Contests, SwampCon: Pantheon

CONTESTS

SwampCon’s Music Video, Cosplay, Dance, and Lip-Sync Contests return for 2023!

For our full event and panel schedule, please consult our Events and Panels pages.

Music Video Contest

Do you love to edit music videos? Join our music video contest! Our music video contest has one winner, awarded the title of Best Music Video. For more information and to read all the rules, see below. You can sign up here .

Music Video Contest Rules

To register for the music video contest, attendees must fill out the music video contest form linked above by midnight on March 19.
To submit your video, provide us with a downloadable link through this form. Your video submission must be in a downloadable format of a commonly used file type extension. A submission of a MP4 is heavily preferred.
Your video must be over 30 seconds and under six minutes long.
Video content should not be rated higher than PG-13. This means no explicit nudity or gore. All submissions will be reviewed before the convention and will be disqualified if the staff decides that the video does not meet this requirement.
Your submission must be made by you, but group submissions are also welcome.
Entries that have placed in previous SwampCon music video contests are not allowed. However, you may resubmit videos that you entered into previous SwampCon music video contests that did not place. NOTE: Any entries submitted to the SwampCon: HACKED music video Contest that are still accessible will automatically be considered for this year’s contest.
Multiple submissions are allowed. However, please submit one form per entry.
Please respect the judges and all other contestants. The judges’ decisions may not be contested and poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated.
There will be one award designated for Best Music Video. Prizing information will be provided to the winner after the convention.
All rules are subject to change.
All questions and concerns about the contest should be addressed with SwampCon staff through email at contests@swampcon.org.

Dance Contest

Are you a dancer? Have you memorized the choreography to your favorite idol or K-pop song? Join our Dance Contest! For more information, check out the rules below. Sign up here!

Dance Contest Rules

To register for the Dance Contest, attendees must fill out the Dance Contest form linked above by 5:00 pm EST on March 25 and before all slots are filled.
Music files will need to be an .mp3 emailed to contests@swampcon.com with the subject line “SWAMPCON DANCE CONTEST AUDIO” by 11:59PM Friday, March 25th.
Your dance must be under five (5) minutes long.
Dance content should not be rated higher than PG-13. All submissions will be reviewed before the convention and will be disqualified if the staff decides that the video does not meet this requirement.
Your submission must be preformed by you or your duo/trio/group (if applicable).
The contest will be Saturday, March 26th, 7:00-8:00pm. Dancers can come as early as 5:30 pm to the Rion Ballroom West and be allowed to rehearse on the stage, all contestants will need to be at the ballroom by 6:30pm. The stage dimensions are 24’ Wide X 18’ Deep.
Please respect the judges and all other contestants. The judges’ decisions may not be contested and poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated.
There will be seven awards designated: First Place/ Best in Show, Second Place, Third Place, K-Pop Dance Honorable Mention, J-Pop Dance Honorable Mention, Judges’ Choice, and Best Group. Prizing information will be provided to the winners after the convention. Awards are subject to change.
All rules are subject to change.
All questions and concerns about the contest should be addressed with SwampCon staff through email at contests@swampcon.org.

Costume Contest

Cosplayers of all levels are welcome to join our Costume Contest, which is judged by a selection of previous winners and cosplay guests. Our Costume Contest has six winners: Best in Show, Best Craftsmanship, Best Group, and three Judge’s Awards. For more information, check out the rules below. Sign up here!

Costume Contest Rules

All sign-ups are Online Only — No Entries will be accepted for the show or wait-list at the convention. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM Friday, March 24th 2023. (Do not email asking for an extension.)
To register for the costume contest, contestants should fill out the Costume Contest form linked above. This form should be filled out by the craftsman of the costume. However, you do not have to model your own costume.
This is a SC-13/PG-13 event – please keep this in mind when planning your performance/walk-on. No cursing will be permitted, and any innuendo must have an equally obvious non-suggestive interpretation. If you are unsure whether something is allowed or not, please email contests@swampcon.org
Any substances that may cause damage or mess to the stage, equipment, or other entrants costumes are not permitted on stage or backstage. This includes but is not limited to anything oily, greasy, or that can stain. (confetti and glitter included)
If something is not listed here but you are unsure, please ask the Contest Chair.
Surprise the audience, but never surprise the staff/crew — Any ‘surprise elements’ must be run by the Contest Chair for approval. Absolutely NO jumping on or off stage. No acrobatics/flips/cartwheels will be allowed.
Costumes that have won awards at any previous SwampCon costume contests may not be entered.
Any weapons must comply with SwampCon regulations.
For those entering in Construction (sometimes known as Craftsmanship), there will be (2) portions: the Prejudging portion and the Stage portion. For Stage, you may choose to enter as a Walk-On, or Performance (more on each of those further down).
Construction will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Execution – How well the costume is constructed and finished.
- Fidelity* – How closely the costume resembles the source material and/or how well it interprets and reminds the judges of the design of the source material. (adaptations made with intent/purpose and explained adequately to the judges will never count against you in this area).
  - *Original Design entries will be evaluated on Thoughtfulness/Appeal of Design, rather than Fidelity.
- Complexity – How wide the range of skills used in the project, and the difficulty level of those techniques.
- Creativity – Thoughtful use of materials, ingenuity, personalized embellishments, etc.
The Prejudging portion will take place on Sunday of the convention, from 9:00am to 12:00pm. During judging, contestants will display their costumes to a panel of judges, where they will have a chance to inspect costumes and props from a close distance. Contestants will be evaluated one entry at a time, in a private room with the judges with one Costume Contest Volunteer present.
Original Design Costumes: To participate in the contest, if you are creating an original design your costume has to fit one of the criteria:
- Based on any fanart drawn/imagined by you or someone in your group.
- Mash-ups of multiple existing fandoms (example: Sailor Princess Zelda, Mario in the style of Borderlands, etc)
- Style re-interpretations (“Regency” Princess Serenity, “Punk” Tanjiro, “Dior” Belle, etc)
- Your Home-Brew Style Gijinkas (Anthropomorphized interpretations of non-human characters, designed by you)
All costumes and props must be at least 75% made from new or repurposed materials, by the entrant. Found/modified parts or props are allowed, though they must not comprise more than 25% of the whole costume, and must be disclosed at time of judging. (eg: shoes that were painted or covered, tights or simple gloves, a purchased undershirt or pants that were modified in some way, are all types of items that may be permitted, as long as 75% of your total costume is hand-made by you.) — if you’re unsure, ask theContest Chair.
Size and Mobility of your costume should be taken into consideration, and for purposes of safety your costume should conform to the following limitations while worn:
- Can fit/be maneuvered through a standard ADA compliant doorway (the size/type in your home, not an extra-high, convention center double-door)
- Should not significantly inhibit the cosplayer’s ability to navigate safely backstage in dim lighting/getting on-and-off stage, with minimal assistance (Limit 1 handler).
- Should not significantly inhibit the cosplayer’s ability to navigate the main stage.
- Any use of height-enhancement equipment (such as stilts or platforms) may not be home-built, and may not raise the cosplayer more than 8 inches off the ground.
Original Designs must provide your concept art and/or your inspirational materials in place of traditional ‘reference images’ – for example, if you are doing a mash-up design of Mario in the style of Borderlands, but have not created a single ‘completed’ image, you would include images of Mario from his original source(s), as well as images from Borderlands. Historical mashups may include pictures of the character from canon, as well as examples of the types of garments you drew inspiration from. One canon image with no additional references will not be accepted.
Entrants may not enter a costume which falls under any of the following:
- Has been entered in any previous year of the SwampCon cosplay contest.
- Costumes made by someone else, if the maker is not present for judging.
All entries will participate in the show portion of the contest. Participants are allowed to request a short audio to accompany them as they enter the stage.

1v1 Lip Sync Battle

It’s like karaoke for people who can’t stand their own voice! For more information, check out the rules below. Sign up here!

Lip Sync Battle Rules

The contest will be Sunday, March 27th, 6:00-7:00pm. Contestants will be allowed into the Rion Ballroom West at 4:30pm and be allowed to rehearse on the stage. If you arrive later than 15 minutes prior to the event, you will forfeit your spot.
There will be 16 contestants with the competition running in bracket-style showdowns with one final winner.
Every contestant will be asked to learn the lyrics to four popular English songs selected by SwampCon. Contestants will be emailed the night applications closed and sent the songs they will be asked to learn. (We promise that you will know these songs!)
Props are allowed but must be approved by SwampCon staff. No glitter, water/liquids, bubbles, confetti, or pyrotechnics are allowed to be used in the Lip Sync Battle.
Contestants should avoid contact and maintain proper social distancing when preforming, unless explicitly permitted by their opponent. If contestant is under the age of 18, no touching is permitted. Period.
There will be one grand prize for the final winner of the battle and SwampCon merchandise for the winners of each round.
Rules are subject to change without prior notice.
If you have any questions, please email us at contests@swampcon.com

Contest Policy

As fun as it is to be wild and free, we still have to follow the rules. The following apply to all contests and contestants:

All contestants must be registered attendees of SwampCon and possess a SwampCon Convention Badge.
It is up to the contestant to state any possible conflicts of interest they may have. Such conflicts will be evaluated by the Contest Chair, and appropriate action will be taken at the discretion of the Contest Chair and SwampCon staff.
All awards are final with the exception of those who are found to have been in violation of the rules.
All contestants are expected to follow SwampCon policies and codes of conduct. This includes not engaging in Harassment of judges / staff / other contestants, poor sportsmanship, misrepresenting this contest, or otherwise spreading misinformation. These may result in disqualification and/or barring from future SwampCon contests. Further action may be taken at the discretion of programming staff.
And remember, have fun!