Announcing our 2018 Costume Contest!

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Suzanne Scoggins in Blog

The countdown has begun: exactly two months from today is Halloween. Will you be ready? Will you be wearing a fab historical costume? Will you have photos? Will you enter our contest???

Let the answer to all of those questions be an enthusiastic “yes!” Our 7th Annual Take Back Halloween Costume Contest is on.

Send your photos to contest@takebackhalloween.org, and we’ll upload all the entries to our 2018 Costume Contest Album on our Facebook page.

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, November 4, 2018.

(Also, be sure to read our Big News about changes coming after the contest is over.)

The prizes this year are almost the same as last year, but we’ve simplified the divisions just to make it clearer (we hope). Basically there are two divisions, and within each division there are three levels: Amateur, Professional/Expert (see below for criteria), and Junior (age 15 and under).

Here’s this year’s prize scheme:

Division I: Category Costumes

This is our traditional division, the one we’ve had since our very first contest. As ever, we’re looking for costumes that fit into our own costume categories here on the website. That means a goddess or mythological figure, a great queen, a notable historical person, or a glamorous star. These should be specific people, not generic costumes.

Best Goddess or Mythological Figure Costume

Amateur level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Pro/Expert level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Junior level = $25 Amazon gift certificate

Best Queen Costume

Amateur level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Pro/Expert level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Junior level = $25 Amazon gift certificate

Best Notable Woman Costume

Amateur level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Pro/Expert level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Junior level = $25 Amazon gift certificate

Best Glamour Grrl Costume

Amateur level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Pro/Expert level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Junior level = $25 Amazon gift certificate

Best Realization of a Take Back Halloween Design (this prize is about faithfully recreating one of our specific designs here on the website)

Amateur level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Pro/Expert level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Junior level = $25 Amazon gift certificate

Division II: Masquerade

We debuted this division last year and it was a huge hit. The key thing about this division is that there’s no requirement that you dress up as a real person or specific mythological figure. We’re still interested in history and mythology, but fictional and fantastical interpretations are welcome. We’re inviting entries in the following categories:

Historical Recreation: This is for costumes that are based on an actual garment, statue, painting, description, or illustration. Examples might include: a replica of an archaeological find, such as the golden suit of Issyk; a dress based on a painting; a copy of a museum piece; an outfit depicted in a photograph; or a costume inspired by an imaginative illustration, such as one of Mucha’s posters. The costume you’re copying or recreating should date from no later than 1960.

Amateur level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Pro/Expert level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Junior level = $25 Amazon gift certificate

Period Costume: This is for costumes that look as if they date from a certain period of history (though it’s fine to use modern parts and techniques in construction). Tudor England, Heian period Japan, Mughal India, Viking Age Scandinavia, and the American Civil War are just a few examples of costume periods. This category is ideal for those of you who are focused on recreating a style of clothing rather than dressing up as a specific historical person. The time period should be no later than 1960.

Amateur level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Pro/Expert level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Junior level = $25 Amazon gift certificate

Fictional Characters: What we’re looking for here are characters from literature, art, movies (yes, we’re allowing movies), or other media who are in period costume. This can be your own interpretation or your attempt to recreate a costume from a movie or other illustration. So, for example, you might come up with your own version of Meg’s ballgown from Little Women, based on the description in the book, or you could try to re-create a costume from one of the many, many filmed adaptations of the novel. The time period for your character’s costume should be no later than 1960.

Amateur level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Pro/Expert level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Junior level = $25 Amazon gift certificate

Fantasy Costumes: This is a difficult category to explain. It’s for costumes that have some kind of historical connection but don’t fit into any of the other categories. Many of the brilliant costumes in Black Panther, for example, are inspired by historical designs (think Queen Ramonda with her Zulu isicholo hat), so they would fit in this category. If you’re not sure about your costume, just email us or message us on Facebook.

Amateur level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Pro/Expert level = $50 Amazon gift certificate
Junior level = $25 Amazon gift certificate

Do you belong in the Professional/Expert level?

If you’re an expert seamstress, a professional or semi-professional cosplayer, a Renaissance Faire performer, a theatre person, or someone else with access to professional-quality costumes, let us know when you submit your entry. The goal here is just to make sure folks can compete at their own level.

If you’re not sure whether you qualify, ask yourself whether either of these criteria fit:

Your costume has been exhibited at a cosplay convention or entered in a cosplay contest; it is a professional costume used for Renaissance Faire performances or historical reenactments; or it is a professional stage costume suitable for theatrical performance.
You are an expert or professional seamstress, cosplayer, Renaissance Faire performer, historical reenactor, or theatrical costumer, and the costume you are entering exhibits an expert skill level.

If either of those applies, we’ll probably class your costume as a professional entry.

General Rules

1. Except for the Masquerade Division, your costume must fall into one of our four categories: a notable woman from history, a queen, a glamorous star, a goddess or mythological figure.
2. Your entry photograph(s) should show the costume in full, and should be clear and well lit. Good photographs help the judging, so we suggest you try to avoid distracting backgrounds.
3. Please tell us exactly who or what the costume represents, along with your name.
4. By submitting your photo, you are giving us permission to publish it on the Take Back Halloween website and on our Facebook page. You are welcome to send in multiple photos of the costume to help us see the full glory of the thing.
5. If you’re submitting a contest entry on behalf of someone else, you must have that person’s permission to submit the entry and publish the photo. If other people appear in the photo, you must obtain their permission for us to use and publish it.
6. The costume may be from any time in the past two years.
7. You may enter up to four (4) costumes for consideration.
8. Submissions should be emailed to contest@takebackhalloween.org.
9. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, November 4, 2018.