Japan Fursuit Creators’ Competition 2025

The 8th Annual Fursuit Creators’ Competition will be held at JMoF 2025.

This competition aims at further development of fursuit culture by encouraging the activities of fursuit creators and designers from both artistic and technical points of view, and promoting their technical refinements and challenges.

Why don’t you present your new fursuit, which allowed you to pursue your new techniques and ideals, at the competition? Entry is not limited to individual work but open to work done by teams (e.g. designing and creating are done by separate people).

In addition to the Grand Prix, there are also multiple Category Awards, which will be selected based on different criteria. In addition, to honor their participation in the competition, we are going to present all contestants with a memento as a Participation Award.

Event Outline

Application Period

September 21st (Sat.) - November 23rd (Sat.), 2024

Date and Time

January 11th, (Sat./Day 2), 2025, 11:00 - 13:00

Place

1F Hall D

Awards and Judging

Awards

• [Grand Prix] 1 work
• [Category Award (Artistry/Technique/Challenge)] 1 work for each
• [Rookie Award] 1 work
  • Only one’s first creation can win the Rookie Award.
• [Participation Award]
  • We are going to present all contestants with a memento on the day of the competition.

Note: One does not win multiple awards except for the Participation Award.

Judging Method

Our panel of judges, who are invited by the JFCC staff, with rich knowledge about fursuit creation will evaluate based on the design, modeling, technique, challenge, etc.

They will refer to materials submitted by contestants in advance and the demonstration on the runway. Please note that we regard the demonstration as an additional display of your works, so the evaluation will not be influenced by movements or performances.

Note: To assist with the performance, one supporter is allowed to follow the fursuiter on the runway and support them during judging.

Note: Someone other than the creator of the fursuit is allowed to put on the fursuit and appear onstage.

The scoring table used in the competition is as follows.

Note: The scoring table may change without notice.

Note: “Additional item by the judges” will be different between the judges, and announced on the day of the competition.

Note: Individual scores will not be published to the general audience.

How to Enter the Competition

Agenda

• September 21st (Sat.), 2024: Applications open
  • The application form will be published on this page. Please fill out the required information (outline, points of appeal, etc.) to describe your creation.
• November 23rd (Sat.), 2024: Applications close
• Around the beginning of December 2024: Contact with Details
  • We will contact you with details such as the overall schedule of the day via email.
• January 11th (Sat. / Day 2), 2025: The day of the competition

Entry Information

Qualification Requirements

• Your fursuit must be an unannounced work, or had its first reveal after January 8th (Mon.), 2024.
• The fursuit design must be original and new (including a remake of your own character).
• You must submit materials for judging after you send the application form by the specified deadline.
• You must complete your work by the day of the event, and prepare to show it in perfect shape.

Note: If the work was created by a group of multiple members, please apply with the person mainly in charge of the fursuit creation as your representative.

Note: One can apply only one fursuit. For a creation by a group of multiple members, only its representative (leading creator) will be counted.

Application Period

September 21st (Sat.) - November 23rd (Sat.), 2024

How to Apply

Please fill out the application form and send it to us by the deadline.

Note: For details regarding submission materials, please see the “Details on the Submission Materials” below.

Confirmation Notice

After receiving your application, we will send back a confirmation notice to you via email.

Note: If you don’t receive a message from us within one week after completing the application, please contact us through the “Contact” page.

Remarks

• During the performance and the judging, one supporter will be allowed to enter the venue to assist the fursuiter.
• The submitted materials will be used for judging, and also may be shown at the venue or on our official website.

FAQ

A. There’s no problem if you apply to enter the competition, even if your fursuit isn’t completed yet. Please be sure to have the fursuit ready to go and presentable on the day of the competition.

A. For fursuits with alterations, so long as all of the parts are remade according to the entry conditions, you are able to enter it into the competition.

A. It is possible. Changes to information after your submission will be handled via e-mail. Please note that we may not be able to support changes if they are requested right before the competition.

A. There’s no problem.

A. If you cannot change inside a hotel room, please use the Changing Rooms. If you have any reasons you cannot use them, please contact us.

A. Please come to the venue wearing the fursuit. While waiting, you’re free to remove parts of the fursuit (like the head, etc.). We are planning to have waiting spaces backstage and the Headless Lounge.

A. Yes; however, please do not bring anything that is prohibited in the JMoF Attendance Rules. Also, extra points will not be awarded for the use of props.

Details on Submission Materials

• There are many fields to fill out and images to submit, so please prepare well in advance.

Note: You are allowed to submit some of them later than the moment of entry.

• You don’t have to translate your description into other languages except for your name and the fursuit name.
• We recommend that your submitted images be as clear as possible. In addition, the format of your image data should be either JPG/PNG.
• Your submitted materials will be used for judging and may be shown during the performance or on our website.

Note: Normally we will use the submitted materials as they are, but please note that we may edit them if necessary.

Entrant Information

Entrant Name

For group entries, please write the names of all members. Also, please write the roles each member had in the creation of the fursuit, and clearly mark who the representative is.

On-site Contact Information

Please write a cell phone number or a substitute SNS account that can be used to contact the representative on-site.

Character Outline

Please write an outline for the character of the fursuit piece.

Name of the Fursuit Piece

Photos of the Fursuit Piece

Please submit up to 5 photos that show off the whole fursuit, and/or from the chest up. These submitted photos will be used to introduce your fursuit by displaying them on the screen during the performance.

Note: You are allowed to submit these photos later than the moment of entry. If you choose this option, follow the instructions described in the confirmation notice (that you will receive after entry) and send us them via email.

Note: If the fursuit is not completed at the moment, please submit illustrations that show off what the completed fursuit would look like.

Species

Please describe the species of the character. Imaginary ones are also accepted (Example: Wolf, Ae. c. caudatus, Protogen, etc.).

About the Character

Please describe the character, including the origin of the name, personality, features, etc. (up to 400 characters).

Design

Please write about the design of the fursuit piece.

Character Design Details

Regarding character design, please write about the design specifics, what you wanted the design to convey, etc. If there was a reference or a motif of some kind for this work, please write about it (up to 400 characters).

Blueprints / Design Drawings (Optional)

If you have any blueprints, design drawings, model sheets, etc., please submit them. You are able to submit up to 1 image. If you wish to have multiple drawings introduced, please put them all into one image. The submitted image will be displayed on the screen during introductions at the time of the performance. Please make it landscape orientation, and try to avoid using small fonts as much as possible.

Note: The lack of a submission will not influence judging.

Images of References or Motifs for the Character Design (Optional)

If there are images that show any references or motifs used in the character design that you mentioned in “Character Design Details”, please submit up to 5 of them. Please note that the lack of a submission will not influence judging.

Favorite Features of the Design

Please describe the features or things you like the most or want people to see in your character’s design (up to 200 characters).

About the Creation Process

Please write about the creation of the fursuit piece.

Is This Your First Creation?

If this is your first creation, please let us know.

For creations by a group of multiple members: If the first-time member done most of the work, it will be considered as a first creation of the group.

Note: The final decision will be made by the staff of whether it is a first creation of a group, taking into consideration the members involved in the creation and their roles. Our staff may make additional inquiries regarding details, and creations may be changed to applicable/inapplicable as a first creation.

Reason for the Creation

Please describe your motivation for creating this work. If this is your first work, please also describe what made you start creating a fursuit (up to 400 characters).

Special Considerations in Fursuit Creation

Please write about what is important to you when creating fursuits (up to 400 characters).

Appeal

Please write about your work you especially think are strong points, and about the ingenuity involved in expressing them (up to three points; each point is consist of a title (up to 40 letters) and an explanation (up to 400 characters)).

Images Relating to Appeal

Please submit a maximum of 5 images for each point of appeal written in the “Appeal” section. Also, please submit images of the piece in the middle of creation, and any images relating to your workflow and ingenuity, if there are any.

Note: You are allowed to submit these images later than the moment of entry. If you choose this option, follow the instructions described in the confirmation notice (that you will receive after entry) and send us them via email.

What You Would Like Everyone to See in Particular

Please describe what you want the judges and crowd to see in particular regarding your work. We will introduce the content written here to everyone while your performance is being displayed on the runway.

Challenges Faced During Creation

Please describe the challenges you tried to tackle in creating this work (up to 400 characters).

Images of the New Trials in the Creation

Please submit up to five images that show the new challenges that you have described above in creating the work.

Note: You are allowed to submit these images later than the moment of entry. If you choose this option, follow the instructions described in the confirmation notice (that you will receive after entry) and send us them via email.

Difficulties During Creation

Please describe the difficulties you faced in creating this work (up to 400 characters).

Thoughts and Feelings After Completion

Reflecting on the entire creative process, please write about how you felt during the process and what kind of feelings you had when you completed the piece. This will not be used in the final evaluation, but will be introduced as the creator’s thoughts at the venue (up to 600 characters).

Runway Music (BGM)

If you have any requests regarding music to be played during the performance, submit a source file. If you don’t, we will select the background music according to the impression of the character.

If You Want to Submit Music

Please submit a track according to the rules below.

• The length of your music data should be at least two minutes.
• The format of your music data should be either MP3/AAC.

Note: Please edit the music data before you submit us if necessary. Also, note that we may edit its volume or else.

Note: You are allowed to submit it later than the moment of entry. If you choose this option, follow the instructions described in the confirmation notice (that you will receive after entry) and send it to us via email.

Past Results

You can see the results of the past competitions from the pages below.

• Japan Fursuit Creators’ Competition 2024 Results
• Japan Fursuit Creators’ Competition 2023 Results
• Japan Fursuit Creators’ Competition 2022 Results