A virtual Halloween Costume Contest is a fun way to bring together a remote group of employees, students, friends, or family members. You can use it as an opportunity for team-building or a casual get-together to break everyday monotony. And because the event is virtual, your attendees can go all out with their costumes from the comfort of their homes!

Whether you’re interested in learning how to host a Virtual Halloween Costume contest or finding ideas for costumes, we’ve got you covered.

Make your virtual Halloween a spookier affair with the help of our in-depth articles on virtual Halloween games, Halloween virtual backgrounds, virtual escape room, and scavenger hunt.

1. How Do You Host a Virtual Halloween Costume Contest?

1.1 Choose a Platform

Select a platform to host your virtual Halloween Costume contest online. Make sure it is accessible to all your participants. You can choose Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, or your favorite video chat app.

1.2 Set Date & Time

Consult your participants and choose the best date and time for everyone. October 31st is the ideal date for such an event, but some team members may not be free. The best option may be to schedule it for the weekend before Halloween in that case.

1.3 Create Event Details

Outline the sequence of events for the evening and inform your participants about some of it in advance to get them excited. You can include games, scary storytime sessions, pumpkin carving contests, and other fun, Halloween themed activities.

1.4 Invite the Participants

Once your event platform, date, time, and program are finalized, send out the invites. You can use email or digital invites for this. Feel free to be as creative as possible with your invitations; just make sure to include all the most important details.

1.5 Select Theme

Set a theme for your virtual Halloween costume contest so the judges can evaluate the participants based on their adherence to it. This will also direct your participants’ efforts and keep up the spirit of competition.1.6. Instruct Participants to Dress Up

Help your participants understand how they’re expected to dress up. Let them know they can use their Zoom backgrounds, include their pets, and use props for a more effective theme.And if you want to raise the bar, hint at the prizes they can win.

1.6 Instruct Participants to Dress Up

Help your participants understand how they’re expected to dress up. Let them know they can use their Zoom backgrounds, include their pets, and use props for a more effective theme.And if you want to raise the bar, hint at the prizes they can win.

1.7 Participant Showcasing

On the day of the virtual Halloween costume contest, the main event is the costume showcasing. Prioritize it and plan the evening around the judging and presenting of prizes. You can call out participants one by one to present their costumes and or simply introduce themselves for the showcase.To amp up excitement, play background music that goes with the theme.

1.8 Judging & Audience Voting

Whether you’re going with audience voting or designating judges, decide your method of choosing winners ahead of the event. You can announce the judging parameters a week or so before the contest so everyone knows what costume elements they should focus on.

Once all the showcases and games are done, allow the judges or voters time to evaluate the costumes and make a decision.

1.9 Announce Winners

Put on some music when it’s time to announce the winners. And make sure to take screenshots of each participant after the winners are announced.

1.10 Distribute Rewards

You can reward winners of the virtual Halloween costume contest online with congratulatory e-cards or digital gift cards. Don’t forget to thank your guests and send them cool mementos, too! These can be greeting cards or a collage of all participants.

2. Best Virtual Halloween Costume Contest Ideas

2.1 Classic Monsters

Werewolves, vampires, The Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster—there’s no shortage of classic monsters to choose from for your Halloween costume. You can find inspiration for the same from books, movies, mythologies, etc.

You can make your monster costume as dramatic or scary as you want!

2.2 Pop Culture Icons

Pop culture icons are easy to identify and fun to recreate. Some of this year’s favorites include Barbie, Wednesday Addams, Queen Charlotte, and Mario and Luigi. 

If you prefer to emulate a real-life icon, Rihanna’s Super Bowl look or Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls uniform are great options.

2.3 Sci-Fi Characters

If you have a lot of cardboard lying around, why not make a robot costume? The great thing about sci-fi costumes is they can take on many forms, from aliens and cyberpunk to mysterious blobs. You’ll need some creative thinking to pull off these looks.

2.4 Mysterious Masks

If you’re looking for a more abstract concept, you can check out mysterious face coverings and masks.  If you want something that’s more recognizable, look to horror movie masks for inspiration.

2.5 Horror Movie Villains

They may not get their happy ending, but horror movie villains are undoubtedly iconic characters. And their fashion choices are fun to recreate for Halloween. 

Some all-time favorites include Maleficent, Chucky, Beetlejuice, Ghostface, Michael Myers, and Freddy Kruger.

2.6 Tech Enhanced Costumes

Those who want to take their virtual Halloween costume to the next level can think of ways to integrate technology into their ideas. For example, you can put LED lights on a skeleton, digital effects for a beating heart, moving eyeballs for a Cyclops, etc.

2.7 Pet Costume

If you’ve got a pet, why not dress it up, too?

Turn your pup into a dinosaur, give it a Ghostbusters jumpsuit, or turn it into a teddy bear. There are plenty of fictional dogs to choose from. You can go as Dorothy and Toto, Elle Woods and Bruiser Woods, and other such pairs.

2.8 Magical Creatures Costume

Magical creatures allow you to experiment with elaborate costumes, headgear, props, and makeup. Most often, such creatures originate from mythologies and folklore around the world. The Medusa is an example of a magical creature from Greek mythology, while the Yeti is a mythical creature that originates from Himalayan folklore. More examples include unicorns, mermaids, dragons, fairies, and satyrs.

2.9 Anime Costumes

Anime fans have dozens of options, with a long list of anime and manga characters. You can go with something simple and easy like No Face from Spirited Away or take on a challenge with Sailor Moon. The best part is experimenting with your hairdos!

2.10 Literary Characters

If you’re a fan of Harry Potter or the Twilight series, why not make a costume inspired by one of your favorite literary characters? Or dress up as classic characters like Hamlet or the Handmaiden. Look at your favorite books on your shelves and think about stepping into the world of another character!

3. FAQ

• How to Do a Virtual Halloween Costume Contest?

To organize a virtual Halloween costume contest, start by choosing a platform and setting the date and time for the event. Then, finalize a theme and share pertinent details with your participants along with the invite. You should also decide who will do the judging and the competition parameters.

• How Do You Win a Halloween Costume Contest?

To win a Halloween costume contest, take note of the theme and avoid common costume concepts like witches and vampires. Think of a fun twist to make your getup more interesting than usual. For example, if you go for something scary, add a humorous or unique element to take it to another level. 

• What Are the Best Categories for the Halloween Costume Contest?

Scariest, funniest, most creative, best couple, cutest, most original—these are some of the best categories for a Halloween costume contest.