Tips to Winning a Halloween Costume Contest

Are you going to a Halloween party this season? Chances are they will have a Halloween costume contest. Some costume contests have large cash prizes, a friend of mine won a thousand dollars --- very unexpectedly at a Halloween party he attended. Costume contests are fun. You can improve your chances of winning with some easy tips and a little preparation.

Homemade or Store-bought? You can go either way and come away with a great prize. But if you make your costume you have a lot more control over what your costume looks like. Remember though that many people that make their costumes with the idea of winning a costume contest - they put lots of cash into their costumes. Store-bought costumes can be expensive, especially the rented ones. But so can a home made costume.

Be the Same, but Different. It is okay to select one of the top costumes of the year, but make yours different. If you are going to be Harry Potter, what can you do to make your costume stand out and look unique? You could bring an actual bird cage with a fake owl in it (remember Harry's owl Hedwig). Start thinking creatively. It is okay to select a costume that you think other people might be wearing too, but make yours stand out.

Think About Unique. Another great idea is to make your costume so unique that you have no other choice but to stand out in the crowd. Making a costume of a popular commercial item, or an animal or a well-known celebrity could be a great idea. A friend of mine made a costume contest winner with a costume as a peacock. With this type of costume you have to be prepared to make a real entrance.

Remember the Details. All of the little details matter on your costume, especially if you are going for winning a costume contest. No open seams or showing zippers. Make sure your glitter doesn't drop all over the floor. Road test your costume. If there is dancing at the contest, you will probably want to dance, so make sure you can dance in your costume.