Contests, backdrops, cosplay museum, and more!
We’ve got a whole new cosplay experience planned for METROCON 2026, including our NEW METRO Cosplay Central, a 7,200 square foot space dedicated entirely to cosplay backdrops, repairs, a cosplay museum, and more! With a variety of in-house contests and competitions, cosplay guests, and cosplay-friendly events, METROCON has plenty of ways to compete for the title of “Very Best Like No One Ever Was” alongside just-for-fun spaces for cosplayers to enjoy their weekend. Be sure to see these incredible and creative members of the community bring their amazing creations to life all over the convention! Interested in competing or performing? See contest and showcase information below!
ALL CONTESTS (excluding the Hallway Cosplay Contest and Junior Cosplay Showcase) REQUIRE APPLICATION AND APPROVAL ONLINE. THERE WILL BE NO ON-SITE APPLICATIONS AT THE CONVENTION FOR METRO COSPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE, OR CRAFTSMANSHIP SHOWCASE.
CONTEST APPLICATIONS OPENING DATE: 2/15/2026. ALL OFFICIAL METROCON CONTEST APPLICATIONS WILL CLOSE 5/15/2026 – be sure to check out the rules and application below, and email cosplay@metroconventions.com with any questions! Detailed contest info is below!
Your headquarters for all things cosplay at METROCON – costuming exhibits, professional photo sets/backdrops, cosplay repairs, and more!
NEW FOR 2026! METROCON is proud to launch METRO COSPLAY CENTRAL! A new, 7,200 sq. ft. experiential space dedicated to cosplayers and people who appreciate the art of costuming!
Located in Ballroom A, Cosplay Central is the HQ for all things cosplay at METROCON, including:
Cosplay Museum (with Costumes on Exhibit from our Cosplay Guests!)
get an up close and personal look at some of their amazing works in a museum-style display!
Photo Backdrops/Sets (by Backlot Sets)
EIGHT professional sets/backdrops for use by METROCON attendees free of charge! Many sets include props, lighting, and more. Just check in with the staff at Backlot Sets’ table, and they’ll help arrange your time slot, any special accommodations, and more!
Cosplay Repairs thanks to our Cosplay Repair Station
Our cosplay booth staff is moving their operation inside of Cosplay Central, and are happy to help loan you supplies or complete on-the-fly repairs for costumes in need!
Cosplayer Lounge/Social Area
Need to get off your feet for a moment? We’ve included seating areas in Cosplay Central for cosplayers waiting to use the backdrops and sets, making repairs, meeting up with friends, or whoever needs a moment to take that helmet off and catch a breather.
Join us all weekend long in METRO Cosplay Central to make the most of your cosplay weekend!
Repairs, contest questions, check-in, hallways contest sign-up, and more! The METRO Cosplay Booth is available for you!
Our Cosplay Booth is the headquarters for our Cosplay department – the staff there is ready to answer any questions you might have about our Costume Contest, but we also provide other services too!
Had a seam rip? Can’t find a bobby pin? Lose a button? Stop by the Cosplay Repair station at the Cosplay Booth and let us triage your incredible creation until you can get it a proper fix! We can’t do any major overhauls or fabrication, but we usually have the tools to get you through the rest of the day and ensure nobody has a MAJOR costume malfunction!
The Cosplay Booth is located in METRO Cosplay Central, in Ballroom A, and the hours are below!
Our combined performance & craftsmanship contest is our cosplay main event!
The METRO COSPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP is the highlight event of our competitive cosplay line-up for the weekend! With a very limited number of competitors, aspiring Cosplay Champions need to be a full-blown double-threat – competitors will be judged both on the quality and craftsmanship of their self-made costumes, as well as a pre-recorded cosplay skit performed at the convention!
Come cheer on your favorite cosplayers as they bring some of the most outrageous costumes, awesome skits, and overall incredible energy to METROCON!
Costume pre-judging and skit performance will take place on Sunday of the convention!
A maker-focused craftsmanship competition for cosplayers to show off their amazing skills!
The COSPLAY CRAFTSMANSHIP COMPETITION is our way to feature incredible makers, crafters, and artists who aren’t interested in performing. This contest is entirely based on costume craftsmanship, includes many common restrictions on construction requirements to qualify, and requires a build book to be submitted prior to the convention.
The Craftsmanship Competition entrants will be pre-judged in private with our Cosplay Guests up close and personal to be able to show off the smallest details of their costume, and will then be featured in a runway-style exhibition where awards will be presented, and the crowd can see all of their hard work and talent!
Craftsmanship Competition pre-judging and runway exhibition will take place on Saturday of the convention!
From lip-sync performances to full-on performance skits, we can’t wait to see how many amazing performers there are in our community!
The Cosplay Performance Showcase is a skit/performance event geared towards cosplayers who may not have the skills (or desire!) to make their own costumes, but want to showcase their creativity with the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd! The performance will be featured in our incredible 75,000 sq ft Main Events arena, with full lights and sound. Cosplayers are encouraged to be as creative as possible, as slots are limited!
You never know what you might see at our performance showcase, so be sure to come watch these amazing cosplayers and what they have in store at METROCON!
The Cosplay Performance Showcase will be judged live at the performance event (no prejudging at the convention), and will take place on Friday of the convention.
For the littlest cosplayers to shine!
Get ready to see the world of cosplay through the lens of childlike wonder in our Junior Cosplay Showcase! The showcase will be put on as a runway-style contest, with a walk-on for the junior cosplayers on our Exhibit Hall Stage, and live judging from our awesome cosplay guests!
The Junior Cosplay Showcase will take place on Saturday of the convention. Sign-ups will ONLY be accepted at the convention – visit the Cosplay Booth in Ballroom A to sign up!
Stop by the Cosplay Booth near registration for a casual cosplay contest that takes place all weekend long!
Excited to wear your amazing costume to METROCON, but not sure if you want to commit to one of the big contests? Stop by the cosplay booth and enter into our Hallway Costume Contest! All you have to do is drop by and have your photo taken – our cosplay guest judges will be scoring costumes all weekend long, and we’ll announce the winners at Closing Ceremonies! Don’t let all that hard work go unappreciated – you’re wearing the costume anyways, you might as well try and win a prize as a bonus to all the fun you had making and wearing it!
The Hallway Cosplay Contest will be judged all weekend long, and contestants can stop by the booth to enter/participate during specific windows (available in the rules). Winners will be announced at Closing Ceremonies on Sunday afternoon/evening.
