The World Cosplay Summit is an annual international level Cosplay competition held in Nagoya, Japan. The competition brings together contestants from all over the globe to showcase their prize-winning costumes. Currently with +40 different countries participating, some including: Germany, France, Brazil, China, Russia, Mexico, UK, and USA. This year, the World Cosplay Summit Australia Preliminary Competition will again be held at SMASH! this July.
Australia has been competition in the World Cosplay Summit since 2009.
Counting back from this year to the very beginning, get a glimpse of how amazing each team has been.
2018 –
Team: Kirilee & Giorgia Costumes
The sewing power-house duo from WA, their Preliminary was held at SMASH! 2017.
Cosplaying as Ciel & Madam Red from Black Butler
https://youtu.be/ZS6MIzi_PaA
This was the first year of the underground parade.
WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2018 – Nagoya, Japan
Cosplaying as Flora & Twilight from Go! Princess Pretty Cure.
2017 –
Team: Alix & Ingrid – Demons with Tea
Preliminary was held at SMASH! 2016.
Ingrid was the 2015 Representative for Australia at the WKG World Karaoke Grand Prix. She enjoyed that experience so much she came back to enter the WCS World Cosplay Summit to represent Australia & won with her best friend as her cosplay partner.
PRELIMINARY PERFORMANCE – Australia
Cosplaying as Romeo & Juliet from Romeo & Juliet.
https://youtu.be/XIDabFMI7Hw
Interview –
https://youtu.be/W4NZhBg-mBg
WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2017 – Nagoya, Japan
Cosplaying as Jack & Alice/Lacie from Pandora Hearts
https://youtu.be/-ocM8h6XiKk
2016 –
Cosplaying as Syaoran & Sakura from Cardcaptor Sakura.
They are both previous Team Australia Representatives, making them an amazing power team. Asham was a representative in 2010, & Tsubaki was a representative in both 2009 & 2012.
They were selected at SMASH! 2015 against several other cosplayers.
PRELIMINARY PERFORMANCE – Australia
https://youtu.be/WBfui-Ejdx4
WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2016 –
Asham & Tsubaki repeated their love of Cardcaptor Sakura, but with new costumes & perfomance for Japan. Doing an incredible quick-change style performance. This was the first time WCS has been split into 2 Rounds.
Asham & Tsubaki made it through both rounds with flying colours & placed 5th overall out of 30teams/countries. Amazing job girls!
CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE – Nagoya Japan
https://youtu.be/Mk_seVamgYM
2015 –
Team: I-Artemis-I & Cosplawyer
For the first time, SMASH! was the host of the WCS Australia Preliminary Competition, in August 2014.
26 countries participated in the WCS finals, seeing the debut of Philippines, Vietnam, Portugal & Kuwait, with observing nations Sweden and Canada.
PRELIMINARY PERFORMANCE – Australia
Cosplaying as Gulcasa and Uggdra from Yggdra Union: We’ll Never Fight Alone!
https://www.facebook.com/WorldCosplaySummitAustralia/videos/304819489642580/
There were several new events. The teams visited a One Piece theme park Lagunasia. Natalie wore Sinbad (Magi) while Lucy wore Mami (Puella Magi Madoka Magica).
WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2015 – Nagoya, Japan
Cosplaying as Nobunaga and Gracia from Samurai Warriors
2014 –
Team: Frances & Luke
This incredible sewing & casting duo can also act! They were a very emotion evoking team.
This was the final year the Preliminaries were held at Animania Festival in 2013.
PRELIMINARY PERFORMANCE – Australia
Cosplaying from Death Note as Misa/Gelus & Rem.
WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2014 – Nagoya, Japan
Cosplaying from .Hack//GU as Atoli & Haseo.
2013 –
The Preliminary was held at Animania Festival in 2012 for the selection of Team Australia 2013.
PRELIMINARY PERFORMANCE – Australia
Cosplaying from Ouke no Monshou.
WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2013 – Nagoya, Japan
This was the last year at Oasis 21 stage in Nagoya.
Cosplaying from Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica as Madoka & Himura
https://youtu.be/DhPRsUylWR4
2012 –
Team: Will & Tsubaki
This was the last year of double preliminary rounds, both state & National preliminaries. Tsubaki also represented Australia back in 2009.
STATE PRELIMINARY 2011 – NSW
Cosplaying from FLCL – Furi Kuri as Naoto/Kanti & Haruko
NATIONAL PRELIMINARY 2011 – Australia
Cosplaying from Neon Genesis Evangelion as Shinji & Mari.
Their finals round was the 10th Anniversary for WCS Japan & one of the most controversial years in WCS history.
They learnt a lot about the ‘Spirit of Cosplay.’
This was the first year for Indonesia, Russia & The United Kingdom joining WCS for the first time, bringing the total countries represented to 22.
This was also the second last year being held at Oasis 21.
INTERVIEW –
https://youtu.be/A2M7Hz8dfQY
WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2012 – Nagoya, Japan
Cosplaying from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
https://youtu.be/l6Udbx1iyIw
2011 –
Team: Jess & Tess
2011 was the Third year Australia participated in the World Cosplay Summit. Preliminary round was held at Animania Festival 2010.
PRELIMINARY PERFORMANCE: Australia
Cosplaying as Tsugiri & Myobi from Alichino.
They also placed first in their Melbourne Pre-selection Round, performing a tear jerking Card Captor Sakura script featuring Sakura Kinomoto and her passed mother, Nadeshiko Kinomoto.
WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2011 – Nagoya, Japan
In 2011 Netherlands and Malaysia joined the participating nations, bringing the total to 17.
This was the first year that the ‘Special Tour’ was held. After the last day of activities, all cosplay representatives and organizers went on a tour of the Central Japan region, staying that evening at a traditional hot springs hotel in the Chita Peninsula area.
Tessa and Jessica’s round benefited from feedback from previous years and was the first year that organizers from different countries were chosen to prejudge and assess the costumes of the contestants prior to the commencement of the competition. This greatly benefited Tessa and Jessica who has put a lot of effort into their accuracy and detailing, and achieved the Brother Award for Australia, being recognized as the best costumes in the competition.
INTERVIEWS –
https://youtu.be/EKCNgQRm2uQ
2010 –
Team: Asham & Melanie
2010 was the Second year Australia participated in the World Cosplay Summit. The preliminary round was held in 2009 at Animania Festival in Sydney.
Cosplaying from Battle Arena Toshinden 2.
Mel as Uranus and Asham as Duke B. Rambert.
PRELIMINARY PERFORMANCE – Australia
https://youtu.be/HsQ2G7fAh3E
WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2010 – Nagoya, Japan.
Asham enjoyed the experience so much, she would later return to represent Australia again in 2016.
INTERVIEW –
https://youtu.be/oiCej8syDQo
2009 –
Team: Tsubaki & Catty
WCS Australia Preliminary Competition
2009 was the first year Australia participated in the World Cosplay Summit.
Cosplaying as Edward & Alphonse from Fullmetal Alchemist.
WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2009 – Nagoya, Japan.
Australia’s first year in the World Cosplay Summit.
Cosplaying as Priss & Nene/Boomer from Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.
NIPPON World Karaoke Grand Prix Cosplay is a yearly event organized by World Cosplay Summit. It is an international karaoke competition with competitors in cosplay with approximately 15 participating countries in 2015, 12 participating countries in 2014, and 9 in 2013.
In 2013, the Australian representative, William Wong, was selected online through the WCS website (only application from Australia). In 2014, WCS Australia, sponsored by WCS Japan, organised a competition at Animania Festival, where 8 contestants competed to become the Australian representative. Kana Huang won the competition and represented Australia at WKG in August 2014.
WKG was hosted by Animania Festival for 2012-2013 & then hosted by Supanova Pop Culture Expo for 2014 – 2015.
The competition has unfortunately been put on hiatus since it’s last round in 2016 Nagoya Japan, where our Representative YumiYuki placed third overall.
We will make any annoucements should the competition return to being part of the WCS events.
Below is the history of the Australian representatives who competed:
WKG 2013
In 2013, Australia did not have a preliminary competition. Instead, WKG had an online selection process, and William Wong was selected to represent Australia. He joined WCS Team Australia 2013, K and Aly in Nagoya Japan, and took part in several of the World Cosplay Summit Events. He competed in the Nippon World Karaoke Grand Prix Cosplay by singing Hikari Furu by Kalafina, and cosplayed as Griffith from Berserk.
WKG 2014
In March 2014, Animania Festival, in Sydney, was the first convention to host the WKG Australia Preliminary Competition. Eight cosplayers entered the competition and sang various anime songs in costume representing their anime.
The winner was Kana Huang, who sang Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line from Chrono Crusade and was dressed as Rosette Christopher. She won a trip to Japan to represent Australia at the WKG 2014.
At the end of July 2014, Kana Huang flew to Nagoya, Japan along with WCS Team Australia 2014, Luke and Frances. She took part in some of the WCS events before competing in the Nippon World Karaoke Grand Prix Cosplay. She sang Sirius from Kill La Kil, and cosplayed as Matoi Ryuko.
WKG 2015 –
In April 2015, Gold Coast Supanova hosted the Australian Preliminary competition for the Nippon World Karaoke Grand Prix Cosplay took place. Four cosplayers took part in the competition and sang beautifully. Nick cosplaying as Itsuki Koizumi gave us an energetic performance singing God knows from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Maefan sang beautifully Moonlight Densetsu as Sailor Moon, and Tiana gave a solid performance as Kotori Minami, singing Soldier Game from Love Live! School idol Festival. In the end, it was Ingrid Barnes’ moving performance and incredible voice that won the competition. She sang Hikari Furu as Madoka Kaname from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. She will be off to World Cosplay Summit this August, in Nagoya, Japan, and will represent Australia in the Nippon World Karaoke Grand Prix Cosplay 2015.
Many thanks to Supanova for hosting and sponsoring the event!
Here are some photos recapping Ingrid’s adventures in Japan:
WKG 2016 –
In April 2016, Gold Coast Supanova hosted the Australian Preliminary competition for the Nippon World Karaoke Grand Prix Cosplay took place. 10 cosplayers took part in the competition and sang beautifully. YumeYuki entered the round performing as Kotori Minami, singing from Love Live! School idol Festival. Her refined beaultiful voice & stage presence put her on top of the round & she will be off to World Cosplay Summit in August, in Nagoya, Japan, and will represent Australia in the Nippon World Karaoke Grand Prix Cosplay 2016.
Many thanks to Supanova for hosting and sponsoring the event.
