Last Thursday, December 10, 2015 Chicago cosplay group, We Are Cosplay, held the 2nd Annual Member Appreciation Night called The Cospys. It's a night were the group honor their members for a fantastic year that they have showcasing their talents as well as giving back to the community.
Now just in case you're not familiar with the We Are Cosplay group, they are very well known not just for their high-quality and creative cosplays, but also known to participate in a lot of charity events in the area.
One in particular that they were recently given accolades for was the Make A Wish event back in October 10, 2015 were a young boy named Eric was transformed into a superhero called Blue Steel. Here's a video from that event from We Are Cosplay-
A member from We Are Cosplay also made the costume that Eric wore during the event.
Events like these are the reason which makes We Are Cosplay unique compared to any other cosplay group in the country - they go above and beyond just "dressing up", And this night highlights all the hard work everyone has put in for the year.
Check out these pictures from the openning ceremonies -
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Photo by Ronald Ladao
Photo by Ronald Ladao
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Photo by Jonnie Lee
And of course no awarding event would be complete until you enter the red carpet, complete with paparazzi!
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Above is the picture of the hosts for the evening - Paul Heid, Angelique Starr Rickhoff and Nyq Bonaventura.
Now, on to the award ceremony! The awards was held at the Hollywood Palms Cinema.
Photo by Jonnie Lee
Here are the awards and the winners for each category:
Most Event Attended
Winner: Joseph Lim
Best Prop
Props are key to any great cosplay.
Winner: James Wulfgar
James couldn't make it to the show, but he sent them a video thanking everyone who voted for him
Best Makeup
Sponsored by the Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce
Winner: Luisa Gonzalez
Most Charitable
Winner: John Kohler
Top Fundraiser Event Winner (Sponsored by Solstice Mobile): Chrystine Shelton
Best Picture
Cosplay is not just about cosplayers.
Winner: Ron Ladao
Most Supportive Member
We'd like to recognize the nominees for Most Supportive for being champions of our brand and values.
Winner: Scott Whipple
Best Original Character
The nominees for Best Original Character have taken a creative spin with original character creations.
Winner: Claire Rogoski
Best Group Cosplay
Sponsored by ReedPOP/C2E2
Putting together a cohesive cosplay group can be like herding cats. Kudos to the Best Group nominees.
Winner: Space Balls Group
Most Accurate Replica
Most Accurate Replica is the award for jaw-dropping attention to detail.
Winner: Lisa Hale
Best Performance
Sponsored by: Count-I-Con
The nominees for Best Performance remind us of the difference between "cosplay" and merely a "costume".
Winner: Rudy Hernandez
Members Choice
These Member's Choice nominees embody what it means to be a contributing cosplay community member.
Winner: Scott Whipple
Congratulations to this year's winners!
There are more pictures from the event at the We Are Cosplay Facebook Page.
Stay tuned on what these awesome geeks have in store for next year!
