TI6 Cosplay Contest – A Valve first

Valve has announced the TI6 cosplay contest – the first official cosplay competition to be held during The International. With little over two weeks left to go, cosplayers can register for a chance to compete at TI6 and win a piece of the $15,000 prize pool.

UPDATE (August 13th):

TI6 final standings, updates and highlights – HERE

The Manila Major, ESL One Manila, and ESL One Frankfurt 2016 cosplay contests were well received by the fans and viewers. The competitions brought forward some stunning displays of work and heightened the awareness of this popular craft that gives ode to our favorite game.

For the first time since the inception of the Internationals, Valve has announced an official cosplay competition: the TI6 Cosplay Contest.

To add to the excitement of the official nod given by Valve recognizing the popular craft – a $15,000 prize pool is up for grabs. This is the largest Dota 2 themed cosplay prize pool so far – exceeding the Manila Major’s $10,000 prize fund.

Fifteen finalists will walk away with at least $500 – the same amount of money awarded to “rehabGnaked”, who secured second place for her fantastic Necrophos cosplay at ESL One Frankfurt 2016.

The first place winner can expect to take home $3500, second place $2500, and third place $1500 – in addition to the $500 awarded for being a finalist at the TI6 cosplay contest.

rehabGnaked – a popular Dota 2 cosplay artist – thinks the prize pool distribution is fair and sensible, with half of the prize pool being awarded to 15 finalists. Distributing the prize in this manner allows more contestants to benefit and be financially rewarded for their labor of love.

Cosplay and Valve

Valve has traditionally shied away from being involved in any official cosplay competition in the past. Slowly, the software developer has been inching towards establishing a segment for cosplayers. The TI6 Cosplay Contest is their first sponsored event.

TI5 set up a booth giving fans a photo opportunity with attending cosplayers.

Frankfurt Major didn’t have a cosplay contest, but crafters of the trade could sign up to appear at the event and received a ticket for the weekend.

Manila Major was the first of the Valve sponsored events to host an actual official contest – however it was organized and paid for through PGL.

Now, cosplayers are having a chance to exhibit their talent and flair at The International.

Unfortuantely, rehabGnaked won’t be able to attend. TI6 is barely over two weeks away – leaving cosplayers with little time to prepare and secure funds to travel. Crafting an award winning costume can easily take 400 hours and several hundreds of dollars – not counting travel, accommodation or other relevant fees.

Regardless, for those with the passion and love for their craft, this is an incredible opportunity. No doubt that many will be clamouring for a chance to display their talents on the main stage of Key Arena and claim an award during the biggest esports event of the year.

TI6 Cosplay contest details

According to Valve’s announcement, contestants do not need to be event ticket holders. All cosplayers who register to participate will be admitted to a Prejudging Phase at the KeyArena on Wednesday, August 10. The Performance Finals will then take place the following day, on Thursday, August 11, to determine who will walk away with the winner’s share of the cash prize.

• The contestants will be judged based on their DOTA 2 costume and performance.
• The TI6 Cosplay Contest will have two phases: fifteen “Finalist Winners” will be chosen based on the judges’ selection criteria at a prejudging event and three “Primary Winners” will be chosen from the Finalist Winners, following their performance (in costume) on the DOTA 2 stage during The International.
• Contestants must attend The International in order to be eligible to win.

All those showing up to TI6 in costume will have a chance to receive the TI6 Cosplay limited edition pin while supplies last.

TI6 cosplay limited edition pin

TI6 cosplay contest guidelines

A full detailed list of the guidelines can be found HERE, including FAQ, requirements, rules and tax information.

Contestants must:

• Be 18 years or older (as of July 13th, 2016);
• Have a registered Steam account with Tax Information forms completed;
• Be in attendance at The International in Seattle, Washington. for both the prejudging and winner selection events;
• Complete the online submission form which includes contact details, a .jpg reference picture of the intended costume and a brief description of the performance. Incomplete or illegible documentation or distorted pictures will not be accepted as a valid submission;
• Consent to the use of their likeness and other information relating to their costume and performance;
• Have costumes bearing a likeness to a character from the DOTA 2 game. The costumes must be appropriate for all audiences. No nudity or graphic content permitted.
• Event Finalists must perform in costume before the judging panel. Performances may be no longer than one minute in length.

According to RehabGnaked and several other cosplayers in the community, an important thing for potential participants to note is the set of rules. The guidelines are very specific and include restrictions on weapons, material, moving around, stage entrance, hero movement and performances. Some of the restrictions are quite limiting and difficult to attain.

TI6 cosplay contest registration

TI6 cosplay contestants can register now until 0:00 Pacific Time on August 9th HERE using their Steam Login.

The International 6

The KeyArena in Seattle during The International 5 Grand Finals

TI6 will take place between August 3rd-13th at the Key Arena, in Seattle, Washington, the same venue as last year. The Key Arena has a total seating capacity of over 17,000. The total prize-pool has so far reached $17,631,977 ($16,031,977 added) – less than $1 million shy of TI5’s record breaking award.

Featured image courtesy of RehabGnaked Cosplay, photograph by Kai Kienzle