MTG's Magic 30 Increases Cosplay Contest Prize Following Backlash

thegamer.com:

Wizards of the Coast has updated the amounts awarded for winning Magic 30’s cosplay contest. The 30th anniversary of Magic: The Gathering is to be marked by a huge blowout event in Las Vegas, but the cosplay contest was off to a bad start after Wizards initially offered a paltry $200 gift card to the first-place winner. This led to a fiery backlash from fans punctuated by Magic cosplayer Sprankle topping Wizards’ offer with $1,000 of her own cash.

"I’ll just straight up give the Best in Show winner $1,000. For real for real. Or if you want a case of whatever set around the same price. Winners choice," Sprankle wrote on Twitter. "A handmade costume for a competition isn’t cheap. Plus travel and everything else. It’s a lot for one event."

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Wizards appears to have taken Sprankle's feedback to heart as they've updated the cosplay contest's rewards to be much more substantial. First place will now take home $3,000 US in cash, a $200 Joann Fabric gift card, and two 3-day VIP badges to the final Magic Festival event of 2023 including a single hotel room stay. Second place will receive $1,750 cash, a $150 Joann Fabric gift card, and one 3-day VIP badge to the first Magic Festival event of 2023 including hotel room stay.

There are also several new award categories, including Novice, Journeyman, and Masters categories. The winner of each category can expect a $1,000 cash prize, a $100 Joann Fabric gift card, and a single 3-day VIP badge to the first Magic Festival event of 2023 including hotel room.

Applications for entries are due by October 7 at 11:59 PM PT. Co-hosts Anna Prosser and Holly Conrad will announce the winner at Magic 30, October 28 to