At one of my first ever judging gigs, the young contestant who had placed second asked for feedback on her costume and performance. It was the first time I’d ever been asked, so I paraphrased my notes about her finishing, and her character movement, and she nodded, and took that away with her. The following year, I was judging again, and she entered again. She’d taken everything on board, and produced a beautifully clean costume with impeccable attention to detail. She won. I’ve been vocal about the significance of asking for (and giving!) feedback ever since.
When you’re so proud of the costume you’ve made, it can be hard to even think about being told the parts that are wrong, but it’s one of the experiences that really help us grow as creatives, and as individuals. Constructive criticism isn’t designed to be a negative experience: any good judge will give you positive feedback about what they loved as well as places where you can improve.
What to expect when expecting feedback
- Don’t expect to be handed the piece of paper the judges wrote on during pre-judging. Those manic scribbles aren’t going to make any sense to you, and they it won’t be what you want to read.
- Don’t expect to receive a ‘points’ score. That wouldn’t be helpful without comments to explain what ‘8’ or ‘47’ means, and many competitions don’t even judge in round points.
- Do expect comments about where you went wrong and what can be improved as well as positive comments about the best bits. If you only want to receive positive comments, please let the judges know that up-front.
- Do expect a personal opinion from an experienced cosplayer that you might not agree with. In this instance, don’t argue with them, but ask for clarification if you think you’ve understood. It can be useful to ask another judge for their take to find a middle ground.
Feedback is useful to you whether you’re planning on improving that costume, or preparing to make something else entirely. Take great pride in the skills that impressed the judges and the parts that they loved, and hone in instead on where you can get better.
How to use feedback if… you’re improving on the same costume for another competition
- Did the judges notice anything missing, eg. an accessory, an trim, a prop that’s in your reference photo but not in your hand? Since it was obvious enough to be noticeable, focus your attention on adding that element.
- Did the judges suggest where you could add more decorative features, eg. embroidery, texture, weathering? Detail work can be an easy way to enhance your costume.
- Did the judges suggest anywhere you could gain more credit for construction, eg. making your own petticoat or corset, replacing chunky zips with hidden fastenings, adding elastic to sagging sleeves? Ask them for more specific detail if you need, or any tutorials they can recommend, to help you improve these specific parts.
- Did the judges give you feedback on your performance, eg. about your use of the stage, your audio, or your poses? If you have a video, re-watch it with those suggestions in mind, and practice in front of a mirror or a camera before the next time you go on stage.
- Update your progress book to include all the most important construction photos of your costume; remember, if a garment, lining, or seam finish isn’t visible in pre-judging, and there are no construction photos of it in your progress book, you can’t receive any credit for it!
TIP: If a judge has given you some feedback that you don’t fully understand, it’s okay to ask them to elaborate to better explain what they mean, so you can put it into practice.
Some people think that you only need to receive, or listen to, your feedback if you’re planning to compete again in the same costume. That’s not true! While much of your feedback will be specific to that one costume, there are underlying themes that you can carry through into your next project.
How to use feedback if… you’re making a brand new costume
- Think about where the judges’ comments are transferable to your next project, eg. if your feedback was about the neatness of your seams, on your new project, make sure you zig-zag every edge, press every seam, and trim every loose thread.
- Think about the bare bones of the new costume, eg. if you received feedback about your choice of fabric feeling inauthentic, think about what your new character would actually wear. Find high-quality reference photos that you can zoom in close on.
- Think about what new skills you can use in your new build, eg. can you draft your own sewing pattern, carve your own stamp instead of buying pre-made fabric, or try out new painting techniques? Ask the judges what skills they think you’re ready to try.
- Think about any feedback you received about your performance, eg. if the judges said you needed a prop to make your character poses more dynamic, try to make sure your new costume includes one.
- Bask in the positive feedback of what the judges loved, and do more of that in the next one!
TIP: When you ask for feedback with a view to making a new costume for your next competition, let the judges know that you’re looking for more general comments than specific detail. They can give you much more helpful feedback if they know that’s what you’re curious about.
Strive for continuous improvement, not perfection
Accept praise where it’s given – because you absolutely deserve it! – and try to receive your constructive criticism with an open mind that’s curious about personal development, not disgruntled and resentful. Remember that you cosplay for yourself, not for others.
If you didn’t win, that means there’s somewhere you can improve. The judges might flag something you already knew you needed to work on, in which case, great! You’ve got validation that you have a good eye and know your work well. The judges might raise issues you hadn’t even thought about – also great! Second opinions help you see areas for improvement. If you did win, I urge you to ask for your feedback anyway. Very few costumes receive full marks, so there’s bound to be something you can improve upon, or transferrable skills to use in your next project.
Remember, the judges are as excited about seeing you in that competition as you are about being there, and they want to help you improve. Feedback doesn’t end with a DM, it’s an ongoing process – no good judge will object to you messaging them for advice further down the line when you’ve implemented their suggestions, and using them as a resource to improve. I promise you, those judges will be as proud to see you grow and develop as you are of yourself, and we can’t wait to see what you do next.
Captain Amelia is a competitive cosplayer, cosplay judge, and all-round drama queen. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and, when the captions get too long, her blog The Captain’s Log.
