This year’s Education.com Halloween Art Contest was bursting with originality, color, and a touch of spooky charm! Young artists from around the world shared their masterpieces, and we were blown away by the imagination and talent on display. Entries came in from across the globe, including the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates!

With so many frightfully fun submissions, picking our winners was no small task. We’re thrilled to unveil our three wickedly wonderful winners, plus a Wall of Fame featuring 28 other standouts. 

A huge thank-you to all the artists, parents, and teachers who helped bring this year’s contest to life. Your creativity makes Halloween even more magical!

3 hauntingly delightful winners

Congratulations to our 2025 winners: Rocco, Olive, and Olivia. As a prize, all three winners will receive a year-long Premium membership to Education.com.

Rocco, New York, “Tangled terrors”

Olivia, North Carolina, “Cute Halloween themed adopt-a-ghost center”

Olive, Nebraska, “Halloween ghost, 4 ways”

28 featured artists on the Wall of Fame

Beyond our top winners, 28 incredible artists earned a special place on our Wall of Fame! From silly pumpkins to candy, these creations are a true treat for the eyes.

Explore our Halloween Wall of Fame to see these standout pieces and click on each one to read a short description.

Certificate of participation for every artist

Every participant in this year’s contest deserves recognition for their creativity and effort. Download the Certificate of Participation, fill in your child’s name, and display it as a badge of honor!

More Halloween fun awaits

Keep the Halloween spirit alive with our 13 Days of Halloween countdown, a collection of themed activities, worksheets, and learning fun for classrooms and homes alike. You can also find it anytime by clicking the pumpkin icon at the top of our site.

Want even more? Explore over 600 Halloween resources in Education.com’s Learning Library. Use the filters on the left-hand side to sort by grade or subject, and find the perfect mix of fun and learning for your little ghouls and goblins!

The International Skating Union has said a plush resembling a DF-61 ballistic rocket seen at a Grand Prix event was “inappropriate”

The International Skating Union (ISU) has launched an investigation after Chinese ice-dancing pair were filmed with a toy resembling a ballistic rocket during a Grand Prix event, according to the Associated Press.

The incident occurred at the Cup of China on October 25, where TV footage showed Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing sitting with a large soft toy shaped like a Chinese missile labeled ‘DF-61’ as they waited for their scores in the ‘kiss and cry’ area. The pair reportedly briefly held up the plush together with their coach before placing it across Xing’s lap.

The DF-61 is a newly unveiled Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, with an estimated operational range of 12,000 to 15,000km. The weapon was first showcased during China’s military parade last month marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, where Beijing presented cutting-edge innovations from its military-industrial complex.

The International Skating Union has opened an investigation into Chinese ice dancers Ren Junfei and Xin Jianing. During the Grand Prix stage in Chongqing, they were seen in the kiss-and-cry area holding a plush toy designed to resemble a new Chinese ballistic missile capable of… pic.twitter.com/OTI5V9meyQ

— Russian Market (@runews) October 28, 2025

The skating body told the AP it is aware that “an inappropriate soft toy seems to have been among those thrown onto the ice by spectators” and was “subsequently held by the skaters who had just performed.” The ISU said it “will investigate [the incident] further.”

Ren and Xing finished eighth, while the ice dance title went to Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates.

Missile-shaped plush toys, including ones modeled on the DF-61, have grown popular online following the parade, with cushions and soft replicas of the missile sold on marketplaces including eBay for about $30.

Looking to keep vocabulary practice fresh and festive this month? We’ve partnered with Vocabulary.com to share three fun October-themed word lists. From spooky Halloween terms to current events words, these lists complement Education.com’s ELA worksheets, boosting reading, writing, and vocabulary skills.

Explore Vocabulary.com lists

1. Wicked Words of Grave Importance for Halloween, October 31

Tired of the same old spooky and creepy terms? This Halloween-inspired list digs up eerie but fascinating words like eldritch, phantasm, and hallow to help students expand their vocabulary and bring haunting stories to life.

2. Ripped from the Headlines: October 2025

For curious readers who love connecting language to the world around them, this list spotlights key terminology pulled straight from recent news and culture stories. It’s a fun, thought-provoking way to help kids strengthen comprehension and critical thinking while learning words they’ll actually see in the real world.

3. Octoberfest! Our Freshly Harvested Lists from the Fall Calendar

Celebrate all things autumn with vocabulary inspired by the month’s many highlights, from baseball and books to fossils and Halloween. This seasonal roundup adds color to your word lessons and gives learners a reason to get excited about new vocabulary tied to October events.

Pair with Education.com ELA worksheets

Complement your learner’s vocabulary practice with Education.com worksheets that reinforce key literacy skills through reading and writing. These worksheets are perfect for homework, classroom exercises, or independent practice to help students apply new words in context.

Elementary school:

Adjectives to Describe Emotions

Invite kids to use adjectives to describe different feelings as they write their own sentences. This open-ended activity helps students better understand their own emotions and those of others while developing stronger grammar and writing habits.

Adjectives to Describe Nature

Students use a word bank of nature-related adjectives to write descriptive sentences about the natural world. As they craft their sentences, learners broaden their vocabulary and improve their written and verbal communication skills.

Adjectives to Describe Weather

Learners use weather-related adjectives to write sentences about the weather, circling the adjectives they include. Designed for grades 2–4, this activity helps learners apply grammar skills in context and make their writing clearer and engaging.

Finding Word Meaning: Context Clues & Text Features

Fourth and fifth graders practice identifying the meaning of unfamiliar words while reading a passage about the wild turkey. By rereading for understanding and using a glossary and word bank, students build strong vocabulary and nonfiction reading skills.

Middle school:

Expanding Sentences: Exploration

Encourage fifth through eighth graders to turn simple sentences into detailed descriptions. As students add details about where, when, why, and how, they’ll practice using adjectives and noun phrases while writing about exciting topics like treasures and shipwrecks.

Other Ways to Say It

Help middle school writers expand their vocabulary and strengthen their grammar skills with this set of seven worksheets! Each activity challenges students to replace common verbs, adjectives, and adverbs with more vivid and descriptive alternatives, so they can become more confident and expressive communicators.

Looking for more English Language Arts resources? Explore our Learning Library of over 12,000 ELA worksheets, games, activities, and more.

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Start with your Weekly Boost

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Explore Roly Recommends

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Make screen time count! Education.com’s learning games transform digital play into meaningful practice. From solving math puzzles to building reading fluency to typing challenges, these games reinforce classroom concepts in a fun, low-pressure way. They make short bursts of screen time both fun and productive.

Everyday ways to use Premium

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• Before dinner: Have your child complete a worksheet or Guided Lesson while you cook
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