A spooky grin, a silly smile, or a pumpkin wearing an astronaut helmet—what will your child imagine this Halloween?
Nimmy’s Art invites young artists ages 5–12 to join our free Halloween Art Contest 2026! This year’s theme is “Nimmy’s Art Halloween: Jack-O’-Lantern.” Kids can draw or paint an original jack-o’-lantern and give it a personality, a setting, and a story of its own. Plus, we welcome both current Nimmy’s Art students and children who haven’t joined our classes yet.
Looking for a creative Halloween activity for kids? Simply grab some art supplies and let your child’s imagination lead. Best of all, there’s no need to carve a pumpkin!
Halloween Art Contest 2026: Dates and Details
- Contest opens: Oct 5, 2026
- Entry deadline: Oct 29, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST
- Winners announced: Nov 2, 2026 on @nimmysart
- Ages: 5–7 and 8–12
- Entry fee: Free
- Theme: An original jack-o’-lantern drawing or painting on a canvas or paper (No pumpkin carving is needed)
- Prizes: 10 winners; 2 months of free Nimmy’s Art classes per winner
Children ages 5–12 who live in the USA or Canada can participate. However, a parent or legal guardian must submit each entry.
What Will Your Child’s Jack-O’-Lantern Become?
This Halloween drawing and painting contest is all about original ideas. First, start with a pumpkin shape. Then, add an expressive face and build a little world around it.
For example, your child could imagine one of these jack-o’-lantern characters:
- A friendly pumpkin wearing cat ears and whiskers
- An astronaut jack-o’-lantern exploring a colorful planet
- A silly pumpkin with a witch’s hat and a crooked grin
- A glowing jack-o’-lantern outside a mysterious castle
- A superhero pumpkin with a cape and a surprising power
These ideas offer starting points, not designs to copy. Instead, encourage your child to choose their own colors, details, and background.
Suggested Art Supplies
Children can use oil pastels, acrylics, gouache, watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, markers, or mixed media. To get started, choose supplies your child enjoys using. A simple setup is enough—the goal is to help your child express an original idea. For more guidance, explore our materials recommendations for reference. Children are welcome to use any art medium they enjoy.
How to Enter the Halloween Art Contest
- First, have your child create an original jack-o’-lantern artwork using their favorite art supplies.
- Next, take a clear, well-lit photo. Your child may hold the artwork, or you may photograph the artwork alone.
- Then, open our Halloween Art Contest 2026 Google Form.
- As the parent or legal guardian, enter your child’s name, age, age group (5–7 or 8–12), and the requested contact details.
- Upload the photo of your child’s artwork.
- Finally, review your information and submit the form before the deadline.
Submit your entry through the Google Form only. You don’t need to post on social media, follow an account, tag anyone, comment, or use a hashtag. Before uploading, make sure the photo shows the entire artwork clearly, including your child’s colors and details.
Prizes: 10 Young Artists Will Win Free Art Classes
We’ll select 5 winners ages 5–7 and 5 winners ages 8–12.
Each winner will receive 2 months of free access to Nimmy’s Art classes. Here’s how the prize applies to each student:
- New students: Receive two months of free classes.
- Current annual-plan students: Receive two additional months at the end of their plan.
- Current monthly students: Continue classes with no payment for two months.
Explore Nimmy’s Art online art classes for kids to learn more about our classes.
How Will We Choose the Winners?
All eligible entries will be entered into a random lucky draw. Winners will be selected at random from the qualifying entries.
We love seeing your child’s creativity, imagination, and storytelling come through in their jack-o’-lantern’s expression, details, colors, and surroundings!
We’ll email the winners before the public announcement. Then, we’ll reveal the winners on @nimmysart on Instagram for the winner reveal and contest updates.
Ready to Create a Jack-O’-Lantern with a Story?
Set out the supplies, invite your child to dream up a character, and enjoy a little Halloween creativity together.
Whether their pumpkin is spooky, funny, or sweet, we can’t wait to see what they create!
Once your child’s artwork is ready, complete our Google Form and upload a clear photo. Be sure to submit the entry before the contest deadline! our Google Form, and complete the form before the deadline.
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