Judge a pumpkin carving contest without hurt feelings
Pumpkin contests get awkward fast: kids carve next to adults, families vote for their own, and a show of hands rewards whoever brought the most cousins. Photograph each pumpkin, add the photos to a Rankd, and let every carver and guest rank them all. Rankd adds up everyone’s positions, so the winner is the pumpkin people ranked high across the board.
- The cat on the fence
- Toothy grin
- Haunted house silhouette
- The one that looks like the dog
- Classic triangle eyes
Free. Add your own options (these are just examples), then send one link to your group.
Why ranking beats a regular poll here
- Photos keep the vote about the carving, even after the candles burn out.
- Ranking every pumpkin stops people from voting only for their own.
- A pumpkin the whole yard liked beats one with a small cheering section.
How it works
- Add the question and 3 to 30 options
- Send one private link to the group
- Everyone ranks privately, in about a minute
- You reveal the winner
Tips
- Take each photo in the dark with the candle lit, since that is how the pumpkins will be seen.
- Label pumpkins by number or nickname, not the carver’s name, for blind judging.
- Run a separate rank for the kids so little carvers have a fair shot.
- Set the reveal to happen automatically once everyone has voted.
Questions
Can I give out “scariest” and “funniest” too?
Each Rankd produces one overall order, so run a separate rank for each title you want to give out. You can reuse the same photos in each one.
Can people see how I ranked?
No. Each person’s order stays private. Everyone sees the group’s final order and where they personally landed, never anyone else’s individual ranking.
Is it free? Does everyone need the app?
Rankd is free and runs in the browser, so there is nothing to download. Friends open the link from any group chat (iMessage, WhatsApp, Slack, email) and rank in about a minute.