News

May Jean is a multi-award winning costume and prop maker from Washington State. She has been cosplaying since 2005 and specializes in elaborate mixed-media projects.

May Jean started her artistic journey with traditional drawing and painting, but she has grown to love cosplay immensely because of how much of an incredible creative outlet it is.

Some of her favorite aspects of cosplay are challenging herself to learn new skills and making friends from all over the world.

When she isn’t in the craft room, you can find her reading webcomics, long distance running, and working with her community as a nurse.

Kumoricon is happy to announce that we will once again be offering group discounts to nonprofit educational youth groups! These include organizations like anime clubs or groups that are part of a larger nonprofit organization (like a school), or other nonprofit organizations.

Applications are due Saturday, October 24th, 2026 by 11:59pm! Visit Educational Group Discount to apply.

If you are not sure if you fit the qualifications listed on the webpage or this announcement, please don’t be afraid to apply! Each group will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Get your full weekend membership for Kumoricon 2026 by May 9th before pricing increases to $85* for ages 13 and up on May 10th.

If you have any questions or need assistance with membership purchases, please contact registration@kumoricon.org

*Card processing fees will apply at checkout

Our next membership meeting for the 2026 convention year will take place on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 2pm, and we will be holding it online. 

As usual for our online meetings, the meeting will be streamed in real time on Kumoricon’s Twitch channel. Additional participation is available on our public Discord server. 

If you have news to report during the “Good of the Order” portion of the meeting, you can email goto@kumoricon.org OR open.mic@kumoricon.org OR good.of.the.order@kumoricon.org. You can email Good of the Order at any time during the year, and your email will be reviewed during the next regular meeting.

“Good of the Order” is a great place to share new anime you’ve been watching, bring up exciting activities you recommend people try, ask questions, or share news you think would be relevant to the staff and attendees of Kumoricon.

If you are an organization member (voting staff) of Kumoricon, you may officially participate in this meeting, including counting toward quorum and the ability to vote, using the procedures listed on the meetings page.

The meetings page will always show the most up-to-date schedule for dates, times, and locations for meetings of the membership.

See you there!

Industry Membership applications for Kumoricon 2026 are open.

If you work in anime, manga, gaming, or Japanese pop culture, this is your way to attend Kumoricon in a professional capacity and connect with the community. Industry Membership is open to a wide range of roles, including creators, performers, developers, media, and convention leadership.

Who should apply:

• Creators, voice actors, and production professionals
• Developers, publishers, and media teams
• Content creators and performers
• Executive Convention staff and community leaders
• Business, marketing, and industry professionals

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply now.

Closes October 31, 2026

Stephen Fu (he/him) is a professional voice actor known for his work in anime, video games, cartoons, and live action dubs. After obtaining a BS in Molecular Biology and working in research for 5 years, Stephen realized he wanted to pursue a lifelong dream of his to work in animation. He studied long form and short form improv to get over his stage fright and has studied with many acting/voice acting coaches to improve his craft.

Celebrate Golden Week this year, the special time in Japan where four national holidays all happen within a week, with a registration sale! Purchase a full weekend membership age 13 and up for $10 off!

Use the code GOLDENWEEK at checkout for the discount to apply.⁠ Please reach out to registration@kumoricon.org with any questions or issues.

*Processing fees will apply at checkout⁠

At Kumoricon, when we say volunteer, we mean a person who has purchased a standard attendee membership and is willing to give at least four hours of their time to the convention.

Our volunteers are not paid, but we do offer rewards based on how many hours registered attendees commit to volunteering.

Rewards are listed on our staff registration page.

We’re happy to announce that the hotel blocks for Kumoricon 2026 are now open! Get discounted rates on your rooms and help support the con. Blocks do fill up quickly, so don’t wait—book your room today!

Please welcome ChrissyPlaysDressup as a Cosplay Guest of Honor for Kumoricon 2026!

Chrissy is a black, queer, disabled magical girl enthusiast based in Atlanta, GA. They have been cosplaying for over 20 years and working as a professional digital artist for over 10. They combine their love for art, sewing, wig styling, and prop making to create floofy fukus, gravity-defying wigs, and whimsical wands! Chrissy is a firm believer that cosplay should be about creativity, community, and most of all, fun! She hopes to use her wide knowledge of cosplay techniques, positive outlook, and love of 3D modeling/printing to welcome each new generation to the hobby.

Headshots Credit: @sixofswordsphoto