The Beating Heart of WCS Australia: Behind the Prelims with I-Artemis-I

When it comes to the World Cosplay Summit (WCS), there's glamour, grit, and more than a few glue guns involved, but behind Australia’s preliminaries lies one woman who’s kept it all ticking with a mix of spreadsheets, stage presence, and sheer determination: I-Artemis-I, also known as Natalie (she/her).

Natalie has been the Australian organiser of WCS since 2022, steering the country’s most prestigious cosplay competition with a blend of community passion and meticulous planning. “I’ve been the Australian WCS organiser since 2022,” she shares. “For preliminaries, it involves working with a volunteer committee doing a lot of organisational duties… lots of paperwork and forgetting to eat at the convention.” Relatable.

From Cosplayer to Organiser

Natalie’s journey began as many of the best cosplay stories do, with a stage, a big dream, and a little luck. “I first entered WCS preliminaries in 2014 and was lucky enough to win it, even though I’d only been cosplaying for 2.5 years.” From there, she was swept into the world of event organising, slowly building her skills and experience under the guidance of past organisers before being voted in to lead.

Why take on such a mammoth job? For Natalie, it’s all about the magic of the experience: “It’s filled with stress and crying and not enough sleep, but the camaraderie of the other teams, the thrill of performing and getting to show all the hard work you’ve slaved over makes it all worth it.”

So, What Even Is WCS?

For the uninitiated, the World Cosplay Summit is the cosplay competition, an international championship where teams of two from over 40 countries bring their best sewing machines and performance chops to the global stage. “Teams must make their own costumes, write a performance to match those characters, make the audio and video and then perform on a huge stage in front of a live audience,” Natalie explains.

But beyond the competition, it’s a surreal cultural exchange filled with parades, red carpets, and orchestral tributes. “It offers so many surreal events that money can’t buy… and it can lead to many lasting friendships, even though you live across the world from each other.”

Australia’s preliminaries are a beast of their own. “I am proud to say we have some VERY good prizes courtesy of our long-time sponsors,” Natalie says, citing over $10,000 in prizes including flights to Japan, Janome sewing machines, and vouchers for every single competitor. But the real standout is the effort to build community. “We run a Discord server so the teams can get to know each other beforehand… because all the work they do is worth it.”

In terms of judging, WCS balances craftsmanship and performance equally, but Australian teams have historically leaned more into the crafting side. “Understandably, performing is scary,” Natalie says. “But in the last 5 years… I’ve seen a lot more focus on performances from teams.”

When asked about standout skits, Natalie’s memory is jam-packed: “Gaming Goddess & The Pale Gurkin in 2023 with their Neon Genesis: Evangelion skit,” and “Elle & Luvvki in 2024 with their One Piece costumes that had so many techniques beautifully done.” There’s also the bittersweet humour in knowing she’s missed most of them live: “I’ve been sidestage working the last 3 years so haven’t properly seen them!”

It’s not just the performances that have evolved, the entire community has grown with the times. “It used to be just sewing and foam armour… now there’s 3D printing, lights, crazy wigs, crazy costume changes,” she says. “Competitors are always thinking of new ways to shed their clothes quickly on stage, and it’s very cool to see.”

While the stage lights shine bright, behind the scenes is a paper-strewn war zone. “PAPERWORK. So much,” Natalie emphasises. From rules and entry forms to rostering volunteers, the admin load is massive. “Also people asking questions that are already answered in the rules…”

Add to that the logistics of being based in Queensland while managing a Sydney-based competition. “We have volunteers all over Australia who come to SMASH under their own steam to help out.”

When the time comes for a team to head to Japan, Natalie doesn’t just wave goodbye, she packs a bag. “I act as the go-between between the team and WCS Inc… and as advisor to them, as someone who knows how things work in Japan.” She’s a guide and a walking water bottle reminder. “Make sure they turn up at the right time and place, keep them hydrated and make sure they’re doing as well as they can.”

Her advice for future WCS hopefuls? “Just try it!” she urges. “There’s no better way to get better at performing than to do it.” She’s also learned the hard way about the importance of planning around your skit, not the other way around. “It took me 5 years to realise that trying to fit a performance to characters I just wanted to make doesn’t result in the best performance.”

What’s Next for WCS Australia?

As the competition grows, so does the dream. “It would be nice to have a couple of regional preliminaries,” Natalie muses. “Especially as in the last 3 years we’ve exceeded the number of entries we can take.”

If she could manifest one thing for WCS Australia’s future? “That we keep on the positive trajectory that we’ve had over the last 6–7 years.” From rising competitor numbers to a healthy return rate of seasoned veterans, the signs are good.

Of course, no interview is complete without some fun: “Mostly what anyone feeds me,” Natalie laughs when asked about her con weekend snack strategy. “I do try to buy a packet of muffins so I at least get some breakfast.”

And the dream cosplay? “I’ve got 2 dream costumes from Lord of the Rings… Gimli and Boromir. I just love their characters and the designs and LOTR means a lot to me.”

So what is WCS, when you strip away the tulle and the trophies?

“A moist, stressful, dysfunctional family that always has time management issues but always cheers each other on.”

And somehow, that sounds like the perfect cosplay love letter.