The time has come! Here are the prizes for this year’s contest. Everyone’s costumes were wonderful and heartfelt, and I only wish I could just give everybody a prize. It’s been a terrible autumn and all the sane people in the country are depressed and in shock, so thank you for participating in the contest. Our little community is an oasis of feminism and decency in this nightmare timeline we seem to be trapped in.

I will be emailing the winners their Amazon gift certificates over the next couple of days. (For reference, here’s the original contest announcement.) All the winners have been posted on our Facebook page and uploaded to our 2024 Costume Contest Winners album. You can also review all the entries this year in our 2024 Costume Contest Album.

Okay, let’s get to it! Here come the prizes!

Division I: Women’s History

These are the prize categories that we award every year. They’re based on our own costume categories here on the website: queens, goddesses and mythological figures, notable historical women, and glamorous stars.

Best Queen Costume

Winner, amateur class: Janice Strickland as Boudicca.
As a longtime member of our community put it, Janice always wows. Or should we say, Janice always slays. For this year’s photo shoot, I understand that she arranged to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a Roman reenactor; that’s his blood on the sword. Okay, just kidding. But this is a perfect costume and an awesome photo shoot.

Winner, hobbyist class: Tanya Page as Queen Charlotte.
This is the Bridgerton version of Queen Charlotte, and Tanya put countless hours into creating that incredible wig. It was her first attempt at wig-fu and the result is fabulous. The whole costume is beautifully done. Brava!

Winner, junior/expert class: Emma Glynn as Marie Antoinette, costume by Angie Glynn.
This is the second year in a row that Emma and her mom Angie (the costuming expert) have locked down this category. Such an exquisite ensemble! And the cake looks yummy too. I can’t wait to see which queen they’ll attempt next. Congratulations, Madame and Mademoiselle Glynn!

Best Mythological Costume

Winner, amateur class: Sarah as General Winter.
This is General Winter as in the spirit of winter, and it’s very much in the amateur spirit of our costumes. Sarah pulled together some blue layers from her closet, donned a sharp white wig and horns, and did bruise makeup on her skin (because cold). Then she drove to the White Mountains in New Hampshire for the photo shoot! A simple yet very effective and neatly executed costume.

Winner, hobbyist class: Becky Murphy as Bastet.
Apart from the wig, sandals, and sheer wrap, every bit of this costume was crafted by Becky herself. The collar, the belt, the sistrum, the whole bit. And to help her channel the spirit of the “original cat lady,” Becky is joined by her cats Trouble (white/tabby) and Finn (white). Very impressive!

Winner, expert class: Kristen Bloschak as Eos.
I absolutely love this costume and this picture. The lights are sewn onto the gold himation, and the marvelous headdress is a confection of zip ties, gold paint, jewelry findings, and glue. It’s perfect. And the photo shoot gives the effect of Dawn rising out of the ocean. Utterly sublime.

Best Reinterpretation of a Dress Parade Design

Winner, Best Reinterpretation of a Dress Parade Design, Mythology: Jasmine Hall as Athena.
Don’t you think Athena should wear pants? Jasmine does, and so she created this costume with dhoti-style trousers. The breastplate is a tank top spray-painted gold (which btw is the same technique we recommend for our Freyja costume). Jasmine also decided to paint the owl on the shield, which is much more practical for battle than having a bird on your shoulder. This is altogether a very smartly updated and businesslike Athena outfit!

Best Notable Woman Costume

Winner, amateur class: Brittany Strelluf as Hypatia.
Brittany did an absolutely lovely job with this costume. The chiton, the tribon (philosopher’s cloak), the sextant standing in for an astrolabe — every detail is on point! Very evocative photo shoot too.

Best Glamour Grrl Costume

Winner, amateur class: Cheryl Blakemore as Tina Turner.
This costume is so good, I half-believe that’s one of Tina Turner’s actual wigs. I remember sitting in my living room, watching the video for “What’s Love Got To Do With It” on MTV (yes I’m old), and Cheryl here is the very spitting image. Amazing job!

Division II: Masquerade

This is for costumes that don’t fit into Division I. The prize categories this year are Fiction, Fantasy, and Period Costumes. The main difference between Fiction and Fantasy is that the latter is for non-human characters. This can be a surprisingly tricky distinction to parse, but it’s what we aim for. A bee, for example, is not a human. The Wicked Witch of the West, on the other hand, is at least part-human, according to the book/musical Wicked, so…well, whatever. We’re not doing particle physics here.

But first, the prize for period costumes!

Best Period Costume

Winner, expert class: Monica and Arthur Griffith at the Marie Antoinette Ball, costumes by Monica De Souza-Griffith.
These marvelous rococo confections from Monica are a symphony of fabric, frills, and furbelows. The inset is a close-up of the exquisite little ship Monica made to wear in her pink wig. Magnifique!

Best Fictional Character Costume

Winner, hobbyist class: Beckie Geddes as Wendy Torrance from The Shining.
Beckie normally doesn’t look anything like Shelley Duvall, which makes this transformation all the more remarkable. It’s all done with makeup and prosthetics, which Beckie made herself. Kudos for an amazing job.

Winner, expert class: Angelica Roque as Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother.
We liked ALL the fairy godmother costumes this year, but Angelica edged out the competition with this lovely ensemble. It’s just so prettily done, and the lighted petticoat gives it a little extra magic. The wig is the perfect finishing touch.

Winner, junior/expert class: Edmund Wahl as Elphaba, costume by Sarah Turner Wahl.
Isn’t he the most adorable Wicked Witch of the West you’ve ever seen? And the costume Sarah created is epic. He looks like the perfect little Renaissance dude. Dude-witch I guess.

Best Fantasy Character Costume

Winner, amateur class: Lori Russell as the Queen Bee, costume by Robyn and Lori Russell.
See, this is how you do a bee costume when you’re 93 years old. You do not mess with complicated makeup or bee prosthetics. You just drape some felt strips strategically across your black dress, accessorize with a crown and some key props, and sell that puppy. Very dignified. Very demure, very mindful.

Winner, hobbyist class: Jackie Williamson as a Noble Elf Warrior.
This crisp outfit is completely homemade from thrifted and recycled materials (except for the ears), and Jackie crafted the bow, quiver, and crown herself. Excellent craft-fu!

Winner, expert class: Paige Mattern as Queen Amidala.
If I had a costume like this, I think I would just wear it all the time. Just go about my day, running errands, going to the grocery store, whatever. I mean why not? Paige says it took her three or four months to make this costume, which includes “840 hand sewn puffs in velvet.” Wear it to the grocery store, Paige!!!

Winner, junior/expert class: Callie Yulo as a Custom Mandalorian Merc, costume by Callie and Pat M. Yulo.
There’s a girl in there! Twelve-year-old Callie Yulo, who collaborated with her mom Pat (an expert cosplayer) on this ensemble. The theme is “Strawberry Matcha,” and no, I don’t really understand the ins and outs of the Mandalorian Merc universe. But this costume is cool!

Division III: When We Fight, We Win!

Well, theoretically at least. This division was created specially this year to celebrate what we all thought was going to happen, so it’s bittersweet to announce a winner. But we do have a winner!

Best “No Balm in Gilead” Costume

Winner, hobbyist class: Ann Anderson representing “The Granddaughters of the Witches They Couldn’t Burn.”
This is really an incredible ensemble. Ann says the crafting was basic (hot glue, etc.), but there was a LOT of it. She made the flames from felt, used macrame cord to look like rope, glued the straw in place, made the stake, the sign, etc. It’s magnificent! Thank you, Ann, for representing the spirit of unbowed womanhood. We fight on.

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