Pumpkin carving contests bring out a surprising amount of talent. There is always one neighbour who carves a portrait of their dog, one child who insists on a very scary face with a single tooth, and one office team that turns three pumpkins into a stack of ghosts. Whoever wins, a proper certificate turns their glowing creation into a lasting memory.
A Jack-o’-Lantern That Glows on the Page
The certificate is landscape, 11 x 8.5 inches. The left third is a deep night-purple panel, and in it sits a giant carved jack-o’-lantern made of overlapping orange ribs with a green stem. Its triangle eyes, small triangle nose, and jagged grin are filled with warm yellow, as if a candle is burning inside, and a soft glow surrounds the whole pumpkin. The OTO logo sits in pale lilac at the bottom of the purple panel.
The right side is warm cream. PUMPKIN CARVING is set in Rye, a vintage poster font, with CONTEST AWARD in spaced orange capitals beneath. A gold pill-shaped badge reads FIRST PLACE. The award text follows: awarded to, a line for the winner, for the pumpkin titled, and a line for the pumpkin’s name, and a short tribute: Carved with skill, spooky style, and a whole lot of glow. DATE and JUDGE lines sit at the bottom, and a green vine with leaves trails along the bottom edge of the card.
Giving the Pumpkin a Title
The pumpkin title line is a fun touch that contest entrants love. Asking every carver to name their pumpkin makes judging more entertaining and gives each entry a personality. Some favourite pumpkin titles from community contests:
- The Gourd Father
- Vincent van Gourd
- Pump-King of the Night
- Grin and Bear It
- Squash Goals
- The Seed Collector
Judging Criteria for Carving Contests
Clear criteria make judging fair and help entrants know what to aim for. Many contests score each pumpkin out of ten in a few areas, then add the scores.
| Criterion | What judges look for | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Creativity | An original idea or an unexpected twist on a classic face | 10 |
| Carving skill | Clean cuts, fine detail, shading or layered carving | 10 |
| Spookiness or humour | Does it make you shiver, or laugh out loud? | 10 |
| Glow effect | How it looks lit up in the dark | 10 |
| Title | A clever or funny name that fits the design | 5 |
Second Place, Third Place and Beyond
The gold pill on the sample reads FIRST PLACE, but it is a text box, so double-click and change it to SECOND PLACE, THIRD PLACE, PEOPLE’S CHOICE or JUDGES’ FAVOURITE. Recolour the pill to silver for second place and bronze for third, so winners can tell them apart at a glance. For a children’s contest with an award for every entry, try SPOOKIEST SMILE, BEST FIRST TRY or MOST DETERMINED CARVER.
Running a Carving Contest Smoothly
- Set a carving deadline and a drop-off time for finished pumpkins.
- Give each entry a number card so judges do not know whose pumpkin is whose.
- Display the pumpkins on a long table or along a path outdoors.
- Judge them twice: once in daylight for carving detail, and once at dusk when they are lit.
- Use LED tea lights rather than real candles, especially with crowds and children.
- Announce winners while the pumpkins are glowing for the best photos.
Customising the Certificate
Every line of text is editable. Change Pumpkin Carving to Pumpkin Decorating for no-knife contests with paint, stickers and glitter, which are perfect for young children. The jack-o’-lantern is a single grouped object, so you can resize it or recolour it; try a white ghost pumpkin or a teal pumpkin. The trailing vine and leaves can be moved or deleted. The purple panel and cream background are single shapes you can recolour to match your event. Fonts are Rye and Montserrat, both free Google Fonts.
Contests That Use This Certificate
The certificate suits school pumpkin festivals, office carving competitions, neighbourhood Halloween walks, farm and garden centre events, church harvest festivals, scout troop meetings and family gatherings. Farms often use it at weekend carving events, adding their name to the title. Teachers use it for classroom decorating contests, where each class decorates a pumpkin together.
Carving Tips to Share with Entrants
Share a few tips when you announce the contest, and the entries will be better for it. Choose a pumpkin with a flat base and a smooth face. Cut the lid at an angle so it does not fall in, or carve the opening at the back or bottom instead. Scrape the inside wall thin, about two centimetres, where the design will be, so light shines through. Draw the design with a washable marker or tape a printed pattern on first. Use small serrated carving tools rather than kitchen knives for safety and control. Rub petroleum jelly on cut edges to slow shrivelling, and carve no more than two days before judging.
Printing the Award
Download the PDF and print in landscape on bright white card stock. The deep purple panel and glowing pumpkin look best with good colour printing; a print shop will give the richest result. Write the winner’s name and the pumpkin title with a fine black or gold pen. A gold foil seal sticker on the FIRST PLACE pill adds a nice finishing touch.
Carving Contest Questions
When should winners be announced?
At dusk, once the pumpkins are lit, so the winners can be photographed next to their glowing entries.
Can children enter carving contests?
Children can design the face and scoop the seeds, while an adult does the cutting. Painting contests suit younger kids.
How many certificates should I prepare?
One for each place, plus a few extra for special mentions.
Can I use the certificate for a pumpkin weigh-off?
Yes. Change the text to Biggest Pumpkin and add the weight on the title line.
Does the certificate work in black and white?
It prints clearly in greyscale, although the glow effect is best in colour.
Light the candles, line up the pumpkins, and print the certificates. The glowiest grin of the night deserves its moment.
