Registration for the Masquerade and Own Character Competition has started!
25 February 2025
Cosplay competitions attract the attention of countless Pyrkon attendees every year! We call onto all creators without whom these spectacles would not be possible. Have you made a faithful cosplay of your favorite character from a game or movie? Or maybe you have created a costume according to your own design? The time is now – submit your costumes!
The Masquerade
The Masquerade is a costume competition that takes place on Saturday during Pyrkon and is one of the most important points of the program. The winners will represent Poland at the Extreme Cosplay Gathering 2026 in Paris as the “Polish Cosplay Representation”. They will also receive a financial prize and coverage of travel and accommodation costs for the international finals. Both participants and viewers can expect a lot of emotions and a veritable banquet for the senses – each costume will be presented on stage in a rich setting of lights and music.
During the Masquerade, you will take on the roles of characters from movies, musicals, anime, comic books or series. Any cosplayer of legal age from Poland can apply to the competition – solo or in a group of 2 to 4 people – to present a costume that is as faithful to the original as possible during Saturday’s performance.
Special prizes for the best!
– Polish Cosplay Representatives in the Extreme Cosplay Gathering 2026 classification, PLN 6,000. This is one team or soloist (1-4 people) who, at the organizer’s expense and with support, will go to represent Poland during the European Cosplay Gathering finals in Paris (July 2026). They will also receive a financial prize of PLN 6,000.
– Runner-up of the Polish Cosplay Representatives of Poland in the Extreme Cosplay Gathering 2026 classification, PLN 4,000. This is one team or soloist (1-4 people) who, in case of indisposition of the Polish Cosplay Representation of the European Cosplay Gathering 2026, will travel to represent Poland at the organizer’s expense and with its support during the European Cosplay Gathering finals in Paris (July 2026). In addition, they will receive a financial prize of PLN 4,000.
– Three equal Jury Awards of PLN 2,000 each, which will be awarded to outstanding cosplayers (groups or soloists) according to the judges’ choice. The jury may consider both the entirety of the cosplayer’s work and an individual element of this work (e.g. stage performance, use of a new creative technique, propmaking, above-average hairdressing, make-up work, character representation …) as worthy of awarding. Each of the three jurors has the decisive vote on the awarding of one of the prizes.
– All participants who perform on stage during Masquerade 2025 will receive a three-day pass for Pyrkon 2026 as a thank-you gift.
We encourage both experienced and beginner cosplayers to participate. Before registering, be sure to read the rules! Registrations are open until Sunday, June 1, 2025, until 11:59 p.m.
The Masquerade 2025 Rules and Regulations (PL)
Own Character Competition
This is a competition for those who value creative freedom. This is where you can present your steampunk gentleman costume, forest dryad or your own variation of a chosen character. It is up to you to decide in what form your handmade costume will appear on stage – both a catwalk and a scene can be a great choice to emphasize your artistry.
You can compete for prizes in up to 4 categories!
– “Best Fanart-Based Costume”, where the costume is created as a reproduction of an existing, graphic vision of another artist.
– “Best Original Costume”, where the costume is created as a reproduction of the costume maker’s own character design. The reference may be in graphic or literary form, provided that the costume creator created them personally.
– Jury Awards are three equal prizes, PLN 500 each. They will be awarded based on the individual decision of the juror whose name they bear, and are intended to distinguish participants whose works have interesting details, an innovative or creative approach to techniques, design consistency or other noteworthy elements worth emphasizing.
– Special CD PROJEKT RED Award, awarded to the person who creates the best costume inspired by one of the titles published by CD PROJEKT RED, i.e.: Cyberpunk 2077, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, GWENT or games from the Witcher series with expansions. Be creative! This category can feature a noir version of Geralt, a cyberpunk LED wedding dress, as well as your own characters: bards, monsters, fixers, edgerunners or witchers. You can win merch, a tour of the CDPR studio in Warsaw and the opportunity to have a photoshoot in their cyberpunk bar!
The application form will be available until Sunday, June 1, 2025, until 11:59 p.m. We also invite minors and participants from outside of Poland to participate.
Own Character Competition 2025 Rules and Regulations (PL)
Guardian’s consent form (for participants under 18 years of age)
We can’t wait to see who you will become on the competition stages this year! In addition to the prizes, there’s a lot of excitement and an unforgettable adventure waiting for you. Show the world your skills, fill out the forms and perfect your costumes. Good luck!
