Halloween costumes can be silly, scary or resemble a famous person or character. If you have your goal set on winning a contest at a local festival, a school contest or a contest sponsored by a local business, you must adequately prepare an original costume that is memorable and meets the contest guidelines. Prepare a costume that keeps in mind the participant’s age, the contest location and a fun attitude and you will be set to take on your Halloween costume contest rivals.

Verify the Halloween contest categories. Common categories include most creative, couples and scariest. Call the contest sponsor if necessary because matching your costume to the contest categories is critical to winning. Also find out any additional rules or guidelines that could influence your costume selection.

Decide what category you want to dominate and find a costume idea that will stand out from the crowd. Consider an interesting twist on a popular figure, something that will make people laugh or a costume that is timeless. Find a costume idea that fits your personality and body type, but allows people to immediately know what your costume means. If the judges do not understand your costume, you will lower your chances for winning. The best costumes are ones that you will enjoy wearing because it will allow your personality to shine through and make the judges’ notice your outstanding Halloween attire.

If you are developing a costume for a child, find an idea that is practical and matches a child’s age. Judges will be turned off by a 2 year old dressed as Freddy Krueger. Also, make the costume comfortable so the child will easily be able to move, play and display the entire costume. Uncomfortable costumes tend to have parts discarded, which will lead to lower judging results.

Buying a store bought costume is the surest way not to win a Halloween costume contest. In fact, taking a trip to your local Halloween costume vendor is a good way to know what some of your competition may be wearing. Stay away from costumes that are too popular or will be seen on half of the trick or treating population.

Use quality materials and take time when crafting your costume. A good costume idea can be destroyed by poor execution. Consider over sizing parts of your costume like a mask or wings to help you stand out. The goal when crafting your costume is to make your costume distinctive and memorable for the judges.

Make props that support your costume. Props can be the decisive factor in Halloween costume judging. Signs, weapons, or action based props can help judges recognize your costume and will take up more physical space. The bigger your costume, the more you stand out in the crowd of contestants.

During judging, become your costume. For example, if you have a horror costume, you can use your props to “scare” people, growl, or have an evil laugh. Use actions and sounds that will support your costume. If your character is known by its sound, consider having a hidden tape recorder that you can play for extra impact. If you have a character-based costume, display recognizable gestures or mannerisms of the character.

Most importantly, show that you are having fun. Halloween costume contests are about having fun and enjoying the holiday. If you can make other people smile, then you have won, even if you do not officially win the contest.