The Rules
No derogatory or hateful content.
Tutorials that contain any of the following cannot be submitted:
Harry Potter/Wizarding World
Attack on Titan
Anything with direct or referential hate speech symbols; if the media uses it (such as Tokyo Revengers’ Manji, even though it is reversed) it must be removed.
Blackfacing or racefacing
NSFW or sexual content (PG-13, such as swimsuits or lingerie, is fine)
Nazi or nazi-adjacent costumes, such as Red Skull, Old School Hydra, Hellsing’s uniforms, etc. — if it is literally a Nazi character, it cannot be submitted. Military inspired or derived uniforms otherwise (such as Oscar from Rose of Versailles) are fine.
If you’re unsure, feel free to DM on Instagram and ask! We’re happy to take a look.
Prizing is subject to change and country-dependent.
Some physical prizes are limited to US & Canada only. Digital prizes available worldwide. Prizes are subject to change. Prize winners will have 1 week from when they are contacted to redeem their prize. Unclaimed prizes will be given to other winners or entrants or rollover to the next year.
Safety first.
The tutorial must transparently show/tell the viewer about safety requirements somewhere and must be performed safely. This is a no exceptions rule. Proper tool handling, gear like gloves, dust masks, respirators, etc, must be either mentioned or shown somewhere if they are required. If your tutorial does not illustrate proper safety procedures for whatever reason, it will be disqualified.
2023 or 2024 tutorials only, unless it’s a build log.
The tutorial must be created in 2023 or 2024, unless it is a build thread/build log. This is to encourage creating new content and tutorials. Build logs/build threads can be from before this time, as many costumes may take more than a year to make, and we’d like to recognize that.
No re-submissions — win or lose.
The tutorials must not have been submitted last year. Including if your tutorial did not win an award, you must not re-enter the same one. This is to encourage creating new content and tutorials. NEW: No re-submissions — win or lose. The tutorials must not have been submitted last year. Including if your tutorial did not win an award, you must not re-enter the same one. This is to encourage creating new tutorials.
Publically accessible.
The tutorial must be accessible to our judges. If it’s a paid tutorial, when you submit please include an accessible version for our judges. Although we highly encourage all tutorials to be free and openly accessible, we understand that some makers rely on paid tutorials.
You are only allowed two entries — 1 text, 1 video, with English voiceover or subtitles.
You are allowed one entry from the Text Tutorial categories (Best Text Tutorial, Best Build Log) and one entry from the Video Tutorial categories (Best Short Form Video, Best Long Form Video).
Please keep in mind while there is no limit for how long your video or text tutorial entry can be, due to the sheer number of entries, judges are only obligated to watch the first ten minutes of your video entry or read your text entry for ten minutes maximum before moving on.
While you may submit a tutorial in any language, to be eligible for prizing your tutorial must include English subtitles in text or voice over format (auto-translated is OK).
You will also fill out the form once per tutorial submission, so you will fill out the form twice for the maximum two-tutorial entry.
Tutorials are judged on 3 basic pillars: clarity (“Can I follow along with this?”), deeper understanding (“Why am I doing this?”), and novel (“Wow, this is a clever approach!”). Learn more about the pillars below.
Clarity
“Can I follow along with this?” Is the tutorial clear and easy to follow? Are steps able to be replicated? Is the text written or the video edited in a way that is understandable for the reader or viewer? Are steps clear and easily viewable and decipherable? Is the audience clear (whether experienced or new) and the message tailored to that audience?
Deeper Understanding
“Do I know why I’m doing this?” Does this tutorial share why certain things are done the way they are? Does it not only show how to do a technique but build a deeper knowledge and understanding of the discipline that the tutorial is tied to? Could you see yourself applying this in several ways, based around the core principles?
Novel
“Wow, that’s clever” or “This is fantastic, new explanation for something I’ve seen before” Does this tutorial tread new ground and provide a great, new tool for crafters to utilize? Or does it explore an existing/older technique with a new explanation, clarity, or angle that makes it even more understandable than before? We want to reward both “new material” and “another tutorial on X”, as for many, sometimes a new explanation of an old technique is how something clicks for people.