New York Anime Festival will partner with World Cosplay Summit to stage the Official USA Preliminary Round for the event, held annually in Japan.  The cosplay winners at NYAF will represent the U.S. in the World Cosplay Summit Finals next summer; New York Anime Festival will be the only U.S. event approved to be part of the World Cosplay Summit.  Judges at past Finals have included major manga and anime creators, including Leiji Matsumoto, Go Nagai, and Monkey Punch. 

With a photo spread in Anime Insider also promised as a perk to the winners of the NYAF Masquerade, this event will draw the best cosplayers in the eastern U.S., expanding the emphasis the show is placing on events beyond anime screenings and panels (see 'NYAF Includes Japanese Culture').