Is your pet a winner? Enter Star Tribune's Halloween Pet Costume Contest

Admit it, you're already celebrating Halloween by putting your pet in a costume.

Last year 29 million Americans spent about $440 million on Halloween costumes for pets, double the amount spent in 2010. With this year's pet costume outlay on track to hit half a billion dollars, we want to see what all that money is being spent on, so we're announcing the Star Tribune Halloween Pet Costume Contest.

E-mail your best high-resolution photo of your pet in a costume to petcontest@startribune.com by midnight, Oct. 13. Be sure to include contact information and feel free to add comments on the costume concept, creative challenges and willingness of your pet to be a model.

We'll pick three winners in each category, including:

That's showbiz: Want to put your dog in a blue and white gingham dress and ruby slippers while you dress up as a cairn terrier? Go for it.

Very scary: In other words, pugs posing as pumpkins or zombie gerbils.

Anything goes: Costumes inspired by pup culture, current affairs or historical events. If your cat resembles Aaron Burr, dress your dog as Alexander Hamilton and you've got a winner.

You can enter multiple pets, multiple costumes and multiple categories. Our panel of judges will award prizes for first, second and third place in each category, plus best in show. (By entering a photograph, you give the Star Tribune the right to publish it on any of our platforms in perpetuity.)

Photos of the winning entries will be published in the Star Tribune on Oct. 28.