With COVID-19 forcing the cancellation of large gatherings around the nation, the 2020 Halloween Festival was an expected but unfortunate casualty.

However Lithgow City Council and Lithgow Tourism, determined to bring a slice of spooky, spectacular fun to town have come up with a solution. This year Lithgow Halloween is going digital with an online best dressed competition and the smartphone film competition.

The Best Dressed competition will be run online with registrations and costume uploads across seven categories.

Categories include Male and Female Adult, Boys and Girls Teens, Boys and Girls Under 13 and for the first time a Professional category has been added for enthusiast cosplayers.

There are major prizes to be won with the best dressed competition offering $11,000 in vouchers to use at Lithgow area businesses.

"It's a way of keeping the money local and giving back to those businesses in what has been a difficult year," Lithgow City mayor Cr Ray Thompson said.

Three will be $600 in vouchers up for grabs for first place, $400 for second place and $200 for third.

Entries will be judged against a 100 point scale across five areas:

Entries will close at 5pm on Saturday October 31 and an independent panel will judge all entries. The winners will be announced in the first week of November.

The film competition will run for its second year and be judged in four categories; Most Creative, Best Performance, Best Youth Film and People's Choice.

The People's Choice will be via online voting. Each film category winner will receive a winners' certificate and a prize of $500.

All shortlisted entries will be available for viewing on the Lithgow Tourism and Events website once entries close on October 13.

Cr Thompson said it was a great opportunity to keep the Lithgow Halloween brand alive in 2020 and will benefit the local economy.

"We look forward to receiving plenty of best dressed entries showcasing amazing costumes, and great film entries as well," he said.

In addition for every category there will also be 50 vouchers valued at $50 awarded on a daily basis to an entrant sharing their outfit on social media using the hashtag '#lithgowhalloweendigital2020' and tagging Lithgow Tourism and Events on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

For more information on Lithgow Halloween Digital 2020 visit https://tourism.lithgow.com/halloween-digital

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