Ghastly greetings, Citizens! Shadows lengthen and the air grows chillier... which means it’s once again time to put your creative claws to work. As part of our Day of the Vara celebration, we’re summoning back a beloved community ritual: the Pumpkin Decorating Contest! Whether you’re carving, painting, or conjuring a frightful new twist, dress up your gourds in their wickedest Star Citizen-themed look for a chance to snatch some devilishly delightful prizes. No pumpkin in sight? Don’t lose your head. We welcome squashes, gourds, and even potatoes to join the fun. We’ll even have a prize for the best not-a-pumpkin entry to creep into the contest; one daring pumpkin imposter will haunt its way to the Substi-ghoul of the Season award! Welcome to the '2025 Pumpkin Decorating Contest'! Before You Begin :exclamation: Before you start on your submissions, please read the contest rules carefully and remember to post your entries to the Day of the Vara 2955 event page on the Community Hub. Replies to this thread will NOT count as entries. NOTE: Submissions should be posted to the Day of the Vara 2955 event page on the Community Hub. :exclamation: Keep In Mind Read the contest rules! :book: Please post your submissions to the Day of the Vara 2955 event page on the Community Hub. Submit your posts carefully, as posts edited after the submission deadline will not be considered. If you have made an error in the post, you can edit it provided this is done within the official duration of the contest. An entry must feature an image of a Star Citizen-themed carved or painted pumpkin (or pumpkin substitutes if they are not easily available). Any other subject will be disqualified. No image post-processing, special- or after-effects of any kind may be applied or performed on the photograph to create any submission, although the pumpkin may be photographed with decoration, arrangement, or lighting. Each unique pumpkin is considered a single entry, and you are allowed multiple entries, but you can only win 1 prize. Any submission not following the above instructions will NOT be considered. Winning Conditions The CIG jury will judge your submissions on: Quality Creativity Rule adherence Dates The submission period will end on Monday, November 3, 2025, 20:00 UTC. Prizes :first_place_medal: 1st Place: Mirai Guardian with LTI (in-game lifetime insurance) + Black Magic paint :second_place_medal: 2nd Place: Aegis Sabre Firebird with LTI (in-game lifetime insurance) + Black Magic paint :third_place_medal: 3rd Place: GATAC Syulen in-game ship (in-game lifetime insurance) + Purple Haze paint :performing_arts: Substi-ghoul of the Season Award: Mirai Guardian with LTI (in-game lifetime insurance) + Black Magic paint Also, every participant who submits an entry will be awarded a one-of-a-kind Spectrum badge, crafted with flair by Wykstrom, as a special treat for unleashing their creativity this season! Time to squash the competition with your spooktacular handiwork; we can't wait to see what you come up with! :jack_o_lantern: UPDATE This year's competition was fierce, and everyone brought their A-game! This has been one of the most difficult contests to judge to date, but after much deliberation, we're thrilled to announce our winners: 1st Place: @JazzBand - Contest Submission 2nd Place: @Dyslexic_Monarch - Contest Submission 3rd Place: @Radaswast - Contest Submission And for the best pumpkin imposter, the Substi-ghoul of the Season Award goes to... @Smoke_Hermit - Contest Submission Congratulations to everyone who participated!