conference Center in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, October 8, 2016. Photo by Danny Ngan.
This event upped the “wow factor” each time someone new took the stage. If there’s one thing I know for sure after today, geeks are some of the most creative go-getters out there today. I can’t wait until next year!
From beginning to end, I was blown away by the passion and intricacy that our candidates put into their costumes. It was inspiring, really. Amateurs, first-timers, and pros, all together, all totally rocking their craft. Like Adrienne, I can’t wait to see what future contestants will bring to the table.
Indigo in italics, Adrienne standard font.
[…] inspiration on our Flickr, where there are tons of photos from past GeekGirlCons. We hold a massive Cosplay Contest each year, so make sure to prepare your very best geeky fashions so you can take home the […]