Who’s participating? Will the kids be the only ones competing, or will the parents join in the fun? Whatever the answer, remember to choose your judges and let the participants know beforehand.

How will the competitors choose their costumes? Will there be a mandatory theme? Maybe everyone chooses a character or idea out of a hat and makes their costume accordingly?
Or is everyone free to choose whatever they want? Whatever the rules are, you can make things more fun by telling everyone to keep their costumes a secret until game night!

How will costumes be judged? Originality, quality, attention to detail, how well the costume matches the chosen character? You’ll have to tell the judges how to score the competitors. Other factors might count, too, like how well the competitors did in other games throughout the evening.  A suggestion? Write a sweet note to each participant. It’s a great way to motivate everyone. Maybe a get-out-of-chores coupon, or some other cute idea. Also, you might want to have a little gift for everyone who takes part, so there are no hard feelings.  

The moment has arrived! After preparing the judging room and setting up a special platform for the judges, ask the contestants to take turns entering the room and showing off their costumes.  To make sure everyone is seen in their best light, encourage them to…

• Walk and act the way their chosen character is supposed to;
• Strike the most original poses possible (or make the best possible face) for the photo ops;
• Tell they judges why they should win—remember to have them stay “in” character;
• Perform a karaoke version of the theme song from the movie that inspired the costume, if applicable;
• Anything else your imagination comes up with… the goal is to have fun!

After each person presents their costume, the judges give their score according to the chosen criteria and award the competitor with the corresponding number of candies. Whoever has the most treats at the end of the contest wins!