Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock

Well I’m not sure if you’ll think we succeeded but this year we really were making an effort to wrap things up a little faster. Suspense can be good but there is also such a thing as too much of a good thing… I guess it did get to double digits in November but just barely!

So thank you once again to everyone that carved! This contest always makes me feel a bit like a kid again at Halloween but I’m quite sure I’d stop carving if I didn’t know you guys out there were carving too:)

And thank you too to everyone who judged! We had over 50% of you respond before the deadline and some eager back-up judges with some funny comments so there have still been 7 judges submitting votes like the past years. We did have a judge with a new approach this year though – he chose to give out a tie for 3rd place. Creative. Perhaps we will have to add some clearer judging instructions for next year - thankfully the results were the same with or without this 'extra' vote ;)

The results are close again this year with only 1 point difference between 2nd, 3rd and 4th but the winner was clear. Alright – here goes:

3rd : Scar... plotting to rule the Pride Lands – By: Mrs. Mel Taylor
2nd: ZOINKS Scoob! A guh, guh, guh, GHOST! – By: Mr. Mark Taylor

Thankfully they haven't combined their carving prowess or the trophy would never leave the Taylor household!

And this feels slightly strange, perhaps Sarah should get to announce this part… OK I will write this bit Leanne. I guess once the trophy has had a very brief stay with last year's winner, then maybe it can start packing it’s bags and get ready for a long journey to Denmark. Leanne carved a wonderful pumpkin that according to the judges was a winner!

1st: Minion – By: Leanne

Honourable mention also goes to our 4th, 5th and 6th place finishers:
4th: Eating Nemo – By: Troe
5th: Spiderman – By: Bjørn
6th: Winnie the Pooh, the orange bear – By: Sarah W

In an effort to avoid any accusations of Russian influence on the voting we are willing to open up our books to any contestants that feel slighted, or are just paranoid of fake news.

And the part I look forward to most. Here is what the judges had to say, generally, and then by pumpkin:

• All very creative! I feel like all of the entrants were reliving their childhoods. ;)
• Many fantastic pumpkins this year. Fred Flintstone absolutely also one to be mentioned and Robbie and Josephine see you in the "main" competition next year.

1. Sarah O. and Andrew: Great Kazoo. Probably the friendliest looking pumpkin I've seen in a while
2. Troe: Now I know what pumpkin to sneak into my kids’ bedrooms at night if I want to scar them for life.  Good name. Actually terrifying. I like how it's not even lit up in the photo.
3. Bjorn: How are people so good at this?
4. Leanne: The artistic skill deployed for this creation is so high. Probably done by a Minion. Minion. They are just too cute and cuddly looking to say no to! Again - really, really well done. It doesn't look like a pumpkin anymore. The Minion is made out of the stuff that could have brought it to the top of the podium. Brilliant work with the light.
5. Mathieu: I learned another name for Fred Flintstone.
6. Mel: An evil, but very beautiful Scar. For political reasons we can of course not put Scar up as number one, but he very much deserves to be second. Wow. I'm not sure how this one physically was carved. It doesn't look like it should hold together.
7. Meg: This showed a lot of restraint. Tinkerbell makes me a bit uncomfortable - this pumpkin could have easily looked like it was at the door of Playboy mansion. But this was tasteful.  Tinkerbell looks like she's farting
8. Mark: Anyone will understand that a Great Dane deserves to be number one and a combination of a Great Dane, Ghost and excellent carving does make it even more obvious. Scooby doo. Brings back memories of when I was a kid. It's not a ghost Peter. It's just old man Ashworth drinking beer and shooting light bulbs in the closed down distillery.
9. Megan: I almost voted for this. But he didn't have his shower cap or his ducky.
10. Lucy: I've never heard this name for the Tasmanian Devil.
11. Sarah W.: Well now another childhood character is ruined. Whoever thought that Winnie so could be so freaky? I see a future horror movie franchise. Winnie the pooh. The likeness is uncanny...not to mention the way the it is carved gives him a kind of creepy look.
12. Tadhg: Kenny- I like it. But he should be dead. It's Halloween.

Hope to see you all next year!!