Cosplay Judges
Meet your Judges for Zenkaikon 2026!
Masquerade
Noodles Cosplay
Noodle Cosplay is a craftsman that hails from Washington State. With over 16 years of cosplay experience and a competition history of nearly the same amount of time, they’ve won multiple awards for craftsmanship and stage performance; the most recent awards being Best in Show at Kumoricon 2025 with Mydeimos and Best Drama at Sakura con 2025 with Tsubasa. They have a great love for all facets of cosplay construction, from delicate hand work with a needle and thread to larger than life foam builds, only the sky is the limit.
Photography: Brandon Tansey
Stardust Megu
Stardust Megu is a Black, Disabled, Plus Sized, & Lesbian cosplay crafter & performer from NYC, and has been cosplaying for over 16 years. Throughout her cosplay journey, Megu has made over 100 cosplays & also performed various skits! Her specialities are needlework, armor, wig styling, props, and performance! She competed at many cosplay competitions, won numerous awards, and also judged. Megu strives to make cosplay, and especially the competition side, more welcoming for all!
Photography: Tansura T Photography
Hayatedoll
Hayatedoll is a veteran cosplayer with 20 years under their belt. A former idol, they love all things performance, sewing, and Hatsune Miku. Their specialty lies in telling a story with fabric and fun skits, but they love to talk shop about every aspect of crafting and want to ensure that cosplay remains an accessible and exciting hobby for everyone.
Photography: Wild Momo Photography
Shoujo-A-Go-Go
Known as the champion of love, justice, and glitter, here is Shoujo-A-Go-Go! The kooky cartoon queen pulls inspiration from anime, comics, and all forms of nerdery. Using her magical girl powers of wit and passion for radical self-expression, the pastel princess is ready to bring joy, color, and a ridiculous amount of dad jokes to the mic. She has a passion for DIY and creative reuse centers with the belief that anyone can do drag on a dime.
She is the show runner and producer of ShenaniGANZA! – a drag show for fandom, by fandom. She is a show host at Lost Rhino Brewing in Ashburn VA, performs regularly at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington VA and Shaw’s Tavern in DC. Shoujo also performs AND DRAWS with Super Art Fight, the greatest live art competition in the known universe. Her performance at the Kennedy Center was SO good that they won’t let her back in. True story! She has also guest lectured at George Mason University, vamped her way into several shows by the International Nerdlesque Festival, all while exhibiting and dancing her way through various conventions on the East Coast. Follow her adventures on Instagram at @jessibstar
Photography: Nicole Chalmers
Hall Costume Contest
Mythril-Arts
Mythril-Arts has been part of the cosplay scene in the Washington, DC area since 2011. She currently has over 30 crafted costumes in her portfolio and has judged cosplay contests at conventions such as Zenkaikon, Anime USA, Otakon, AwesomeCon and San Japan. Mythril-Arts specializes in sewing, props and jewelry using unusual techniques and materials, and is diving into mashups and inspired cosplay fashion designs. She is currently the cosplay director for BlerdCon, Hanacon and Miryokucon.
Photography: In the Long Run Designs
KaseiCosplay
Mars (also known as KaseiCosplay) has been cosplaying since 2005. She can be found at events throughout the East Coast, and in Japan where she previously studied traditional Japanese garments and crafts. She strives to master as many different crafting techniques as possible, whether it’s making custom lace front wigs or programming fancy sound reactive lights (although, nothing beats a lazy afternoon with some knitting!). This strange obsession with bringing whimsical outfits to life has led to multiple Best-of-Weekends and masters’ level craftsmanship awards. When not cosplaying, she is active in the zine community and enjoys taking photos of other cosplayers. Mars looks forward to seeing all of the wonderful hard work of Zenkaikon’s talented cosplayers!
Photography: Self
Chiki Cosplay
Chiki Cosplay developed her sewing expertise under the tutelage of head costume designers for operas and professional theatres. She has won a multitude of awards, including several best in show for construction and masquerade skits. Her work can be found featured in the book: 1000 Incredible Costume & Cosplay Ideas: A Showcase of Creative Characters from Anime, Manga, Video Games, Movies, Comics and More as well as publications like Cosplay Realm Magazine and Craft Center Magazine. She has been a craftsmanship judge at Animazement, Katsucon, Otakon, TsubasaCon and more as well as a former cosplay guest at GalaxyCon Raleigh, ConVivial, Miryokucon and RavenCon. She is the current cosplay director for NekoCon and Ibashocon. When not working at conventions, she focuses on her photography career, escapes home to the Appalachian mountains as much as possible, and spends too much money on Fallout collectibles.
Photography: amiephotos
Octavia’s Judges’ Spotlight
Every year Zenkaikon accepts applications from anyone who is interested in becoming a judge for the costume contests. We are looking for well rounded individuals that are able to commit their time to be a part of Zenkaikon. 2026 Applications are closed.
