The Payroll Congress Costume Contest is one of the most highly anticipated events at the conference each year. Payroll professionals are fun and creative, and the costume contest on stage in the Expo celebrates the creativity of the attendees.

This friendly competition will crown contest winners for the best costumes in five categories as voted on by a panel of judges. The 2023 Payroll Congress Costume Contest takes place on May 17, 2023 at 7:45 p.m. MT.

The categories are as follows: 

  1. Famous Forgery—They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Recreate a famous work of art and become a living forgery with an art-inspired costume.

  2. Iconic Science Enthusiast—From DeLorean time travel to physics-bending field trips, characters like Doc Brown from Back to the Future and Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus have proven anything is (at least fictionally) possible with the power of science. Dress up as an iconic science enthusiast from pop culture, history, or one of your own invention.

  3. Luminescent Style—Light is incredibly important to creating any artistic masterpiece, as is that light bulb moment for scientific discovery. Configure a costume that lights up the contest and the party.

  4. Experimental Fashion—Merge your artistic and scientific thinking to create an experimental fashion look. This innovative couture garment should test conventional boundaries with unusual material or design. 

  5. Group Portrait—If you want to participate as a duo or group, this is the category for you! Get the gang together and coordinate costumes for any of the categories above.

We can't wait to see the creativity at this year's Payroll Congress Costume Contest!