Participants gather for the Costume Contest at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul on Sept. 27, 2025. (National Museum of Korea) The National Museum of Korea is bringing back its annual costume contest for a third year, inviting participants to transform themselves into historical treasures.Registration is open through July 31, and this year the event is going nationwide, jointly hosted by 13 affiliated national museums across the country, the museum announced Wednesday. Contestants are required to recreate a historical artifact of their choice from the museum collections.What started as a quirky museum event became a social media sensation last year, with photos and videos of participants’ creative reinterpretations of historical artifacts going viral. Popular entries from last year's costume contest, clockwise from top left: recreations of Gold Earring of Hwango-dong, Gilt-bronze Seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Tiger and Magpie, and Goryeo celadon pottery. (National Museum of Korea) Riding that momentum, the NMK hopes to attract more participants to this year's contest and highlight historical artifacts from different regions of Korea.Regional finals will take place at Chuncheon National Museum, Gongju National Museum, Daegu National Museum and Jeonju National Museum Sept. 5-13. The grand final will be held Sept. 19 at the National Museum of Korea, Seoul.Prize money has also increased this year. All participants who advance to either the regional finals or the grand final will receive prizes and travel expenses. Five teams will be awarded the grand prize of 3 million won ($1,970) each."Last year's costume contest helped bring museums closer to younger generations," said You Hong-june, director of the National Museum of Korea. "I hope this year's event will encourage more people to connect with Korean cultural heritage and museums." Poster for the 2026 National Costume Contest (National Museum of Korea) The contest is funded by the Friends of the National Museum of Korea, an official association founded by museum supporters and cultural heritage enthusiasts. Operating independently from the museum, the organization sponsors a variety of programs and supports artifact donations.