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

Pumpkin carving templates

1155 free printable stencils. Download, print, trace, carve.

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Almond Eyes and Twenty Tears pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Almond Eyes and Twenty Tears

Two huge almond eyes stare straight out, each ringed by fanned lash bars above and a spray of teardrop cuts below, with attached pupils floating in the centers. The eye whites, brow strokes, and roughly twenty teardrops are all pierced, leaving the pupils and lash ribs as connected shell. This one earns its hard rating on the thin lash bars, so cut every slot outward from the eye and support the wall with your palm.

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Anarchy Symbol Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Anarchy Symbol Pumpkin Stencil

The classic anarchist circle-A symbol is redrawn with jagged, torn-edge strokes: the central A-frame, the horizontal crossbar, and the enclosing circle are all rendered as rough, splintered shapes that evoke spray-paint or ripped stencil. Each element is a separate cut piece, so when lit the glowing fragments of the circle and letter float against the dark pumpkin wall. Cut the short crossbar piece first since it sits between the two legs of the A and will be the most difficult to free once surrounding cuts are made.

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Bare Tree with Forked Branches pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Bare Tree with Forked Branches

A gnarled bare tree glows from a wide split trunk up through forked, twisting branches, the classic haunted-forest silhouette in reverse. The entire tree shape is cut through as one connected opening, so light traces every crooked limb. It rates easy because the cuts are bold, but the branch tips narrow quickly; cut from each tip back toward the trunk and remove the waste in small pieces so no limb snaps off.

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Bat with Scalloped Wings pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Bat with Scalloped Wings

A bat spreads huge scalloped wings across the whole front of the pumpkin, its furry body, tall ears, and wing finger-bones modeled in carved relief shading. Skin is shaved away inside the wing membranes while the ribs, body, and outline are left raised, and nothing is pierced. Shave the membrane panels evenly and keep the wing bones proud for a dramatic sculpted look.

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Bride of Frankenstein Portrait Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Bride of Frankenstein Portrait Pumpkin Stencil

A portrait-style bust of the Bride of Frankenstein dominates this expert-level Frankenstein pumpkin stencil, her wild electrified hair radiating outward in dozens of jagged flame-like spikes. Solid gray masses define the face and shoulders, while the surrounding tendrils are carved as individual pierced channels that let candlelight filter through in a scattered, dramatic halo. Many of the hair tips are freestanding islands connected by thin pumpkin bridges. Carve the facial features and solid facial mass last, after clearing all the surrounding hair spikes, to avoid distorting the face while your hands are still working near it.

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Calavera Sombrero Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Calavera Sombrero Pumpkin Stencil

A calavera skull wearing a wide sombrero fills this expert pumpkin stencil: the sombrero brim is ringed with rows of small scallop-cut holes and vertical stripe slots, the crown shows banded tiers, and the skull below has large flower-shaped eye sockets, a heart-shaped nose, a grinning mouth, and curling moustache scrolls on each side. Every decorative element is cut away so candlelight floods through the scallops, stripes, and flower eyes simultaneously, creating an elaborate Day of the Dead glow. Start with the tiny scallop holes along the sombrero brim before any other cut, since those are easiest to control while the surrounding skin is still rigid.

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Castle Windows and Arched Door pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Castle Windows and Arched Door

The pumpkin itself becomes a castle: square battlement windows march across the top, tall rectangular windows flank the sides, and a grand arched doorway glows at the center. Every opening is a straightforward cut-through shape with wide rind walls between them, which is why this rates easy. Keep at least a finger's width of rind between neighboring windows as you cut so the castle wall stays sturdy, and square up corners with short poke cuts.

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Compass Star & Moon Phases pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Compass Star & Moon Phases

An eight-pointed compass star anchors the center while a ring of moon phases and beaded dots circles around it, from thin crescents to a full glowing disc. The star's facets and the ring are shaved at varying depths into the skin, with only the deepest moon discs approaching full brightness, giving the design a layered lantern glow. Map your depths first: shallow for the star facets, deeper for each moon as it waxes.

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Crescent and Seven Teardrops pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Crescent and Seven Teardrops

A tall crescent moon anchors the left side of this celestial design while a fan of seven teardrop rays arcs around its open curve like scattered moonbeams. Every shape is pierced through, so the crescent throws a big wash of light and the teardrops sparkle around it. Cut the crescent first for this medium design, then do the teardrops smallest to largest; angling your saw slightly outward makes each little petal pop out cleanly.

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Crescent Moon & Small Bat pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Crescent Moon & Small Bat

A small bat with scalloped wings glides across a big crescent moon in a classic Halloween night scene. Both shapes are shaved rather than pierced: the moon is peeled into a bright smooth crescent, the bat's wings are etched at a lighter depth, and its body stays as raised rind. A hard shading pattern that rewards patience; keep the moon's inner curve clean since that long sweep frames the entire design.

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Crescent Sun and Three Dots pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Crescent Sun and Three Dots

A slim crescent moon faces a round sun ringed by teardrop-shaped ray openings, with a trail of three dots descending below the sun. Every element is pierced through, and the varied hole sizes give the lit pumpkin a layered celestial sparkle. Drill or poke the three small dots first while the wall is still rigid, then cut the teardrops, and save the big crescent and sun circle for last.

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Crouching Gargoyle Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Crouching Gargoyle Pumpkin Stencil

A crouching gargoyle with spread bat wings, a fanged open jaw, and clawed feet fills this hard pumpkin stencil. The wings are rendered as multiple angled blade-like panels, the body and head form a compact central mass, and the whole figure is composed of closely spaced pierce-throughs separated by narrow pumpkin-wall bridges. Lit from within, the gargoyle appears as a fiery orange silhouette. Begin with the head and jaw details before cutting the wing panels, since the narrow bridges connecting the wing sections to the body spine are the most structurally critical lines in this design.

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Dancing Skeleton Dia de Muertos Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Dancing Skeleton Dia de Muertos Pumpkin Stencil

A skeletal Dia de los Muertos figure wearing a flower-crowned hat dances atop a row of pointed picket-fence stakes in this expert sugar-skull pumpkin stencil, with crossbones at its sides, a lacy ruffled collar, and small flower rosettes scattered at the fence tops. Dozens of small isolated cut pieces, including the fence picket slots, collar ruffles, and flower details, create a composition that must be carved in strict order to avoid structural collapse. Start with the fence picket slots at the bottom of the design and work upward, finishing the skeleton body details last.

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Double Bars and Zigzag Teeth pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Double Bars and Zigzag Teeth

An elaborate jack-o'-lantern face built from layered geometry: triangle eyes barred with double rind strips, arched claw-like brows, diamond accents down the cheeks, and a wide zigzag mouth of interlocking teeth flanked by curling flame flourishes. The many openings are cut through around a lattice of thin surviving rind. This expert design demands a sharp fine-tooth saw and a plan: cut from the center outward, finishing the outer flourishes last while the wall is still strong.

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Gargoyle Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Gargoyle Pumpkin Stencil

A detailed gargoyle face stares out from this expert pumpkin stencil, with swept-back horns, pointed ears, arching eyebrows, a broad flat nose, and wide wings that flare to either side like a cathedral guardian. Dozens of separate cut-out pieces form the facial features and wing feathers, leaving solid bridges of pumpkin skin to hold each island in place. Work from the smallest interior details outward: cut the eyebrow slashes, nostril notch, and tiny chin dimple first, then the larger wing panels last, to keep the fragile facial bridges stable while you carve.

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Gothic Haunted Cathedral Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Gothic Haunted Cathedral Pumpkin Stencil

A tall, narrow haunted church or castle rises in this pumpkin stencil, with a central spire topped by a cross, two flanking branch-like towers each capped with crosses, arched windows, and square window panels scattered across the facade. The entire structure is cut out as a series of interconnected shapes against the solid pumpkin face. Carve the small window squares and the tiny cross tops first, working top to bottom, so the tall thin towers stay structurally sound until the end.

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Hanging Eyes and Stitch Smile pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Hanging Eyes and Stitch Smile

Two enormous wide eyes with hanging pupils stare beneath crackling zigzag brows, while small skull nostrils sit above a long stitched grin that stretches nearly ear to ear. The eyes are cut through around the drooping pupil tabs, the nostrils are pierced, and the mouth is one thin line crossed by vertical stitch slits. Those dangling pupils and skinny stitches make this a hard carve; keep every stitch cut short and support the pupil tabs while you saw around them.

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Hanging Pupils and Eight Bays pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Hanging Pupils and Eight Bays

An elaborate theatrical face with knowing eyes whose pupils hang from the upper lids, framed by ornate teardrop flourishes across the brow and temples, above a huge grin packed with long individual teeth. Dozens of small cut-through openings build the pattern, with slim rind bridges holding every tooth and swirl in place. Number your openings and remove the smallest flourishes first, saving the big mouth bays for last so the web of bridges keeps its strength.

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Haunted Church Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Haunted Church Pumpkin Stencil

A tall, narrow gothic church building with a cross at its steeple peak forms this haunted-house pumpkin stencil. Flanking the spire are two dead trees rendered as diagonal stick shapes with crosshatch window-pane details, and a row of grass tufts sits at the base. The arched doorway and tall multi-pane windows are the primary cut-through openings, while the church walls, trees, and ground remain solid. Cut the small rectangular window panes in the trees first, then the main church windows, so the thin tree branches stay anchored while you work.

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Haunted Mansion Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Haunted Mansion Pumpkin Stencil

A tall narrow haunted mansion rises up this pumpkin stencil as a stacked tower: a pointed triangular roof at the top, a rectangular belfry below, then three descending tiers of arched window pairs that grow progressively wider, finishing with a rounded arched doorway and grass tufts at the base. All windows and the door arch are cut through, leaving orange wall between each tier as structural separators. Cut the door arch at the bottom first to relieve pumpkin tension, then work upward tier by tier so the cuts above don't flex the completed windows below.

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Horned Demon Skull Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Horned Demon Skull Pumpkin Stencil

A demonic horned skull with massive curved ram-like horns and a symmetrical face composed of dozens of interlocking cut fragments makes this one of the most intricate skull pumpkin stencils available. The forehead, cheeks, and jaw are all broken into shaped segments separated by thin pumpkin bridges, and the horns are densely cross-hatched with ridged cuts. Work from the center outward, cutting the tiniest interior fragments first before opening any large jaw or eye-socket voids, to avoid collapsing the many delicate bridges that hold the design together.

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Long-Eared Monster Face pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Long-Eared Monster Face

A tall, unsettling monster mask stares out of the pumpkin: long upright ears branching like antlers, hollow ringed eyes, a skeletal snout, and a mouthful of pointed fangs, all drawn in thin interlocking cutouts. The entire face is pierced through as a network of narrow slots that leaves delicate pumpkin bridges between every glowing line. This expert design demands a fine-detail saw; carve from the center outward so the fragile bridges keep support as long as possible.

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Medusa Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Medusa Pumpkin Stencil

Medusa's face stares out from this expert pumpkin stencil, her features rendered as thin-cut channels forming almond-shaped eyes, a small nose, and full lips against a solid oval face. The hair is replaced by dozens of writhing snake bodies, each carved as an interlocking mass of curved shapes with heads visible at the perimeter, open mouths and coiling bodies creating a dense web of negative space around the face. When lit, the snake-hair region glows with a complex, shifting pattern while the face remains a composed solid island. Work the snake-hair sections in quadrants, finishing each area before moving to the next, so no large unsupported skin islands shift mid-carve.

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Moonlit Cat & Six Stars pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Moonlit Cat & Six Stars

A sitting cat gazes up at a crescent moon while six small stars scatter across the night sky, its long tail curling into an elegant spiral. This is a shading design, so the moon, stars, and cat outline are shaved into the skin and glow as luminous grooves rather than open holes. Rated hard for its long unbroken curves, carve the tail spiral in one slow continuous pass and keep your groove depth consistent so the glow stays even.

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Natural Bat with Spread Wings pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Natural Bat with Spread Wings

A lifelike bat spreads its wings across the entire pumpkin, with big upright ears, a furry textured body, and scalloped wing membranes ribbed by long finger bones. Nothing is cut through; the whole animal is sculpted in relief by shaving the background away and layering shallow cuts for fur and wing veins. This expert design is a true sculpting project, so work with gouges and a paring knife, establish the outline first, and build the fur texture with hundreds of short flicking strokes.

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Ornate Sugar Skull Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Ornate Sugar Skull Pumpkin Stencil

This sugar-skull pumpkin stencil features a circular skull face filled with symmetrical Dia de los Muertos ornamentation: two large almond-shaped eye sockets, a central floral cross motif above them, scrollwork tendrils curling outward on both cheeks, and a rectangular tooth-grid at the chin. The design carves as a mix of open negative spaces and solid orange bridges that define each decorative element. Cut the cheek scrollwork before removing the large eye sockets, since the thin curling lines are easier to control while the surrounding wall is still solid.

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Radiant Cross and Lower Leaves pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Radiant Cross and Lower Leaves

An ornate flared cross rises from a bed of scrolling leaves while sunburst rays fan out behind every arm, all carved in layered relief. Nothing pierces the wall: the cross, rays, and foliage are shaved at multiple depths so the design reads as glowing sculpture with crisp raised borders. This expert shading project demands patience, so map your three depth levels first and always carve the background rays before refining the cross's beveled edges.

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Six Spoke Cyclops and Fangs pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Six Spoke Cyclops and Fangs

An ornate one-eyed monster dominated by a giant spoke-wheel eye with six radiating spokes, surrounded by swirling filigree flourishes, teardrop cutouts, and a vast fanged grin ringed with diamond and dot accents. The entire composition is pierced through in an intricate lattice, leaving a delicate web of pumpkin between the glowing shapes. Strictly an expert project: use a fine-detail saw, carve the small accents before the large wheel and mouth, and support the wall from inside as it thins.

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Skeleton Hands Heart Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Skeleton Hands Heart Pumpkin Stencil

Two skeletal hands with knuckle-ridge cuts reach upward and inward to frame a heart shape in the negative space between them in this hard-level pumpkin stencil, each finger outlined by rows of small rectangular cut-outs that read as bone segments when lit. The spaces around and between the fingers are cut away so the glowing pumpkin shows the hands as a warm orange lattice of bone detail around the central heart void. Cut the small rectangular knuckle cuts across all fingers before removing the larger surrounding background so every finger stays rigid while you work the fine detail.

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Spoked Eyes and Diamond Halos pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Spoked Eyes and Diamond Halos

Two enormous hypnotic eyes built as spoked wheels, each iris divided by radial spokes around a glowing hub, ringed by halos of small diamond and teardrop cutouts with arched brow fans above. Every spoke gap, diamond, and teardrop is pierced individually, creating a mesmerizing lace of light. An expert carve with dozens of tiny openings; use a fine detail saw and rotate the pumpkin, not your wrist, on the curves.

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Sugar Skull with Crossbones Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Sugar Skull with Crossbones Pumpkin Stencil

A Day of the Dead sugar skull topped with a crescent moon cutout sits above two crossed bones on this expert ghost pumpkin stencil. The skull face is packed with ornate floral-style cut-out circles, petal shapes, a nose diamond, and a grid-patterned mouth, all surrounded by thin decorative bridges. Because so many small circular cutouts cluster around the eye sockets, carve both large eye circles first to relieve the surrounding tension, then work outward through the smaller petal and dot details.

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Sugar Skull with Roses Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Sugar Skull with Roses Pumpkin Stencil

A sugar skull face with flower-ringed eye sockets, a crown of jagged flames, a heart-shaped nose, and rectangular teeth is surrounded by six individually carved roses in this expert pumpkin stencil. Every petal cluster, leaf, and decorative element is a separate pierce-through, creating an intricate Day of the Dead tableau. The carved pumpkin glows through dozens of individual openings simultaneously. Work from the center outward: finish all skull face details before the outer roses, so you can brace the pumpkin face-side-down when carving the perimeter flower clusters.

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Three Graves in a Full Moon pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Three Graves in a Full Moon

A moonlit cemetery scene: a huge glowing full moon fills the background while three headstones stand in silhouette, the tall center marker lettered RIP and flanked by two cross-topped stones rising from tufts of grass. The moon area is cut through and the graves are the pumpkin left in place. This is a hard pattern, so cut the big moon opening in several smaller sections to avoid snapping the thin grass blades along the bottom.

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Three-Plume Steaming Cauldron pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Three-Plume Steaming Cauldron

A bubbling witch's cauldron sends three curling plumes of steam up the pumpkin's face, all rendered in carved shading rather than pierced holes. You shave the skin to different depths so the pot, bubbles, and smoke glow in layered tones while the wall stays fully intact. Work the steam swirls shallow and the cauldron mouth deepest to get that lit-from-within brew effect.

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Tilted Jellyfish and Seaweed pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Tilted Jellyfish and Seaweed

A tilted jellyfish drifts with its domed bell up high and dozens of ribbony tentacles flowing down through strands of seaweed, while small bubbles rise around it. Every element is shaved into the skin at varying depths rather than cut through, creating layers of soft glow. This expert etch is all about depth control: shave the bell and bubbles deepest for brightness, keep the tentacles mid-depth, and leave the seaweed shallow so the jellyfish floats forward.

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Unequal Eyes and Jagged Grin pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Unequal Eyes and Jagged Grin

A nightmare grin stretches ear to ear, packed with dozens of jagged interlocking fangs, beneath two mismatched eyes, one wide and wild and one narrowed and crossed by scar lines, with flame like spikes radiating outward and diamond accents above and below. Nearly all of it is pierced through, leaving a web of thin rind spikes that demands real patience. Work from the center of the mouth outward with a fine saw, supporting each fragile spike as you free it on this expert carve.

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