The office Halloween contest kit
Sixteen costumes that survive the office: easy builds, no fake blood, no full-face masks, nothing that beeps during standup. Every idea links to a free build guide with the time, cost, and materials up front. Plus a printable ballot and a Slack announcement you can paste as-is.
Desk-job classics
Readable on a video call, comfortable at a desk, and nobody has to explain anything twice.
Error 404
15 min + drying · $5-12 · Easy
Wear all black with 'Page Not Found' printed on your chest; carry a phone with a cracked-screen prop or broken GPS.
Raptor Barista
10 min · $5-12 · Easy
Green hoodie with a dino snout hood, tiny T. rex arms strapped on, and a coffee cup you can barely hold.
Crowd Camouflage
5 min · $2-5 · Easy
Gray hoodie, dark pants, blank expression. Vanish into any crowd.
Coworker duos
Pair up with your work bestie for the contest. Each one works solo too, in case they bail.
Salt & Pepper
15 min + drying · $2-5 · Easy
White and black outfits with shaker tops made from cardboard.
Under 30 minutes
For the procrastinator. Every build here clocks in under 30 minutes, materials included.
Lost Tourist
10 min · $5-12 · Easy
Wear wrinkled clothes, carry a crumpled map, add one luggage tag backwards on your shoulder.
Meeting-safe funny
Funny without the HR risk. No fake blood, no full-face masks, nothing that beeps during standup.
Deviled Egg
20 min · $3-8 · Easy
White shirt with a felt yolk, devil horns, and a red tail. Half egg, half devil.
Hot Dog
15 min + drying · $3-6 · Easy
Tan foam pool noodle bun, red shirt for the dog, mustard squiggle.
Run the contest
Print the ballot, paste the announcement, done. The contest runs itself from here.
Office costume contest ballot
Friday, October 30, 2026 - one ballot per voter
Funniest
Name: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Most creative
Name: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Best DIY
Name: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Best duo
Name: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Name: ______________________________
Winners announced at the all-hands. Ballots in the box by 3pm.
The Slack announcement
Paste this in #halloween, or wherever your office plans things:
Still deciding? Take the 2-minute quiz and get one picked for you.
Find your costume