Residents of Hartselle and Morgan County will have a chance at showing off their carving skills with the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Pumpkin Carving Contest in October.

The contest is co-sponsored by Valley Rubber. Net proceeds from the event will benefit to the John Mark Stallings Special Needs Accessible Playground.

The cost to enter is $10 per pumpkin. All carved pumpkins must be turned in to the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce, 110 Railroad St. SW, on Mon., Oct. 22, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or on Tues., Oct. 23, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Entrants must carve their own pumpkins, according to chamber president Susan Hines. There is no age limit, however, the carver must turn in his or her pumpkin in person.

“All submissions must be original,” Hines said, “and no copyrighted, traced, licensed or published works of art.”

Pumpkins will be displayed in downtown businesses from Oct. 25-29. Ballots for voting will be located near the pumpkin inside the business in which they are displayed.

Categories to be judged include: most creative, most traditional, spookiest, funniest, most team spirit and people’s choice. People’s choice awards will be based on who gets the most votes from the general public.

In the event of a tie, the Chamber will select outside judges to break the tie. Winners will be announced Oct. 30 by 4 p.m. on the chamber’s Facebook page and in the local newspaper.

Prizes will be awarded as follows: first place – $50 and ribbon; second place – $30 and ribbon; and third place – $20 and ribbon. the remaining categories will receive ribbons for overall winning entry.

Entry forms and contest rules are available at www.hartsellechamber.com, the chamber’s Facebook page and at the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce. For questions, please call 256-773-4370.