The Next Level of Cosplay Scholarship

The Next Level of Cosplay is a scholarship contest for creative artists from the costuming and makeup communities looking to take their work to the next level. The 2018 Next Level of Cosplay Scholarship awards the full price of tuition, lab fees, and materials (no cash value) for our Master Makeup Diploma Program ($17,320). Follow CMS on Facebook and Instagram to find out first!\

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Winner will be awarded a $17,320 USD scholarship and a 6-month paid internship!*
Applications close June 1, 2019. 

“The Next Level of Cosplay” Contest Rules

The following are the submission guidelines for 2019. However, these are subject to change as we refine the process. Be sure to check back for updates before submitting an application. Entrants’ work will be reviewed by members of Cinema Makeup School’s panel and judged on broad criteria with an emphasis on creativity, makeup artistry, and costume design.

To Enter:

• Entrants shall produce one costume with makeup and/or special effects and/or makeup as a featured design element.
• Entrants may use a model but must perform all makeup and costume applications themselves. All essential makeup/costume elements must be the entrant’s own work.
• Entrants shall base their makeup and costume creation off of existing characters from literature, comic, animation and or/film and TV. The design can be an original take on an existing character or be a direct representation of an existing character.
• Entrants shall submit a three-minute video showcasing their makeup and costume design. Each video shall include an introduction of themselves, the reason(s) they want to attend CMS, and a description of their design submission in that order. The video shall be submitted on YouTube, or another video platform, with the entrant’s name and “Cinema Makeup School’s Next Level of Cosplay” with the hashtag #CMSNLC in the title. Video can be submitted in your primary language, but English subtitles must be included.
• The video link must be sent to the school by filling out the entry form at www.cinemamakeup.com/cosplay or emailing [email protected]
• Entrants may submit photos of their design to aid the Scholarship Committee during the review process. Additional material should be sent to [email protected]

Our panel will select a group of qualified semi-finalists whose videos will then be put up for a public vote** to choose a pool of finalists. The winner will be chosen by the judges from among the pool of finalists selected by the public as follows:

16 semi-finalists which will then be voted on in a bracket style public vote to choose a pool of four finalists. There will be a wildcard vote to fill the fifth spot in the top 5 finalists, chosen by a panel. The winner will be chosen by the judges.

A randomly selected bracket system will be put into place to determine the running for a top 4 finalist spot.  Schedule will be announced.

A panel of expert judges will then vote on the final winner out of the pool of five finalists. The entry which receives a plurality of judges’ votes shall be named the overall winner.

The winner will be chosen subjectively, but judges will be asked to vote based upon a combination of the following: Makeup, Costume, Completeness of Vision, Desire and Drive

Prizes are as follows:
1st place: $17,320 scholarship (no cash value)
4 runner-ups: $1,000 scholarship

Terms & Conditions apply. *

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*Scholarship Terms & Conditions:

CMS reserves the right to disqualify entries that do not comply with the scholarship rules at any time. The Next Level of Cosplay Scholarship is open to all U.S. and international applicants. Rules, restrictions, prize details, and guidelines are subject to change without notice. The decision of the judges shall be final. By entering, each applicant agrees to Cinema Makeup School’s Terms & Conditions and grants Cinema Makeup School the right to use their names, likenesses and any and all images from their entry for publicity and marketing purposes.

Each Scholarship winner must meet the enrollment pre-requisites for Cinema Makeup School. Enrollment requirements: each individual must be over the age of 18 by the time they begin classes and must have proof of high school completion or its equivalent. The Scholarship is open to U.S. citizens, U.S. residents and to international students who must meet the requirement of qualification for an M-1 student visa under the regulations of the U.S. Department of State. The winner must be able to provide confirmation of requirements within seven (7) days of the announcement as the winner, or the Scholarship will go to the runner-up. The Scholarship can be used only at the Los Angeles campus. The recipient must start classes within one year of being selected as the Next Level of Cosplay Scholarship Winner. There is no cash award or cash value for unused funds. Scholarship awards are non-transferable. Only the winners are guaranteed notification. By accepting the Scholarship, each winner grants Cinema Makeup School and the right to use their names and likenesses for publicity purposes related to the Scholarship and School.

**Voting Rules:

Public voting will be monitored for accuracy and fairness. CMS reserves the right to cancel or discount votes it finds to be illegitimate or suspect. Any entrant caught tampering with the public vote will be subject to consequences up to and including disqualification. The judges will select one of the five finalists by vote. Please note that all voters must use an email for verification purposes and may vote once per 24 hours. Any voters who feel that they are encountering technical problems which are keeping them from voting must send documentation of the error to [email protected] This should include a screenshot or picture of the problem and the answers to the following questions: what is your email; what device are you using to access the voting page; and what browser or app are you using? After the public determines the four finalists, judges get the option to bring back one entry as a “Wild Card”. When each judge ranks the finalists 1-5 (1 being the best) participants are awarded points equaling that number. The points from each judge are added and the total is the participant’s score. The winner is determined by the lowest number of points.