Lady Alkrea, Craftsmanship Judge:
Lady Alkrea has been cosplaying since 1998 and attending conventions since 2001, which basically makes her the friendly neighborhood cosplay grandma, at the ripe old age of 39. She made her judging debut in 2010 and has regularly been in the judge’s seat since 2021.
Known for her love of historical details, hand-finishing, and chaotic crafting energy, she delights in watching new cosplayers grow in skill, confidence, and panic-sewing speed. Please do not ask her how to use TikTok.
CakeyCakey, Craftsmanship and Performance Judge:
Cakey Cakey has been cosplaying for over twenty years and comes from a long line of seamstresses and carpenters. Her favorite part of the craft is adapting unique or unexpected materials into her work, which leads to an appreciation for others who also think outside the box.
In addition to sewing, she’s a prop builder, wig constructor, and is an avid Gunpla and model builder and painter.
Minty B Makes, Craftsmanship and Performance Judge:
Minty B is a seasoned costume artist with over two decades of professional experience. From cosplay to burlesque to fursuits, their work spans a vibrant range of performance and fandom communities.
As a co-founder of Lemonbrat Studios, Minty brings a deep love of character, detail, and storytelling to every stitch. A lifelong lover of costumes, Minty is excited to judge this year’s cosplay contest and geek out over all the creativity, skill, and passion that every contestant puts into their cosplay!
Sora’s Style, Performance Judge:
Megan Sora (Sora’s Style, she/they) has been a member of the cosplay community for over 20 years. Pulling inspiration from video games, anime, books, tv, and ideas from their own gremlin brain, they have created many cosplays over the years.
Outside of cosplay, she works as a chemical engineer by daylight. By moonlight, she works as a performer and aerial teacher. Megan loves teaching people pole dance and aerial arts, cultivating positive spaces for all people to come together, and falling flat on their face with a smile
Owl Eerie, Circuit Judge:
Bea, aka Owl Eerie, has been competing since 2008 when she accidentally discovered the Masquerade at her second convention. She is a self-taught seamstress and designer with an eye for detail, and excels at figuring out her way past most challenges with audacity and a can-do attitude. She is skilled with textiles, 3d printing, and fabrication.
She is also a licensed design engineer and loves the STEM aspects of cosplay creation, where she can put her brain to use problem solving. Owl is an avid reader, fueling most projects with an audiobook (or 3) and is always looking for new books to read on the couch with the cats, Erwin and Toast.
Paigesicle, Circuit Judge:
Paigesicle is a cosplayer based in Cleveland, Ohio. With a background in Illustration and Design, she has turned her love for cosplay into an award-winning journey.
Paigesicle specializes in foam builds, soft goods, makeup, wig styling, and 3D modeling and has a passion for sharing her knowledge with others.
Heartless Aquarius, Circuit Judge:
Heartless Aquarius is a professional cosplayer and social media influencer. They are best known for cosplaying a variety of anime and video game characters, bringing their favorite characters to life on Instagram and TikTok.
Through cosplay, Heartless has been able to collaborate with companies such as Urban Decay, Maybelline, Charlotte Tilbury, Box Lunch, Hot Topic, and L’Oréal. When they aren’t cosplaying, they work as a data analyst in the gaming industry.
