diff --git a/pkg/core/interop/runtime/engine.go b/pkg/core/interop/runtime/engine.go
index 95eadc05e..4735a3056 100644
--- a/pkg/core/interop/runtime/engine.go
+++ b/pkg/core/interop/runtime/engine.go
@@ -52,11 +52,11 @@ func GetTrigger(ic *interop.Context) error {
 // in neo-go the only meaningful thing to do here is to log.
 func Notify(ic *interop.Context) error {
 	name := ic.VM.Estack().Pop().String()
+	elem := ic.VM.Estack().Pop()
+	args := elem.Array()
 	if len(name) > MaxEventNameLen {
 		return fmt.Errorf("event name must be less than %d", MaxEventNameLen)
 	}
-	elem := ic.VM.Estack().Pop()
-	args := elem.Array()
 	// But it has to be serializable, otherwise we either have some broken
 	// (recursive) structure inside or an interop item that can't be used
 	// outside of the interop subsystem anyway.
diff --git a/pkg/core/interop/runtime/engine_test.go b/pkg/core/interop/runtime/engine_test.go
index 87618e00d..27a2e98f9 100644
--- a/pkg/core/interop/runtime/engine_test.go
+++ b/pkg/core/interop/runtime/engine_test.go
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ func TestNotify(t *testing.T) {
 		return ic
 	}
 	t.Run("big name", func(t *testing.T) {
-		ic := newIC(string(make([]byte, MaxEventNameLen+1)), []byte{42})
+		ic := newIC(string(make([]byte, MaxEventNameLen+1)), stackitem.NewArray([]stackitem.Item{stackitem.Null{}}))
 		require.Error(t, Notify(ic))
 	})
 	t.Run("recursive struct", func(t *testing.T) {