Cosplay Policy

Terms and Conditions: You must be 18 years of age or older to submit or be featured. Entrants aged 14-18 will be considered with parental approval. All submissions must be created and submitted by the original creator. Commissioned cosplays will not be considered. We reserve the right to exclude any submission from the show that we deem inappropriate and/or unrelated to Warframe & Soulframe.

You must have a ticket and physically attend TennoCon 2026 to be featured in either category. Participating in the Cosplay Contest is a time commitment – please allot time for check-in, prejudging, and the show on Friday July 10th. Any timing conflicts must be communicated to the Digital Extremes Community Team as soon as possible. Due to the popularity of this event, we have a strict timeline and might not feature every submission during the live show. For both categories, we will prioritize filling our limited spots with the highest quality submissions we receive.

This year, sign ups are all online. We will not accept any day-of entries.

You acknowledge that Digital Extremes has the right to use, modify, reproduce, publish, perform, display, or distribute your submission without separate compensation to you or any other entity. All preregistration submissions for the Competitive category must be received by 11:59PM ET on Sunday June 14th. Submissions are limited to one (1) entry per person.

A live prejudging session will take place on Friday July 10th, the morning of the show. Contestants will have dedicated a one-on-one block with our professional cosplay judges where they can show their craftsmanship up close. Time slots for prejudging will be assigned via email.

Prizing

• Cash prizes are only available for those who are selected to compete in the Competitive category based on their preregistration information.
• Entrants may be moved to the Non-Competitive category at the show director's discretion based on their preregistration information.
• Non-Competitive cosplays will be eligible for Warframe or Soulframe in-game rewards.
• Winners in both categories will be determined by a panel of judges at the TennoCon 2026 live event.

Competitive-Only Awards

Competitive entrants are competing for first, second, and third place, each awarding cash prizes!

• First Place: $10,000 CAD
• Second Place: $3,000 CAD
• Third Place: $2,000 CAD

Bonus Awards

Both non-competitive and competitive entrants are eligible for Bonus Award, which award in-game Warframe (or Soulframe) prizes.

• Lotus' Choice: A cosplay the judges admired that may not fit any category perfectly but stands out as a strong overall entry.
• Solaris Craftsmanship: Awarded for the best workmanship.
• Orokin Gold: For exceptional non-competitive cosplay.
• Ostron Ingenuity: Recognizes creativity with materials used or their interpretation of the subject matter.
• Bombastic Performance: Awarded for outstanding on-stage performance.

Competitive contestants will be judged on both Craftsmanship and Presentation. Craftsmanship (cos!) refers to the quality, detail, and construction of the costume, while Presentation (play!) evaluates how well the contestant portrays their character and engages the audience. Both the costume and performance will be equally considered in the judging process.

All cash prizes will be awarded in CAD and must be accepted as awarded.

All digital prizing must be accepted as awarded. No substitutions or cash equivalents.

Cosplay Safety and Accessibility

All contestants must be able to walk on and off the stage unassisted, unless there are medical or accessibility accommodations needed. Please consider ramps, doorways, and the possibility of dim lighting as you craft your costume. This ensures a smooth and efficient flow of the event. Should you require any accommodations, please indicate them in your Cosplay submission.

Only contestants and approved handlers will be allowed backstage and/or in the cosplay ready room. Handlers are approved beforehand for entrants that cannot get into their cosplay on their own or require special assistance. Due to space restrictions we unfortunately cannot accommodate a handler to hold your things or cheer you on backstage.

We do not know the full stage set up at the moment. Please prepare for dim lighting backstage and full lighting on stage.

To ensure the safety of all attendees and staff, costume props will be subject to inspection at the ARSENAL before entering the event.

• All Primary weapons, Secondary weapons, Melee weapons, and all other props will be inspected by door security who will authorize entrance. The following props will not be permitted IF:
• It is a live firearm weapon. IE: Airsoft, BB, and live round guns.
• It fires any sort of projectile.
• Nerf guns and other foam dart guns are permitted only if the darts are not on the attendee or loaded into the gun at any time during the event.
• Bows without arrows are permitted.
• Throwing Knives (Spira for example) are not permitted.
• It has the uncanny appearance of a real firearm.

This will be determined at the sole discretion of the security staff examining the item.

Metal weapons of any kind are not permitted. Weapons that could cut or pierce someone (including swords, blades, knives, etc) made out of wood or any other material are not permitted.

In the event the prop is not considered admissible, you will be asked to remove the weapon from Convention grounds.

No nudity, profanity, or other offensive material will be permitted.

Backstage

The Canada Life Place team works hard to coordinate many moving pieces and the backstage area has delicate audio and stage elements. Cosplayers and dedicated handlers must act responsibly backstage. No running, yelling, roughhousing, wheeled shoes, or large props (unless previously approved) are permitted backstage. Failure to comply with backstage code of conduct will result in being asked to leave the space and possibly disqualification from the show.