Check out our Game of Thrones Halloween costume contest entries!

We asked, and you delivered. Plenty of you guys sent in terrific entries for our Game of Thrones costume contest, and we’re going to honor them here. At the end of the week, we’ll choose our favorites and write about them for the Small Council, where they’ll be put to a vote. As a reminder, the top three winners will receive, in descending order: a hardcover copy of the to-be-released Noble Houses of Westeros, Seasons 1-5, a miniature Longclaw collectible sword, and a three-eyed raven figurine.

Now, let’s get to the costumes! (Incidentally, the pumpkin in the header image is from Miles. It’s not a costume, but it IS ridiculously awesome.)

There were a wide variety of character represented in the entries. For example, here’s David rocking a Hound costume…

…and his friend Elena as Arya. The height difference takes this costume to a whole new level. Plus, props on the facial scarring!

We’ve also got members of the Lannister clan in the mix, like Josh as Jaime Lannister, complete with very cool lion-crested armor. He even looks a little like Jaime. Did Josh choose the costume or did the costume choose Josh?

Our most obscure pic came from Alexa—she dressed up as Jeyne Westerling, Robb Stark’s wife from the books. I heartily endorse this choice. Love the wolf pelt, too.

Daenerys Targaryen was a popular costume choice, and no wonder. As contest entrant Francesca wrote, Daenerys is “trustworthy, ambitious and always stands for what she believes in no matter what.” Francesca got up at 5:30 in the morning to take this striking shot of herself in costume on the beach, so she could get the lighting right. I’d say it was worth it.

Kate also chose to dress up as Daenerys, complete with baby dragon and some fire, the two best friends a Targaryen can have.

Kate’s friend, who dressed up as a White Walker, turned it out nicely, too. Fire and ice: meeting at last.

For her Daenerys costume, Moira brought some props along: dragon eggs and a ghastly skull, possibly picked up in the Red Waste.

Daenerys may be beloved, but she does have enemies. Avery and her friends dressed up as the Sons of the Harpy, “mostly because we think they’re really scary. I mean they’re trying to kill our most beloved character! What’s more scary than that!”

I can think of one person who could protect Dany from the Sons of the Harpy: author George R.R. Martin. For her Daenerys costume, Kim brought along the creator himself!

Sometimes, costuming becomes a family affair. Check out Vanessa as Daenerys, Mark as Jon Snow, and Charlotte as a baby dragon. The cuteness is almost too much.

In fact, a few parents dressed their kids up in Game of Thrones garb for the holiday. It’s never too early to start the obsession. In dressing her child up as Ned Stark, Darcy went all-out. He’s actually standing inside a model Iron Throne—those are false legs draped over the front. It’s a great illusion, and the contemplative pose really completes it.

We also had two separate parents put their kids in Jon Snow costumes. Check out Dora’s son Cameron as the 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, costarring Bane the dog as Ghost.

Sia also chose to do up her son, Kai, as Jon Snow, complete with a secret weapon: fake stubble. Again, the cuteness is threatening to overcome me.

Sia crafted that awesome model Longclaw herself. Her daughter Lola went as Ghost, complete with severed hand in her mouth. (Remember when Ghost brought a severed hand to Jon and Sam while they were saying their words beyond the Wall?) Gotta admire the commitment to detail.

We also had some adult-sized Jon Snows. Here, Gregg, in costume, relaxes with a cup of beer flagon of mulled wine. The detail on this costume is great, from the straps to the pelt to the boots to the beard.

And here’s what the costume looks like on the rack.

Some of our Jon Snows brought along special guests. Dave and his wife Sarah went as Westerosi power couple Jon Snow and Ygritte. Dave displayed some ingenuity when constructing his Longclaw: he modified an existing toy sword and put a Pez dispenser Santa Claus head on the end of the hilt. After all, as he points out, winter is coming.

Here’s Neli as Obara Sand, the only Dornish representative we had in the bunch. With her friend dressed as Jon Snow, they make an unlikely pair. Odds are they wouldn’t enjoy each other’s climates.

For his costume, Clay thought “outside the box.” Here he is as the Wall, the 300-mile long barrier that protects Westeros from whatever lies beyond.

So, so good. As you can see, there’s a miniature Castle Black at the bottom, and apparently the elevator is “semi-functional.” Here’s a view of what I think is the back gate.

If Clay were at the same Halloween party as Matt, the two could have played off each other. Matt made a ridiculously cool White Walker costume, complete with eerie glowing eyes.

Good God. I would run like hell from that. Matt made the costume by “modifying a prosthetic mask with liquid latex and painting a morph suit. Everything else I made from scratch.” Very impressive stuff—the eyes especially set this apart. Don’t let the creepiness fool, you, though. This White Walker is a friendly breed.

Where there’s ice, there’s fire. Here’s Heather in her Melisandre costume—she’s an especial fan of the shadowbinder’s necklace.

Martha also dressed up as Melisandre this year, and made some interesting props.

What props, you ask? A trio of masks: Albino Raven, Black Raven, and Three-Eyed Crow.

Heading back to Season 1, Ruthvik and his girlfriend dressed up as Drogo and Daenerys, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea edition.

Finally, we have some group photos. Check out a few pics from Leanne’s Game of Thrones party, which saw 120 attendees! It featured a Game of Thrones-themed cake…

…a Red Keep backdrop…

…and Leanne as Melisandre, among many other diversions.

Best party ever, obviously. We also got a rather epic spread from Rory, whose group of friends went as…well, a lot of people.

That would be Rory and his girlfriend Amy as Jaime and Cersei (our only Cersei entry, incidentally)…

…Ryan and Tristan as Baratheon brothers Robert and Renly…

…Dan and Lindsey as Jon Snow and Ygritte…

…and Jonathan as Ned Stark, seen here with his maybe-son.

Dan’s doing a great job of effecting a forlorn Jon Snow-face, by the way.

Lastly, we got some photos from Garrett and his friends depicting Halloweens past. Here’s Garrett and his girlfriend as Drogo and Daenerys, costumes they wore for Halloween after the first season wrapped…

…and here they are three years later after Season 4, as the Mountain and Oberyn. Garrett’s friend joins them as Varys.

And that’s all the…oh, dear…

Ah, 2014. Anyway, you guys all submitted amazing pics! Let’s close with the backside of Miles’ pumpkin from the header image. Thanks for all the inspiration, HBO.

Thanks so much to everybody who contributed! Be sure to vote for your favorites come Friday.

• Published on 11/03/2015 at 2:14 PM CDT
• Last updated on 11/03/2015 at 4:07 PM CDT