Madman National Cosplay Championship Grand Finalist Interview - Siera

Occuring on the 14th of November, the Madman National Cosplay Championship is showcasing the best of best in the world of cosplay from around Australia. Going from state to state, five very awesome cosplayers are out to proclaim that they have what it takes to be crowned champion. To that end, ANN|AU has taken a moment of the cosplayer's time so we can all get to know them a bit better. We now have Siera, hailing from Victoria. ANN|AU: Tell us a bit about yourself and your cosplay history. Siera: I'm a graduating digital art student, part-time cafe worker and full-time dork. My first real cosplay was as a Bubblehead Nurse with Annie and Millie at Manifest 2007, so I've been cosplaying for a little bit over 2 years now. ANN|AU: What's the craziest/wildest cosplay you've ever done and why do you think it's so “out there”? Siera: I think that title'd have to belong to the Bubblehead nurses! Especially travelling on public transport, they turned a lot of heads and made one poor little girl cry! I guess it's because they're more 'monsters' than characters, and being in a group (with Ryo as our Pyramid Head!) really amped up the impact that they had. It was pretty crazy in that we had very minimal vision and also had a lot of body make up that had to be applied on our necks, arms and legs for them, but it definitely didn't go to waste - I'll never forget getting applauded and cheered when we first came onto Manifest grounds that year!

ANN|AU: Do you prefer to make a challenging cosplay or do they just end up challenging you?

Siera: I've found that no matter what I set out to do, I always learn at least one new thing from every costume, which is always challenging, and the aspect of cosplay that I enjoy the most. Though some of the more complex costumes are extra technical and challenging than others and, of course, I always strive to be as extreme with accuracy in costumes as possible - it's something that's really important to me as it's the minute details that can really make or break a costume, or push it from average to awesome.

ANN|AU: Do you have a favourite cosplay that you've seen others do or another fellow cosplayer that you admire? If so, care to share who and why?

Siera: I always enjoy seeing others cosplaying characters from series that I like (especially some of the really obscure ones!), but who doesn't? Also 'admire' is probably not the best word, but I definitely do draw inspiration to push and strive to better myself from the wider cosplay community - Australia in particular. For how relatively small the our community is, we sure know how to kick ass!

ANN|AU: How did you feel after firstly seeing the competition you were faced with in the Melbourne leg of the Madman National Cosplay Championship contest and then how did you feel when you were announced as the winner?

Siera: When I saw the other entrants I was really excited because I didn't know who/if anyone else was entering, and I was so thrilled to see others supporting the competition and giving it their best. And then I couldn't really believe when I won because it was completely un-expected - I didn't go into the competition expecting to win, but then there was definitely more excitement in being able to be such an active part of the competition!

ANN|AU wishes to thank Siera for her time and to the team at Madman Entertainment for being so cooperative. Follow us on our next interview as we bring you the rest in the coming weeks before the competition! Some photos courtesy of Neil Creek & Kawaii Mon