Comic Con Astana 2026 will once again host an international cosplay competition offering a prize pool of 20 million tenge (about $42,562). Kursiv LifeStyle explains who will serve on the judging panel and what prizes are on offer.
This year, the competition will once again bring together cosplayers from different countries. Their entries will be judged by an international panel comprising German duo Kamui Cosplay, European cosplayer Leon Chiro, winners of international cosplay competitions Sazura, Zakos Crowman, Tais Tukanova and Anna Brickus, as well as Emilia Grafomanka, winner of the Comic Con Astana 2025 Grand Prix.
The competition’s total prize pool is 20 million tenge (about $42,562). The winner of the main category, Champion of the Arena, will receive 4.5 million tenge (about $9,576) and the title of the competition’s overall champion. First-, second- and third-place finishers will receive 2.3 million, 1.6 million and 1.2 million tenge (about $4,894, $3,404 and $2,553), respectively.
In addition to the main prizes, participants will also compete for several special awards, including Best Costume, Best Armor and Best Makeup.
Comic Con Astana will take place from Aug. 6 to 9 at Barys Arena and Alau Ice Palace. The festival’s guests will include actors Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Paul Anderson, One Piece live-action series stars Iñaki Godoy and Taz Skylar, as well as K-pop group Kandis.
The 2025 edition of the event attracted a record-breaking 75,000 attendees.
