Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest · Starts October 1st · $500 in prizes

Pumpkin carving templates

1159 free printable stencils. Download, print, trace, carve.

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Apple Leaf and Four Holes pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Apple Leaf and Four Holes

A plump apple with a stem and single leaf glows at the front, trailed by a diagonal line of four round holes like tumbling seeds. The apple body, leaf, and dots are all pierced through, with the stem notch left as dark shell between them. A great pick for classrooms and teacher gifts; punch the four small holes with a corer first, then saw the apple outline in slow curves.

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Bee with Three Raw Stripes pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Bee with Three Raw Stripes

A friendly bumblebee spreads four scalloped wings wide, with a round head, curled antennae, and a plump body banded by three raw stripes. This is a shading design with no pierced holes: the wings, head, and body stripes are shaved down to pale flesh while strips of dark skin form the outlines and bands. Shave the big wing panels first, then refine the narrow antennae with a small gouge.

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Broad Autumn Leaf pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Broad Autumn Leaf

A single broad maple-style leaf glows from the pumpkin's face, its rounded lobes and short stem cut fully through as one connected opening. The design leans seasonal rather than spooky, making it a lovely choice for fall porches from October through Thanksgiving. As an easy one-piece cutout, just poke transfer dots along the lobed outline, saw slowly around each curve, and push the waste piece out from inside in a single pop.

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Broad Cap Mushroom pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Broad Cap Mushroom

A single broad-capped mushroom with a sturdy stem glows from the center of the pumpkin in this cozy woodland design. The whole mushroom is removed as one connected cutout, cap and stem together, so there are no fragile bridges to protect. That makes it a great easy project for porch-step decorating; cut the smooth dome of the cap in one continuous pass, then square off the stem base last for a clean silhouette.

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Chibi Mummy Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Chibi Mummy Pumpkin Stencil

A chibi-style mummy pumpkin stencil showing a squat, round-headed figure wrapped head-to-toe in curved bandage strips, with two large oval eyes cut through the face and a small triangular nose below. The character stands in a wide-legged stance with stubby arms held out to the sides. Lit from inside, the big eye circles and the gaps between bandage strips all glow independently, so start by cutting the largest background sections on the torso before moving to the small curved wrapping strips, keeping at least two bandage bridges intact on each limb to prevent them from falling free.

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Cloudy Moon Campsite pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Cloudy Moon Campsite

A cozy campsite spreads across the pumpkin: a striped A-frame tent between pine trees, a crackling campfire, and a full moon drifting behind wispy clouds. The scene is shaved into the skin rather than pierced, so light glows softly through the thinned areas at different strengths. For this hard shading job, carve the brightest spots like the fire and moon deepest, and keep the trees and clouds shallower to build a layered nighttime look.

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Cornucopia Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Cornucopia Pumpkin Stencil

A harvest cornucopia brimming with a small pumpkin, an apple, and assorted gourds fills this pumpkin stencil, with decorative swirling vines and leaf shapes radiating outward from the basket's opening. The woven horn body is built from curved concentric stripe cutouts, while the produce and vine scrolls are independent pierced-through elements against the solid surrounding wall. Cut the small vine scroll tips and round fruit openings before tackling the long curved stripe cuts in the horn body, as the stripe cuts pass close to each other and benefit from the surrounding wall being intact.

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Crescent and Six Falling Dots pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Crescent and Six Falling Dots

A slender crescent moon hangs in the upper corner while a diagonal trail of small round dots falls away beneath it, like fading moonlight. Each shape is pierced through, and the tiny dots do most of the sparkle work against the dark shell. For this easy pattern, punch the dots with an apple corer or drill bit for perfect circles, then saw the thin crescent in two smooth passes.

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Crescent over Wooded Hills pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Crescent over Wooded Hills

A dreamy night landscape wraps the pumpkin: a large crescent moon and a sky full of four-point stars shine above rolling wooded hills dotted with pine trees. The whole scene is skin-shave shading with no pierced holes, so moon, stars, ridgelines, and trees glow at different intensities depending on how deep you scrape. As an expert design, map your depths first: carve the moon deepest for the brightest glow, the hills shallowest for a soft dusk.

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Dragonfly with Reeds pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Dragonfly with Reeds

A dragonfly hovers with all four veined wings spread wide, its long segmented tail trailing down among slender reed grasses and cattails. The whole scene is shave-carved: wings, body, and reeds glow through thinned skin while the background stays dark, with no pierced holes. The wing veining is the payoff detail, so shave each wing smooth first, then score the vein lines lightly with a knife tip rather than gouging them.

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Eight Petals and Three Seeds pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Eight Petals and Three Seeds

Eight oval petals radiate from a dotted center like a stylized sunflower, with three small seed holes in the middle and a leafy stem opening anchoring the bloom below. Each petal is a pierced oval, and the skin spokes left between them hold the flower together while letting light pour through. Cut opposite petals in pairs, top then bottom, left then right, so the spokes never take uneven strain.

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Eight Petals with Leaf Pair pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Eight Petals with Leaf Pair

Eight almond-shaped petals radiate around a solid center in this graceful flower design, with a pair of pointed leaves below and small accent holes dotting each side like falling seeds. All the petals, leaves, and dots are pierced through while the round flower center stays intact, held by the uncut spokes between petals. For this medium carve, cut opposite petals in pairs as you work around the circle so pressure stays balanced and the center never loosens.

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Fifteen Sweeping Almond Leaves pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Fifteen Sweeping Almond Leaves

Fifteen almond-shaped leaves sweep upward in two mirrored arcs, curving around the pumpkin's face like a laurel wreath opening toward the stem. Each leaf is cut fully through, so the whole design becomes an elegant pierced lantern with no face at all. Alternate sides as you cut, removing one leaf on the left and then its mirror on the right, to keep the wall's strength balanced throughout.

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Five Petal Flower pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Five Petal Flower

A five petal flower with slender veins radiating from a round center fills the front of the pumpkin. Nothing is pierced; you shave away only the skin inside each petal and the center disc so the flesh glows softly while the wall stays solid. Use a loop tool and keep the shaving depth even across all five petals so the whole bloom lights at the same brightness.

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Five-Petal Flower and Scrolls pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Five-Petal Flower and Scrolls

An expert-level layered blossom: five broad veined petals fan around a raised dotted center, wrapped in overlapping leaves and curling scrolls that spill toward the pumpkin's edges. It is entirely surface work, shaving the skin at many depths with nothing cut through, so it looks striking even in daylight on a fall porch. Sharpen your gouges and work from the deepest petals outward, layer by layer.

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Five-Petal Flower with Curls pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Five-Petal Flower with Curls

A five-petal magnolia bloom with a dotted center opens across the pumpkin, framed by curling vine scrolls and shaded leaves. Everything is skin-shave work at layered depths: the petals glow brightest, the leaves and curls sit dimmer, and no part of the wall is pierced. Shave each petal from the center outward with a loop tool to build that soft gradient from bright to dark.

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Football & Seven Laces pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Football & Seven Laces

A big textured football fills the pumpkin face, with two end stripes and a center lace strip of seven crossing laces left in pale relief. This is a shading design: the ball's pebbled leather area is shaved to mid-depth while the laces, stripes, and outline are scraped lighter so they pop. At medium difficulty, dab the shaved leather zone with a rounded tool to build that pebble texture, keeping the lace lines crisp and untouched.

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Football & Six Laces pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Football & Six Laces

A football sits sideways across the pumpkin with its center lace stripe and six cross laces picked out in pale shaved flesh. The design uses no pierced openings; you shave the skin from the outline band, the end panels, and the laces while the body of the ball stays orange rind. It is an easy first etching project; score the outlines with a knife tip before shaving so your edges stay sharp.

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Four Spotted Toadstools pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Four Spotted Toadstools

Four spotted toadstools of staggered heights grow from a glowing patch of grass, the tallest cap arching over three smaller companions. This expert shading piece uses multiple depths: gills under the big cap are shaved brightest, stems and caps sit mid-tone, and the spots are left as darker raised dots. Map your depth levels before touching a tool, and carve the delicate gill lines with a fine gouge in single confident strokes.

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Four Woodland Toadstools pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Four Woodland Toadstools

Four spotted woodland toadstools cluster among curling leaves and grasses, carved in deep relief so the caps, gills, and stems stand out from the shell in true sculptural layers. Nothing is pierced; the design is built entirely by shaving and sculpting the wall to different depths, with the tall center mushroom's gilled underside as the showpiece. Rough out the deepest background first, then refine the gill lines last with a V-gouge while the ridges are still thick.

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Frothy Four-Panel Beer Mug pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Frothy Four-Panel Beer Mug

A frothy beer mug fills the pumpkin, its billowing head of foam spilling over a four-panel glass body and a sturdy curved handle. This is a shaded design carved into a continuous wall, so the mug is shaved out of the skin rather than pierced, which keeps the foam bubbles and panel lines intact. Shave the foam shallow and fluffy, then go slightly deeper on the four panels so the glass glows brighter than the head.

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Grimacing Scarecrow Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Grimacing Scarecrow Pumpkin Stencil

A simple, cartoonish scarecrow stands with arms outstretched on this hard pumpkin stencil, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and showing a squiggly grimace for a mouth. The body and hat are solid pumpkin flesh while gaps between the outstretched arms, the ragged tunic slashes, and the stick post below are all cut through. The thin neck post connecting the head to the body is the most fragile element; complete all arm and tunic cuts before touching the area around that connector to keep the head from separating prematurely.

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Kawaii Acorn Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Kawaii Acorn Pumpkin Stencil

A kawaii-style acorn character fills the stencil: the domed cap is covered in a dense diamond lattice of cut-out shapes, while the rounded body below carries two crescent-shaped eyes, a small curved smile, and delicate arm curves along each side. Lit from within, the hatched cap glows like a lantern screen and the face reads warmly against the solid body. Carve the lattice diamonds from the center of the cap outward, and avoid cutting the thin grid lines between them until all surrounding diamonds are removed.

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Kiss Emoji Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Kiss Emoji Pumpkin Stencil

The love heart kiss emoji fills the design: a round yellow face in profile with one visible winking eye, rosy cheek, puckered kissing lips, and a heart shape floating beside the mouth. The face is set against a large circular pierced background, with the facial features rendered as solid orange islands within the opening. The tiny oval winking-eye island and the small heart shape are the parts most likely to fall out during carving; cut the large circular outer ring last so the wall holds those islands in place until they are secured by their surrounding bridges.

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Leaf Columns and Diamond Rows pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Leaf Columns and Diamond Rows

Designed for tall, elongated pumpkins, this pattern runs two columns of paired leaf openings up the sides with a ladder of small diamonds climbing the center strip between them. Every leaf and diamond is cut through, turning the whole pumpkin into a glowing botanical lantern. Work from the bottom rows upward so the shell above stays strong while you carve, and keep the leaf pairs level with each other as you go.

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Little Etched Hedgehog pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Little Etched Hedgehog

A sweet little hedgehog shown in profile, with a pointed snout, a dot eye, tiny feet, and a back full of spiky quills rendered as star-like bursts. Nothing is pierced; you shave away only the outer skin inside the outline so the pale flesh forms the hedgehog against the dark rind. Use a shallow loop tool and keep an even depth so the quill points stay crisp.

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Loudly Crying Emoji Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Loudly Crying Emoji Pumpkin Stencil

The loudly crying face emoji is rendered as a large circular face with swooping hands pressed to the cheeks, closed scrunched eyes, and twin waterfalls of tears streaming down from the eyes to the chin. The circular outline is pierced through, and the face features are solid orange islands floating within the big cutout. When lit, the pumpkin stencil reads as an instantly recognizable emoji silhouette. The thin vertical tear-stream bridges are the most fragile part of this design; cut the large outer ring first and save the tear columns for last.

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Maple Leaf and Twelve Diamonds pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Maple Leaf and Twelve Diamonds

A big pointed maple leaf glows at the center while twelve small diamonds ring it like sparks, giving the design a festive burst of fall energy. The leaf and every diamond are cut completely through, so the whole arrangement shines as one radiant cluster. At medium difficulty, carve the maple leaf's deep notches with straight relief cuts into each valley, then finish the diamonds last since their small size makes them quick and forgiving.

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Maple Leaf Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Maple Leaf Pumpkin Stencil

A single large maple leaf fills most of the stencil, tilted slightly to the right with its stem curving down and left. The leaf has seven pointed lobes with gently serrated edges and a central vein ridge left solid, creating a two-section open cut on each side of the midrib. Lit from inside, the two halves of the leaf glow symmetrically while the narrow central vein remains as an unlit orange line. Keeping that vein bridge intact is the key structural challenge: cut the left lobe section completely before moving to the right so you're never cutting beside an already-open neighbor.

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Moonlit Tent & Campfire pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Moonlit Tent & Campfire

A cozy campsite scene: a peaked tent with an open door flap, a crackling campfire on crossed logs, two pine trees, and a full moon overhead. It is all continuous-wall shading, so you shave each shape down to glowing flesh while the orange skin between them stays untouched. Etch the largest areas like the tent walls first, then refine the flame tips and pine branches with a small gouge for clean edges.

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Pi 3.14 Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Pi 3.14 Pumpkin Stencil

The numerals 3.14, rendered in a bold block typeface, fill this pumpkin stencil from edge to edge, referencing the mathematical constant pi. Each digit is a large, solid cut-out shape: the curved halves of the 3, the rectangular decimal point, and the straight-sided 1 and 4 are all pierced through and blaze with candlelight. Because the counter (enclosed area) of the 3 must be retained as separate floating islands of skin, tape small pieces of orange peel back in place after cutting to hold them, or plan to let them fall free for a fully open look.

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Pineapple with Split Crown pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Pineapple with Split Crown

A plump pineapple with a dramatic split crown of long, splayed leaves and a body filled with a deep diamond crosshatch pattern. The whole design is skin-shave work: leaves and body are peeled to bright flesh while crosshatch grooves are cut deeper for a woven texture. Score the diamond grid lightly with a ruler-guided knife before carving so the lattice stays even across the pumpkin's curve.

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Princess Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Princess Pumpkin Stencil

A cartoon princess stands front-facing on this pumpkin stencil, wearing a three-paneled ballgown, a crown at the top of her head, and wavy hair falling to her shoulders. Small pierced shapes define her eyes, rosy cheeks, and smile, while the gown panels and arms are formed by narrow white-space divisions in the solid orange wall. When lit, the princess glows as a warm silhouette with delicate facial details. Cut the tiny eye and cheek shapes first with a detail blade before removing any of the larger body sections.

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Pumpkin with Vines Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Pumpkin with Vines Pumpkin Stencil

A jack-o-lantern-within-a-pumpkin stencil showing a grinning carved pumpkin face at the center, surrounded by a flowing arrangement of autumn leaves, curling vines, and a flying bat perched near the stem above. The inner pumpkin face, triangular eyes, jagged mouth, and stem, stays solid orange while the vine-and-leaf background area around it is pierced through to glow. Carve the outer leaf and vine shapes before opening the inner face cuts, so the decorative frame is complete and stable before you work near the center detail.

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Scarecrow Face Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Scarecrow Face Pumpkin Stencil

Two large round eyes with small eyebrow hooks above each, a pair of pointed teardrop nostrils, and a wide toothy grin with sharp downward-pointing fangs give this scarecrow face its slightly sinister character on this easy pumpkin stencil. All cut pieces are chunky and well-separated, making this a comfortable carve despite its spooky look. To keep the row of fang tips from chipping, make the two vertical cuts on each fang before the horizontal base cut that frees the piece.

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Scarecrow Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Scarecrow Pumpkin Stencil

A friendly scarecrow stands arms-out in classic T-pose: a brimmed hat with a small torn-corner flap, a round face with X eyes and a stitched-line smile, a necktie, straw tufts poking from the sleeves and hem, and a central post below the body. The design uses a mix of open cuts for the background spaces and solid orange bridges that form the straw strands, clothing triangles, and facial features. When lit, the scarecrow appears as a warm silhouette with the straw tufts back-lit individually. Cut the small X-eye shapes and the stitched smile first, as these tiny marks are hardest to control once surrounding material is removed.

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