24 - 26 April 2026
ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi
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Unleash your creativity, embody your character and cue the dramatic theme music — the MEFCC 2026 Cosplay Competition is about to level up!
Get ready for the ultimate showdown, where the region's top cosplayers battle it out for glory. With an impressive AED 60,000 prize pool, and another round of qualifiers for the World Cosplay Summit Finals in Japan, this is the must-see event of MEFCC!
World Cosplay Summit Preliminaries – Team UAE (CAPPED AT 10 TEAMS)
Back for its 6th edition, the World Cosplay Summit promises yet another showdown between the best of the best! Bringing you the chance to make your dreams come true and travel to Japan to compete in a cosplay championship like no other! Grab a buddy and start working on your cosplays and props to participate at the WCS 2026 Preliminaries at this year’s MEFCC.
This category requires teams of two participants perform onstage and attend a prejudging round where all the costumes and props will be examined by our esteemed professional cosplay judges and a representative from the WCS Board. The winning team will get the opportunity to represent the UAE at the WCS Championship 2026 Finals in Nagoya, Japan during the summer!
To participate:
- You will have to be a team of two
- Both participants should be 18 years and above, otherwise parental/guardian consent will be required
- You can only cosplay Japanese Anime, Manga, Video Games and Tokusatsu Characters
- You should either be a UAE National or Resident with a valid Residency Visa*
- Your performance should not exceed 2 minutes and 30 seconds
- Your costumes, weapons, props and content need to be all made by you
*Residents that have represented other participating countries cannot register for the UAE qualifiers for a period of 5 years from their last participation.
Prize:
- Representation of the UAE in the WCS 2026 Finals in Nagoya, Japan
- AED 2,000 for the Winning Team
If you’ve got any questions regarding WCS and how to facilitate your participation, please email us at cosplay@mefcc.com
Best Craftsmanship (CAPPED AT 35 PARTICIPANTS)
Are you a specialist in costume design? Do you build your own armor or sew your own dress? Is your attention to detail so precise that your character ends up looking perfect and as extremely cool as they look in their actual appearance? Then this is the perfect category for you! Bring your ultimate craftsmanship game in this advanced category, as our cosplay judges will look closely to examine your cosplay crafting skills and guide you on how you can unleash your full potential.
Requirements:
- Minimum of 8 clear pictures of your WIP on your costume, props or weapons
- Name and image of the character + source material
- Screen content for your performance (Music, video, background)
- Performance should be no more than 1 mins and 30 seconds
Prize Money:
- 1st Place: 22,000 AED
- 2nd Place: 11,000 AED
- 3rd Place: 5,500 AED
Could there be more prizes? Stay tuned! 😊
Best Performance on Stage (CAPPED AT 35 PARTICIPANTS)
Not everyone works on their own costumes and that’s completely fine! There are cosplayers who can bring their favorite characters to life, and we are not talking looks here… it can easily be shown through their dialogue, moves, acting, and performance on stage. If you’ve got what it takes to bring your favorite character to life, go on ahead, wow the MEFCC audience and make the Festival Stage your own playground!
Requirements:
- Name and image of the character + source material
- Screen content for your performance (Music, video, background)
- Performance should be no more than 1 mins and 30 seconds
Prize Money:
- 1st Place: 10,000 AED
- 2nd Place: 5,000 AED
- 3rd Place: 2,500 AED
Best Kids Cosplay (CAPPED AT 10 PARTICIPANTS)
Talent exists in all forms of cosplay, especially if it involves cuteness and straight up awesomeness at a very young age. To our little Stormtroopers, Wonder Women, Spidermen and Ninjas, the stage will be yours to take over MEFCC as we celebrate your enthusiasm and skills in this category.
Requirements:
- Name and image of the character + source material
- Screen content for your performance (Music, video, background)
- Performance should be no more than 1 mins and 30 seconds
Prizes:
- Everyone is a winner (Exclusive MEFCC Swag Bag)
