Calling all goblins, ghouls, witches, wizards and foolish mortals who dare enter themselves into our costume contest. 

We at the Northern Star are happy to haunt you once again by bringing our annual Halloween Costume Contest back from the grave. 

We wanted to display our rules somewhere easily accessible, and we figured our website was better than a tombstone. 

1. Submit a photo of yourself in a creative costume to our editor-in-chief’s email, [email protected] or by using the submission form here. Please include your full name, email address, phone number and social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) if applicable so we can tag you!

2. The photo must be in a JPG/PNG format. PDFs are also acceptable, but the first two options are preferred. If we cannot open your file, we will contact you and request a new one. 

3. Include a caption with your photo, such as a personal or inspirational quote, or simply a message saying why you should win the contest. 

4. Follow @NIUNorthernStar on all social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat) to stay up to date on all contest happenings. You MUST be following us on all social media accounts to properly enter the contest.

The contest runs from Monday, Oct. 22 through Friday, Oct. 26. Submissions close at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26. The Editorial Board will vote to select the top four submissions and will announce the selections Sunday, Oct. 28. 

From there, it’s up to you! The top four will be announced on our website and social media, and you will have until Wednesday, Oct. 31 to vote for your favorite. Vote by going to our homepage, northernstar.info, and clicking the poll box in the righthand corner. The winner will be announced on Halloween, Wednesday, Oct. 31. 

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] or call us at 815-753-0105.