A. General

1. SteelSeries is the sponsor of the Cosplay Competition at The International 2024 (“The International”) event in Copenhagen, Denmark between 13 and 15 September 2024. Contestants must attend The Cosplay judging to be eligible to win. The contestants will be judged based on their DOTA 2 costume and presentation and SteelSeries will award a total prize pool of €20.000 to the winning contestants. The Contest will occur in two phases. 10 “Winners” will be chosen based on the judge’s selection criteria on Thursday September 12th. Six of the Ten winners will be nominated as “runners-up” and Four “Skill Winners” will be chosen from the list of 10 which will then be announced during the Winner Presentation Event. Winners without The International entrance tickets will be granted admission for the three days of The International.

Organizers reserve the right to change the competition requirements, format, schedule and prize pool distribution according to needs and circumstances. Competition participants will be notified via email whenever these changes are put into effect.

B. Sponsor

SteelSeries / GN Audio A/S Lautrupbjerg 7 DK-2750 Ballerup, Denmark and its contractors will manage the Contest.

PGL Esports Corporation, a Bucharest corporation, is the sponsor of the Contest. PGL Esports is located at Bd. Dimitrie Pompei, nr. 9-9A, IRIDE Business Park, Bucharest, Romania. PGL Esports

C. Competition Location

1. The Competition will occur in Copenhagen Denmark at the Royal Arena as part of The International Main Event taking place between 13 to 15 September 2024.

2. The Judging Event will take place on 12 September at the Crown Plaza Towers hotel.

3. The ten Winners must attend the Winner Presentation Rehearsal on 14 September. Timing subject to change or cancel due to Dota 2 matches.

4. The Winner Presentation event will take place on 15 September.

D. Eligibility

Contestants must:

a. Be 18 years or older as of 1 August 2024

b. Have a registered Steam account with Tax Information forms completed

c. Attend the Judging Event in Copenhagen Denmark on Thursday September 12th 2024. Finalists must also attend the Winner Presentation Event on Sunday September 15th.

d. Complete the online submission form which includes contact details, a jpg reference picture of the intended character to be cosplayed, work in progress materials. Incomplete or illegible documentation or distorted pictures will not be accepted as a valid submission.

E. Consent to the use of their likeness and other information relating to their costume or presence at the event and in event-related marketing and promotional activities.

2. Submission of all materials must be complete by 1 September 2024. Participants are required to provide Work in Progress and Reference pictures via the registration form or email. If no such materials are provided until 1 September, then the participant may be disqualified. Shortlisted contestants will be notified via email by 5 of September.

3. Valid submissions must contain a character or likeness to a character from the DOTA 2 game and be appropriate for all audiences.

4. No nudity or graphic content.

5. Employees of SteelSeries or other companies associated with the Contest, immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each are not eligible to enter the Contest.

6. Organizers reserve the right to reject the registration of individuals that have broken the rules and guidelines of a previous edition of the competition or behaved inappropriately/ in a belligerent manner to their fellow cosplayers.

E. Costumes

1. Costumes must represent a DOTA 2 character.

2. The Contest focuses on craftsmanship and only costumes that are handcrafted or mostly (i.e. 80%) handcrafted will be eligible to participate. Store purchased accessories and components are allowed insofar as they represent 20% or less of the finished look.

3. Costumes and accompanying props may not include (1) edged weapons; (2) projectile weapons; (3) props made of metal; or (4) bows or crossbows with strings. SteelSeries / PGL Esports reserves the right to remove props that it deems unsafe or inappropriate.

4. No open flame, liquid, powder or “flash” paper is allowed.

5. Due to venue fire regulations, no cosplayer can move around the venue without being accompanied by a handler who can help them exit the venue in or with the costume in an expedient manner. No multi-person costumes are permitted to move around the venue except for being escorted to the stage for the final judging.

6. No laser pointers allowed.

7. No liquids, gels, or any slippery or messy substance allowed.

8. Costumes must be maneuverable enough to enter and exit the presentation area. - In case of an emergency all parts of the cosplay incl props has to be removed from the arena.

9. Contestants are free to use any DOTA 2 Intellectual Property owned by Valve in the creation of their costume, but if using any non-Valve IP, the contestant must be the copyright owner of the copyrighted work or have explicit permission from the owner.

10. It is not allowed to enter the competition with handcrafted costumes designed by somebody else. Handmade accessories designed by third parties are allowed in so much as they do not represent more than 20% of the finished costume.

11. If contestants are not honest and upfront about the origin of the costumes and accessories during the Judging Event, they risk elimination from the contest and may receive a lifetime ban from future SteelSeries /PGL/ TI cosplay events.

12. Contestants are not allowed to register for the 2024 edition of the Competition with the same costumes they registered and competed with at a previous edition.

F. Judging

10. The Judges will be chosen by SteelSeries, its contractors.

11. Judges will evaluate the contestants’ costumes and performances based on the following criteria. All decisions by the judges are final.

a. Quality of craftsmanship for each costume element.

b. Creativity, materials used, stitching, fit, attention to details, overall complexity level, and functionality of the costume.

c. Hand crafted costume elements vs. store purchased costume elements.

d. Likeness to actual characters within the DOTA 2 universe, as depicted in the registered reference materials.

e. Maneuverability and presentation while in costume.

G. Prizes

1. The International 2024 Cosplay Contest has a total prize pool of €18.500.

2. EURO €6.000 of the prize pool will be awarded to six Finalist Winners at EURO€1,000 each.

3. All finalists participating in the Winner Presentation Event will receive 2 General Admission tickets for the International Grand Finals held on 13-15 of September. Top 10 Finalists who already purchased tickets through Ticketmaster will receive a Ticketmaster refund and be given two 3-day tickets to The International. To qualify for reimbursement, you MUST have purchased from Ticketmaster and submit your ticket information to SteelSeries after judging on Thursday September 12th.

4. Finalist Winners must be

a. in attendance at the Judging Event;

b. if chosen, claim their spot for the winner selection event within 60 minutes of their notification of being one of the ten Finalist Winners;

c. attend the Winner Presentation Event for consideration as a Skill Winner.

Finalist Winners who fail to claim their spot for the winner selection within the 60-minute time frame or fail to attend the winner selection event, forfeit their status as a Finalist Winner and are not eligible for the €1.000 prize. In the case of a contestant forfeiture, contest organizers will offer the slot to the next placed contestant in the judging event or allow participation for the slot to lapse.

5. The Skill Winners will be awarded an additional EUR €12.500 in the following denominations:

a. Best In Show Award = €5.000 + Full set of SteelSeries Gear + 2 General Admission Tickets

b. Best Technique Award = €2.500 + Full set of SteelSeries Gear + 2 General Admission Tickets

c. Biggest Transformation Award = €2.500 + Full set of SteelSeries Gear + 2 General Admission Tickets

d. Judges' Choice Award = €2.500 + Full set of SteelSeries Gear + 2 General Admission Tickets

6. Organizers reserve the right to alter, modify or rename the Skill awards depending on contestant line-up and judges feedback.

7. To redeem prizes, all Winners must be in attendance in costume at both competition events: Judging and Winners Presentation.

8. Prize money will be paid within 60 days of the Winners Presentation event. Winners must submit the necessary information to redeem their prizes within 30 days of the Winners Presentation event.

H. Taxes

1. Prize winners will be responsible for taxes associated with their prize winnings and for filing any governmental documentation required by taxing authorities. Contestants must provide the Sponsor with sufficient information to notify the contestant regarding potential tax filings.

I. Publicity Rights/Release

1. Contestants grant SteelSeries / PGL Esports Corporation and its agents the right to distribute, exhibit, publish and otherwise utilize throughout the world in perpetuity their appearance, performance, name, biographical information, statements and any other aural or visual effect relating to their role as a contestant in the Contest (collectively, “Likeness”) in any and all manner and media, including without limitation, the marketing, publication, syndication and distribution of materials containing the Likeness to third parties and the public.

2. Contestants expressly waive, release, and discharge SteelSeries / PGL Esports from and against any and all claims, demands or liabilities of any and every nature, arising at any time from or in connection with its use of their Likeness.

3. The top 10 cosplayers must participate in the official TI 2024 cosplay photo shoot lasting 2 hours at the Steelseries booth after the on-stage cosplay finals.

J. Applicable Laws

1. The Contest is subject to Denmark law. Contestants may not participate if the laws of their jurisdiction prohibit this activity. SteelSeries / PGL Esports reserves the right to decline access to the Contest to any potential contestant for violation of these rules or based on its belief that the contestant’s participation would be inappropriate or harmful.

K. Disqualification

1. Any participant who does not comply with one of the articles of these rules or with the regulations will be automatically disqualified.

2. Any participant found to lie about the origin of their costume will be disqualified immediately.

3. Any contestant found guilty of vandalism, theft, verbal or physical aggression, online bullying, shocking behavior or any other crime during the competition will be immediately and irrevocably disqualified.

4. Organizers reserve the right to retract prizes from Winners if they have broken the rules of the competition. In such cases, the prizes will be transferred to other contestants that have fulfilled the necessary criteria.