Carving out a winner

With pumpkins carved, painted, and in one case even completely covered in candy corn, Annenberg Hall resembled a scene straight out of “Harry Potter” thanks to the annual freshman pumpkin-carving contest.

Throughout this week, the members of the Class of 2017 gathered in their entryways during study breaks to carve jack-o’-lanterns for the chance to earn bragging rights — and $75 toward a special study break — for being named the winner in one of four categories: “Most Funny,” “Most Scary,” “Most Creative,” and “Most Harvard.”

“What this does is it once again reminds us of how creative the members of this Class of 2017 are,” said Dean of Freshman Thomas Dingman.

The Boston Red Sox’ run to a World Series Championship influenced several of the entries, including the “GREENough Monster,” which was painted to resemble a baseball. Then there was the “David Gourdtiz a.k.a. Big Pumpi” from Pennypacker, a large Red Sox cap-wearing, bearded pumpkin designed to look like the Sox slugger.

Some of the pumpkins took on a political tone, such as the “Zombie Romney.” The “Furlough Frights” entry from Hollis South wasn’t carved at all, but impaled with a note that read, “This pumpkin not carved because of government shutdown.”

Many of the entries went far beyond the typical Halloween themes. Wigglesworth D entered the “Annenburger,” a pumpkin sliced in half, filled with patties, lettuce, and tomato, with the pumpkin seeds affixed to resemble a sesame-seed bun. This earned Wigglesworth D the “Most Creative” award. To bring the jack-o’-lantern into the 21st century, in place of the traditional candle one entry put an iPhone in the hollowed-out center, treating passersby to music.

And with The Game less than a month away, the large Harvard Pumpkin feasting on the smaller Yale pumpkin from Stoughton North won the “Most Harvard” prize.

“I think they all had a lot of fun doing this with their classmates,” Dingman said, making his way through the rows of pumpkins. “And the nice thing about this year is it’s also Freshman Parents Weekend, so their mothers and fathers can see their creativity firsthand.”