Literary Pumpkin Contest

A pumpkin decorated as Hedwig from the Harry Potter books on a shelf with books.

It’s October, and for many of us, that means time for pumpkins. When the air gets chillier, the night falls sooner, and the candles start to flicker, it’s the perfect time to decorate for Halloween and the fall season. In this spirit, this year. our annual pumpkin contest will have a literary twist.

Transform Pumpkins Into Your Favourite Book Characters

Think of your favourite fictional character (or place) and use your creativity to bring them to life on a pumpkin.

Some ideas to inspire you might be:

Severus Snape from the Harry Potter books;
Gollum from The Lord of the Rings;
Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc.;
R2D2 from Star Wars;
King Pig from Angry Birds.

If you’re a fan of the classics, consider:

Frankenstein’s monster;
Anne of Green Gables;
Pinocchio;
The Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz;
The Mad Hatter from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

You could also make your pumpkin into a fictional place, such as Bag End from The Hobbit, or The Burrow from the Harry Potter series. Or perhaps you'll choose to depict a famous author such as Stephen King or Edgar Allan Poe.

Inspire Your Creativity with Collections

Carve or decorate your pumpkin any way you wish.

Think outside the gourd when considering materials; try paint, glitter, pushpins, scarves, bandanas, eye patches, top hats, lampshades, or a string of pearls.

For more inspiration check out our collection of Halloween and pumpkin decorating books or the online crafting resource, Creativebug in our Virtual Library - search pumpkin or Halloween for some great ideas and tips. There is so much Halloween fun to explore and draw creativity from.

Enter Your Pumpkin in the Contest

To enter the Literary Pumpkin Contest, register online and submit a photo of your creation through the ReadSquared website. This contest runs from October 18 to November 1. You could win a prize for the best pumpkin (based on your submission's "Wow" factor).

Also, if you love pumpkins, visit Cambridge Art Galleries' Halloween Pumpkin Pop-Up Display at Queen’s Square from October 21 to November 1, and find more fall programs on our Events Calendar.

Wishing you a magical October!