India's biggest cosplay championship to culminate at WAVES in Mumbai

New Delhi, Mar 31 (PTI) India's biggest cosplay championship will be held next month, with prizes of Rs 1.5 lakh up for grabs for participants to bring their favourite characters to life through performances on stage.
    The championship will culminate in a grand finale during the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), scheduled to be held in Mumbai from May 1-4.
    "The WAVES Cosplay Championship aims to empower India's growing cosplay community by providing a world-class platform for participants to showcase their skills, creativity, and passion for pop culture," according to an official statement.
    Cosplay or 'costume play' is a performing art in which participants wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character from anime, cartoons, comic books, manga, television series, rock music performances, or video games.
    Registration for the event has begun and the last date for submission of entries is April 7. Participants can submit entries across diverse categories, including Indian mythology, pop culture, anime, manga, and DC Comics and Marvel Comics characters.
    The cosplayers will have to submit their entries online that will be reviewed by a of industry experts, international guests and cosplay professionals.
    The grand finale will see participation from 80-100 persons who will present their cosplays live on the WAVES stage.
    The championship is being organised by Creators Street and Epiko Con, in collaboration with the Telangana government, Indian Comics Association, Media and Entertainment Association of India, and Telangana VFX Animation and Gaming Association, and the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
    According to the statement, the championship aligned with India's expanding entertainment and AVGC-XR sector, encouraging self-expression and innovation in costume design, performance and character portrayal.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)