Contest Categories and Rules

It’s time to get your costumes ready for the 2019 Halloween Costume Contest! All entries for this year’s contest will be considered for prizes in ten exciting categories. All costume categories have equivalent prizes for the selected winners with the exception of the Best Overall Costume category—which is in a league of its own. Winners for each category will be chosen by our amazing panel of expert judges. Take a look below for some additional details about the 2019 Costume Wall Halloween Costume Contest.

Best Overall Costume

These entries are determined to be the best of the best among all costumes entered. The costumes that win this award are generally considered the overall winners of the 2019 Halloween Costume Contest. Select entries stand out from the crowd with an extra dose of creativity and attention to detail. More importantly, winning submission will include some amazing pictures and a detailed description accompanying their entry. Winners in this category will go down into Costume Wall history for having the best Halloween costumes of 2019 as well as being awarded a nice cash prize.

? 1st place: $300
? 2nd place: $200
? 3rd place: $100

Best Adult Costume

Adults are never too old to dress up for Halloween! And now that your childhood days are over, here’s your chance to still get some recognition for all that effort you put into your amazing DIY costume. The winning selections for this category are awarded to the top costume worn by those 18-years-old or older. To be considered the “Best Adult Costume,” you must add an extra level of detail to both your costume and description to stand out from the crowd. All costumes are fair game—scary, funny, and especially unique as long as your costume submission is family-friendly.

? 1st place: $100
? 2nd place: $50
? 3rd place: $25

Best Kids Costume

We were amazed at the number of entries received for the kid and baby category for the past two year’s Halloween Costume Contest. And due to its incredible popularity, we broke out this individual category into two separate categories. The “Best Kids Costume” is now for children, tweens, and teens from 4-years-old to 17-years-old in age. No more competing against those adorable babies in their cute Halloween costumes. You’re in a category all of your own! Get the help of your parent or guardian to submit a photo of you in your brilliant Halloween costume along with a summary describing your Halloween masterpiece.

? 1st place: $100
? 2nd place: $50
? 3rd place: $25

Best Baby Costume

This is the one costume category where “cute” often beats out “scary.” Now an individual category for 2019, baby costumes will now receive the individual attention (and prizes) they rightfully deserve. As a parent, it is your time to give your little one the attention they deserve by showcasing their creative little Halloween costume. Entries submitted of your baby or toddler, should be newborns through 3-years-old, dressed up in their own Halloween costume. Crawl away from the competition with adorable photos and a detailed description of your baby’s Halloween costume.

? 1st place: $100
? 2nd place: $50
? 3rd place: $25

Best Couples Costume

Join forces for this year’s Halloween Costume Contest with your partner in crime. For the couples category, this could be your significant other, sibling, friend, co-worker, relative, or neighbor. We’re not picky who chose to pair up with, but our judges are picky about the contest entries that will be awarded as winners. So, you’ll have to be a truly dynamic duo to set yourself apart from the other couples that enter. Because simply dressing up in complementary costumes isn’t going to cut it. To be selected as a winner, you’ll need to sweat the details in crafting your coordinating costumes of two and then capturing them with killer photos and a detailed description.

? 1st place: $100
? 2nd place: $50
? 3rd place: $25

Best Group Costume

Gather your friends, family, or completely random strangers together to create the perfect group Halloween costume. Assemble your group of three or more people made up of all ages in an attempt to pull off this year’s top group Halloween costume. Your squad’s coordinating look could follow a theme, match a franchise, or simply complement one another. Whatever DIY costume strategy your group chooses to agree on, your entry should include a story behind the costumes, how you know each other, and of course some incredible pictures that showcase your group’s amazing outfits.

? 1st place: $100
? 2nd place: $50
? 3rd place: $25

Best Pet Costume

The pet costume category is sure to steal some of the spotlight of this year’s Halloween Costume Contest as this category is sure to have some of the cutest contest entries. Humans shouldn’t have all the fun this Halloween! So, get ready to dress up your dogs, cats, and other creatures you have as pets in adorable DIY Halloween costumes. Any pet can be entered and the more creative the costume, the better your chances of winning! Get your pets in on the Halloween fun by channeling your creativity as a pet owner and submitting an entry with some great pictures and a thoughtful description. Bonus points for telling us about your pet!

? 1st place: $100
? 2nd place: $50
? 3rd place: $25

Most Original Costume

Do you have an idea for an insanely clever Halloween costume? Then you may have a shot at being awarded the most original costume. If you planning on dressing up as a funny pun, a hilarious meme, or even a totally unique DIY costume, then you may have what it takes to be selected for this unique category. Whatever your creative costume may be, it must set itself apart from the hundreds of thousands of costume entries. To be considered for this category, you must include some incredible pictures depicting your costume as well as a detailed description describing the inspiration behind your costume as well as how it was created.

? 1st place: $100
? 2nd place: $50
? 3rd place: $25

Scariest Costume

This category is for the most horrifying costumes of the 2019 Halloween Costume Contest. Entries could put a frightening spin on the typical ghosts, zombies, monsters, demons, or perhaps something even scarier. Though frightening costumes have always been a go-to option for Halloween fans, you now have the chance to put a unique, yet terrifying spin with your own contest entry. A little fake blood isn’t going to cut it! So, do your best to scare our panel of judges with your submission. If you’re successful, you can have the honor of the scariest costume of all.

? 1st place: $100
? 2nd place: $50
? 3rd place: $25

Best Makeup or Special Effects

This new category was introduced last year after realizing there was some incredible makeup and special effects work that complemented many of the costume entries. We wanted to recognize these costume creators for going the extra mile to create something especially unique. This Halloween, it’s your turn to impress the judges with your skills. You can improve your chances of winning this award by paying particularly close attention to your costume’s makeup or possibly add in a mind-bending special effects to set your costume apart from other entries. In your entry, ensure that you’ve included a description summarizing your approach.

? 1st place: $100
? 2nd place: $50
? 3rd place: $25

Judges Choice Award

Since we’ve begun the annual costume contest, we’ve received thousands of costume entries. Unfortunately, only a handful of winners are selected for each category. So, some amazing costumes go without any recognition. We’re changing that this year with the new Judge’s Choice Award. Though these submission won’t get a price, you will get the same permanent badge displayed on your costume as the each of the category winners. So, you’ll be able to share and show off your top costume with others.

Contest Rules

Entries will be accepted through Friday, November 15, 2019. Entries do not automatically appear once your entry is submitted. The Costume Wall team reviews each entry to ensure the content meets the contest guidelines. Due to the thousands of submissions we receive, your entry may take up to 72 hours to be posted.

Prizes ?

Prize money for contest winners will be delivered via PayPal following the announcement of the winning entries. In addition, the winning entries will also be posted on Costume Wall following the completion of the Halloween Costume Contest.

Costume Description ?

Write a creative costume description that provides as much information about your costume as possible. You can include the source of your costume inspiration, how did you make your costume, what materials did you use, and the approximate cost.

Multiple Entries ?‍♀️

If you’re submitting photos of different costumes, please create separate costume entries. Exceptions to this are entries that are submitted into the group and couple’s categories. If different individual costumes are submitted as a single contest entry, it will not be posted.

Your Info ℹ

We will only use your email as a means to notify you as a winner. Your email address will not be displayed on Costume Wall or shared with any third-parties. By entering the contest, you give Costume Wall permission to use your contest entry for marketing purposes both for Costume Wall and Costume Wall’s annual Halloween Costume Contest.