Swords, Sorcery and Schoolgirls: Cosplay Competition Photos from around the World

Cosplay, which stands for "costume roleplay" is a subculture which involves dressing as characters from manga, comics, anime and video games. In this gallery, we look at five recent cosplay competitions.

A contestant poses during Singapore Cosplay 2009
Contestants pose as "Puppet Nurses" from the video game Silent Hill during Singapore Cosplay 2009
A cosplay enthusiast dressed as the character Sasuke Uchiha from the anime series Naruto, is pictured during the Cosfest VIII in Singapore
A contestant for Singapore Cosplay 2009 poses for photographs
Contestants from across the globe pose for photographers during a Cosplay Parade held as part of the World Cosplay Summit 2009 in Nagoya, western Japan
Elizabeth Licata and India Davis of the US perform during the World Cosplay Summit 2009 finals in Nagoya
Renan Aguiar de Castro of Brazil performs during the World Cosplay Summit 2009 finals in Nagoya
A student wears a costume based on a comic book character during a cosplay fair in Taipei, Taiwan
Japanese girls wear maids' uniforms during a cosplay fair in Taipei
Cosplay competitors parade during the final of China's national competition during the 7th annual China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference (referred to as ChinaJoy) in Shanghai
Competitors get ready backstage at ChinaJoy
Competitors pose onstage during the ChinaJoy final
Young people dress up in fantasy costumes portraying characters from graphic novels at the 11th Ani-Com and Games Hong Kong fair
Cosplayers with nicknames Deep Kato (L), 16, and Ouji Bel, 15, dressed as Japanese comic characters Rin Kagamine and Len Kagamine respectively, pose in Hong Kong
Young fans of anime and comics poses together in their Final Fantasy costumes during the Ani-Com and Games Hong Kong fair
Cosplayer Rhys Berresford, 22, dressed as the character Dio Brando, poses in Hong Kong
Cosplayers Mamesuke Ng and Minicooly Cheung, both 17, dressed as characters from "JoJo Bizarre Adventure" pose in Hong Kong
Young fans dress as Miku Hatsune during the Ani-Com and Games Hong Kong fair
Cosplayer Jen Tam, 16, dressed as comic character Doll, poses at the Hong Kong cosplay fair
Cosplayer Coco Nie, 16, dresses as a character from Japanese comic "Orochimaru" in Hong Kong
Here see the full picture gallery of Cosplay Competition Photos .

Source: Telegraph UK