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Been seeing some discourse on my feed, and want to add a voice to amplify the discussion: POC in cosplay competitions. Specifically black cosplayers. We need to diversify our contests. I have been competing for several years, since 2009. The diversity in contests is much lower
than the general con floor. I have felt for a long time that inviting more diversity into contests is a bit of a catch 22 in the sense that people assume a contest isn’t for them if they only see a certain type of person winning awards/on stage, so we fail to attract diverse
competitors. But we cannot blame the lack of diversity only on the lack of participation either. “Well no black or POC cosplayers entered, that’s why.” Okay, that’s not a good answer though. Why were contests ever missing diversity in the first place? Especially when the con
floor is often quite diverse. It certainly isn’t because a certain type of cosplayer is more qualified to compete. Talent and hardwork comes from anywhere. So why are we missing diversity? How do we fix it without putting the onus on black and POC cosplayers?
There may be no single simple solution but I think a lot of it will come down to marketing. Showing people that our contests are truly diverse in competitors, organizers, and judges. And of course meaning it, not some sort of staged and styled photoshoot. But genuine diversity.
The more emphasis we place on displaying diversity (and not just token diversity), the more that people will feel “hey! This is a space for me! I should try this!” Representation truly does have a positive impact. Another important facet is how we word our rules and descriptions
As a judge, I notice a lot of people are always worried about the literal meaning of “cosplay accuracy”. We aren’t looking for likeness of body shape, skin color, ability, etc. if you have to wear glasses, it’s fine! If you can’t wear high heel stilettos is fine! We don’t judge
your physical body and ability to wear or not wear certain things. No worthwhile judge should, anyways. We judge only on craft, on the skills you displayed in your sewing, foam work, wig/hair styling, and makeup. Basically just anything you brought us that you want to share 
That wording NEEDS to go into rules. We can’t keep having confusion as to what cosplay accuracy means for contests, it discourages great artists from entering because they feel they aren’t “accurate enough” in their physical body. Which should never ever have been the case.
Which brings me to my next point, recruit diverse staff and judges. When a less diverse group tries to diversify, the efforts can miss the mark. They simply lack the first hand experience to truly understand what changes would be most helpful. If for some reason a diverse staff
is not possible at a moment in time, then seek out diverse voices, and hear them, and genuinely take their input into consideration. Accepting constructive criticism is important our contests to grow and evolve. It will make our events better in the long run.
We have to do the leg work to truly beacon positive changes, we can’t leave all the work to the people who have felt discouraged and just tell them “well just enter, and then it would be more diverse”. That’s not working, clearly. Contest organizers have to do more.
And with that input, I am happy to welcome more discussion on how we can make contest spaces more welcoming and attractive for black and POC competitors to enter. Together we can build a diverse event that everyone feels confident to participate in!
