All the winners of the Comic Con Africa 2019 Championships of Cosplay

South Africa has no shortage of cosplay contests these days, with the biggest events rewarding winners with sweet prize money and epic overseas trips. One of the most prestigious local competitions, and new entries on the annual calendar, is Comic Con Africa’s Championships of Cosplay.

Cosplay at this level is serious business. Entry to the Championships closes months before the event, entrants must submit portfolios showing detailed progress on their entry build, and there is pre-judging to qualify for the on-stage Finals. Still, the effort is worth it. The overall winner of the Comic Con Africa contest – which forms part of the annual Reed POP Global Championships of Cosplay competition circuit – gets to travel to C2E2 to participate in the Crown Championships of Cosplay, which is regarded as pretty much the world cup of cosplay. Earlier this year, Kinpatsu Cosplay AKA Tayla Barter, who topped at Comic Con Africa 2018, placed second globally at C2E2 with her Sisters of Battle costume from Warhammer 40K.

Comic Con Africa’s 2019 Championships of Cosplay chose Kinpatsu’s successor, and placed the spotlight on some of the greatest cosplay talent in South Africa (and Mauritius). Repeatedly during the Finals, the audience roared their appreciation of breathtaking efforts that included a full metal Dark Souls armour build, a transforming Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, a spot-on Captain Amelia from Treasure Planet, and a hulking Predator, Spawn, Death (from Darksiders II), Thrall and Arthas. Don’t let anyone ever say that cosplayers in the region are hamstrung by lack of access to crafting materials readily available overseas.

Here are all the category winners, as well as the overall Champion, who will be heading off to the largest and most prestigious cosplay competition in the world.

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Green Leaf Award (for repurposed materials)

Chaotic Good Cosplay (Moze from Borderlands 3)

Best Prop

FredWolf Cosplay (Spawn mini gun)

Best Wig

Julian Jay (Future Trunks Super Saiyan from Dragonball Z)

Judge’s Favourite

Chaotic Good Cosplay (Moze from Borderlands 3)

Novice Category

Troubadour Cosplay (Triss Merigold from The Witcher 3)

Youth Category

1^st place Jordan (Ayumi)

2^nd place Lina (DOTA 2)

3^rd place 3 Wave (Voltron)

Best Skit

Mittel Elf Cat Cosplay (Foxy from Five Nights at Freddy’s)

Best Representation

Chaotic Good Cosplay (Moze from Borderlands 3)

Best Construction  

1^st place Bites Cosplay (Rathalos from Monster Hunter)

2^nd place Kelga Creations (Dark Souls knight)

3^rd place Jarid FX (Predator)

Armour Category

1^st place Gammablast Cosplay (Arthas from World of WarCraft)

2^nd place Akasha Rojee (Angela from Spawn)

3^rd place Anton (Thrall from World of WarCraft)

Needlework Category

1^st place BlueCat Cosplay (Captain Amelia from Treasure Planet)

2^nd place Whiskey in a Teacup Cosplay (Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games series)

3^rd place Chia Riku (Izuku from My Hero Academia)

Masters Champion

FredWolf Cosplay (Spawn)

Champions of Cosplay Overall Winner

JinxKittie Cosplay (Priestess Bathory)

Well done, JinxKittie (AKA Kelsey Atkins) and all contestants for their unquestionably world-class effort.

P.S. It’s worth noting that JinxKitty, Gammablast and Jarid FX are all from Durban. East Coast represent!