It’s pumpkin carving season, and to celebrate, RhodyBeat.com is asking users to submit photos of their carved, painted or naturally unique pumpkins.

Users will have from Oct. 1 to 21 to log on to RhodyBeat.com to submit their photos. Three local farmers will be the judges for this festive contest.
The winner will receive a family four-pack of tickets to the final weekend of the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park and Zoo, as well as a $25 gift certificate to Chelo’s Restaurants.

Doreen Pezza from Pezza Farms in Johnston, Cindy Morris from Morris Farm in Warwick and Ray Aubin from Confreda Farms in Cranston will serve as the judging panel.

Doreen Pezza said she’ll be looking for “creativity, uniqueness and neatness” in the submissions. She said she won’t be paying much attention to the quality of the pumpkin itself, because sometimes the most “gnarly” pumpkins make the best showpieces. Ray Aubin will be looking more at the pumpkin itself.

“I’ll look for many things,” he said, “the quality of the pumpkin’s stem, it’s color and firmness.”

The judges agreed that, although they love the traditional jack-o-lanterns, it all comes down to creativity. John Morris, speaking on behalf of his wife, said it’s about imagination.

“You could even do a current political figure,” he suggested.

Morris offered the suggestion that first-time carvers sketch out their designs on the pumpkin before picking up the carving knife.

“Make a pattern of it first,” he said. “Decide on the size and location.”

Pezza said the trick to a lasting jack-o-lantern is putting Vaseline on the exposed edges, which she said holds in the moisture and keeps it fresh.

“There are no rules,” said Aubin. “I think those that go off on a different direction develop a masterpiece.”

To enter the contest, visit www.RhodyBeat.com and click on “Share” or the pumpkin contest logo. From there, be prepared to enter your account information or sign up for a free account. Uploaded photos should be given a title and description so a winner can be easily identified. Make sure to check the "Pumpkin Carving" checkbox at the bottom of the entry form.

Deadline for submissions is Oct. 21, and the winner will be featured in the following week’s papers.

Click here to enter