Clear rules.
A fair competition.

1. Promoter and eligibility

In previous years, complaints about voting, including concerns about Like-for-Like groups, led to a referral to a competition watchdog. Orchards chose to stop running the competition. It returns in 2026 with clearer rules, engagement checks and equal points from the public and the judging panel.

Promoter: Orchards Ampthill Ltd, The Old School House, 66 Bedford Street, Ampthill MK45 2NB. The competition is administered by Adam Barker. Contact ampthill@orchards.co.uk for entries, prizes, complaints or privacy requests.

Entry is free. No purchase, pumpkin collection, use of Orchards services or marketing subscription is required. You can enter a pumpkin obtained from anywhere.

Open to UK residents, excluding Orchards staff, judges, people directly administering the promotion and their immediate families (spouse/partner, parent, child or sibling).

Under-18s may enter with permission from a parent or guardian with parental responsibility. Entrants aged 13–17 may complete the form themselves with that permission; for an entrant under 13, the parent or guardian must complete and submit the form on the child’s behalf. That adult must confirm participation and the stated publication permissions before the entry is accepted and published, and handle any prize acceptance for a child. An entrant does not need a social media account.

2. Dates and rolling publication

• Pumpkin collection starts on Tuesday 20 October 2026, while stocks last.
• Photo submissions open: 15 October 2026. Entries are open immediately.
• Photo submissions and parental confirmations close: noon on Saturday 31 October 2026.
• Public engagement can count for each entry when its designated official Facebook photo or Instagram post is published.
• Voting cutoff: 4pm on Saturday 31 October 2026.
• Winners scheduled to be announced: 6pm on Saturday 31 October 2026.

All times are UK local time. Publication is rolling: earlier entries have longer to collect Facebook reactions and Instagram hearts. Scores are not adjusted for time online. Enter early and allow time for moderation, parental confirmation and publication.

An upload receipt is not confirmation that an entry is accepted or published. Adam Barker reviews submissions, checks permission and publishes approved entries before voting closes. Submit early enough for these checks; entries with unresolved eligibility or parental permission cannot be published. Publishing order will be administered consistently without favouring individual entrants.

If a particular result cannot be verified fairly by 6pm, Orchards will explain that the affected award remains provisional and give an update timetable. A complaint alone does not automatically suspend an award or cancel the competition.

3. Free pumpkins and Haribo

Collection: The Old School House, 66 Bedford Street, Ampthill MK45 2NB. Monday-Friday 08:30-18:00; Saturday 09:00-16:00; closed Sunday.

Free pumpkins and optional sealed Haribo packets are available while allocated stocks last. These terms set no fixed numerical collection allowance. Availability is not guaranteed for every visitor; collection information will be updated if supplies run out.

Collection does not create an entry or improve your score. You can still enter your own pumpkin if free stocks run out. Check Haribo packaging for ingredients, allergens and suitability.

4. Entries and photos

Submit photos through the Orchards Pumpkin Entry 2026 form on Jotform. The competition website links to this form. Accepted entries will be reviewed before publication on the designated Orchards social posts.

No numerical entry limit applies. Each entry must show a different physical pumpkin created by the entrant, alone or with family assistance. The same pumpkin cannot be entered repeatedly or by several people. Each pumpkin has one designated competition photo; duplicate submissions will be consolidated.

Carving, painting and decorating are allowed, including adult help with children's creations. Photos must be your own or used with the photographer's permission and accurately show your physical creation. Cropping and basic brightness adjustments are allowed; generated pumpkins, stolen photos and misleading alterations are not.

Photograph the pumpkin only, without identifiable people, addresses or other private information. Each accepted pumpkin is assigned an entry number for public display. Entrants’ full names, ages, email addresses, guardian details and signatures are private and will not appear alongside entry posts.

Entries must be suitable for a family audience and contain no unlawful material, hate, harassment, explicit sexual content or infringement of others' rights. An entry that fails a published requirement may be rejected; where practical before the deadline, a fixable issue will be explained so the entrant can correct it.

Orchards may reasonably ask for another photo or an alternative check of authorship. The request will explain the evidence needed and allow a reasonable response period. Failure to reply immediately during the results window is not by itself proof of cheating.

5. Public display and social media

Adam Barker reviews submissions and publishes accepted pumpkin photos on the official Orchards Facebook and Instagram pages. Every entry will have an entry number, one designated Facebook photo URL and one designated Instagram post URL for voting. Official accounts: Orchards on Facebook and Orchards on Instagram.

You keep copyright. You give Orchards non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to display the submitted pumpkin photo and assigned entry number to run and publicise this 2026 competition and its results. The public posts may remain online indefinitely as a community record of the competition, with no automatic removal date. This does not transfer ownership or authorise unrelated future advertising. Publication remains subject to the privacy rights explained below.

For under-18s, publication permission must be confirmed by a parent/guardian before posting. Contact Orchards about withdrawal or a privacy concern. If removing an entry from public display makes voting impossible, the entry will be withdrawn after the implications are explained; data protection rights are unaffected.

The competition is organised by Orchards and is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Facebook or Instagram. Entrants release those platforms from responsibility for the competition to the extent legally permitted; rights that cannot be excluded remain unaffected.

6. Facebook reactions and Instagram hearts

For each pumpkin, the public engagement total is the number of valid Facebook reactions on its designated original Orchards Facebook photo plus valid hearts on its designated original Orchards Instagram post, captured in the closing records. All Facebook reaction types count equally, one reaction each.

A genuine person may react once on Facebook and heart once on Instagram for the same entry. Both count separately. Each person may use one authentic account per platform and may support several distinct entries. Entrants may support their own entry once per platform. Judges must not cast public votes on either platform. Extra accounts created or used to increase a person's voting allowance are prohibited.

Comments, shares, reposts, story replies/reactions, comment Likes and engagement on copies, albums, general announcements or other non-designated posts do not count. The entry number and designated post links identify the two sources used.

A reaction or heart removed before the closing record does not count. Changing a Facebook reaction does not create an additional vote. Engagement after the 4pm cutoff is excluded, even if live totals keep changing. The recorded counts, less evidenced invalid engagement, determine the public ranking.

Genuine unpaid support from friends, family, followers and ordinary community groups is welcome. Nobody must follow an Orchards account, share a post, tag friends, buy anything or subscribe to marketing.

7. Equal points from two rankings

The panel has 14 judges: 13 Orchards staff plus Karen Blomfield, the “Queen of Ampthill Events”, as its independent member. Karen's contribution to the town includes Ampthill Festival, the fireworks and many other community events. Karen has agreed to act as the independent member of the judging panel. Each of the 14 panel members has one equal ballot.

Each of the 14 judges considers all valid pumpkins and selects three different entries: first choice earns 3 ballot points, second 2, third 1. Those ballot totals create one overall panel ranking. With fewer than three eligible entries, judges rank the entries available.

The criteria are creativity/originality, carving or decorating skill, and overall Halloween impact, with equal importance given to each. Panel membership is fixed before launch and names are available on request. Conflicts must be declared and resolved before ballots are accepted. Judges review the pumpkin photos by entry number, without private entrant details or public engagement totals being supplied with their judging materials.

A tie in the panel's ballot totals that affects its top three is resolved by Karen comparing the tied entries against the same published criteria and recording her reasons, before final competition points are assigned.

The separate public ranking orders each pumpkin by its valid Facebook reactions plus Instagram hearts. Each ranking awards the following final competition points:

• First place: 3 points.
• Second place: 2 points.
• Third place: 1 point.
• Outside those places: 0 points.

Final score out of 6 = panel placing points + public placing points. Each side can contribute up to 3 points to an entry's result. The public total determines its placing; the number of reactions or hearts is not added directly to panel points.

Example: second with the panel earns 2 points and first with the public earns 3 points, for a total of 5 out of 6. First with the panel and third with the public earns 4 out of 6.

Entries with an equal positive public total share the placing and points. The next placing moves past the tied positions: for example, two entries jointly first each receive 3 points, and the next entry is third and receives 1 point. An entry with zero valid public engagement receives zero public points. There are no fractional points and the weighting is not redistributed when engagement is zero.

Each pumpkin is scored separately. The two lists may include several entries by one person; the one-prize-per-entrant rule is applied during prize allocation.

Combined-score ties go to the higher panel placing. If tied entries have no panel placing to distinguish them, Karen compares them using the same published judging criteria and records the reason for her decision. All 14 judges must complete the required ballots before any result is calculated. The number of judges does not change the 3-point maximum available from each side.

8. Prizes and allocation

• First: winner chooses a £250 voucher OR Apple Watch Series 11, 42mm, black OR a year's ZSL family membership for 1 adult and up to 4 children.
• Second: £100 voucher.
• Third: £50 voucher.

First prize is a choice of one of the three options listed, not all three. Voucher winners choose Smyths, The Entertainer or John Lewis; the chosen retailer’s normal voucher terms apply and will accompany the prize. The ZSL prize covers one year for 1 adult and up to 4 children; activation information and the provider’s membership terms will be supplied with the prize. A paid renewal is not required.

Each entrant can win one prize maximum. Working down the final score ranking, first prize goes to the highest eligible entry; second and third go to the next entries from different entrants. Additional entries from a winner are skipped for prize allocation but remain in the scoring calculation; scores are not recalculated merely because one person has several entries.

A disqualified entry and its engagement and ballot points are excluded. The public and panel rankings, their placing points and final scores are recalculated before prizes are confirmed. Remaining choices on each judge's ballot keep their original ballot points; points for a disqualified choice are not reassigned. If no valid ballot points remain, the panel repeats judging of the remaining entries under the same criteria.

Winners will be contacted privately by email, through a parent/guardian for under-18s, and have 14 days to respond, with a reminder where practical. An unclaimed prize passes to the next eligible entrant using the same ranking. Adam Barker will arrange prize collection or delivery with each winner. No fee will be charged to claim a prize. Prizes will be supplied within 30 days of voting closing.

Prizes are non-transferable, with no cash alternative. If a promised prize becomes genuinely unavailable outside Orchards' reasonable control, a reasonable equivalent of at least equivalent value will be arranged and explained to the affected winner.

9. Fair play and prohibited methods

Entrants must not arrange, authorise or participate in:

• Buying Facebook reactions, Instagram hearts or other votes; vote farms, bots, scripts, automated accounts or fabricated accounts.
• Like-for-Like, vote-for-vote, reciprocal voting agreements or groups primarily organised to exchange competition votes, whether paid or unpaid.
• Offering money, goods, discounts, giveaways or benefits for votes.
• Paid advertising, paid boosts or paid influencers to obtain votes for a particular entry.
• Several accounts for one person, impersonation, stolen creations/photos, sabotage, harassment or tampering with entries or voting.

Orchards will not selectively pay to promote individual entries. Ordinary unpaid sharing without a prohibited exchange or incentive is allowed.

Invalid votes may be excluded even if the entrant did not cause them. Disqualification requires reliable evidence that the entrant breached a published rule or arranged, authorised or knowingly participated in a breach on their behalf. An outsider's unsolicited misconduct does not automatically justify disqualifying an innocent entrant.

A high reaction/heart count, a sudden increase, shared internet access or an apparent voter location does not alone establish cheating. The entrant will have a reasonable opportunity to respond before a contested disqualification is final.

10. Enforcement and complaints

Orchards may investigate suspected breaches, request proportionate evidence, exclude evidenced invalid votes, reject ineligible entries, correct counting errors, recalculate scores and disqualify entrants where a published ground is established. It will keep the evidence, rule applied and decision, and explain material decisions privately to the entrant.

Affected entries or awards may be held temporarily while a credible issue is checked. Measures must be proportionate and consistent. Unsupported allegations or ordinary popularity do not establish a breach.

Report concerns to Adam Barker at ampthill@orchards.co.uk, giving the entry number, relevant rule and evidence. Someone other than the original decision-maker will review disputed administration or scoring; the independent judge will assist with judging disputes where appropriate. This does not limit legal rights or access to the ASA, ICO or another authority.

11. Safeguards and exceptional changes

Orchards may add reasonable, proportionate technical or verification safeguards to enforce these published rules and protect genuine participation. Safeguards will not retrospectively invalidate permitted conduct or change the basis for judging entries.

Terms will change only in exceptional circumstances, consistently with applicable law and the CAP Code. Necessary changes will be explained in a dated website notice and communicated to affected entrants, with previous terms available. A change must not unfairly disadvantage existing entrants or add a condition that could reasonably have affected their original decision to participate.

Closing dates will change only if unavoidable circumstances outside Orchards' control make that necessary and the applicable fairness requirements are met. This clause will not be used to add retrospective disqualification grounds, alter the equal 3-2-1 points available from the public and panel rankings or reduce promised prizes. An exceptional suspension or cancellation must be necessary, proportionate and explain how eligible entrants and prize commitments will be treated fairly.

12. Privacy and winner information

Who is responsible. Orchards Ampthill Ltd, The Old School House, 66 Bedford Street, Ampthill MK45 2NB, is the controller of competition information. Adam Barker administers the competition. Contact ampthill@orchards.co.uk about your information, permission or an entry.

What we collect and why. We collect the entrant's name, age, photo and entry number; an adult entrant's contact email; and, for under-18s, the parent/guardian's name, email and permission record. We keep entry status, judging ballots, closing vote records, prize correspondence and proportionate evidence needed to investigate a reported breach. We use this information to administer entries, verify eligibility and parental permission, judge fairly, contact winners, supply prizes and handle complaints. We do not need a child's own email address.

Our lawful bases. We use our legitimate interests in running a fair competition, preventing abuse and administering prizes and complaints for necessary private entry and voting records, taking particular care over children's interests. We rely on publication permission/consent for the public photo and entry number. A parent or guardian must confirm the publication permission for an under-18 entrant before posting. We make reasonable checks of parental responsibility where required, including for under-13s. You may withdraw publication consent by emailing us; if removing the photo makes public voting impossible before judging, we will explain the effect on the entry before withdrawing it.

What everyone can see. Approved pumpkin photos and assigned entry numbers are published on the official Orchards Facebook and Instagram pages. The photos must show the pumpkin only. Entrants' full names, ages, emails, guardian details and signatures are not published with entry posts. Members of the public may view, share or copy a public post; their own social-media activity is handled under the relevant platform's privacy terms.

Who handles private information. Access is limited to Adam Barker and authorised Orchards staff who need it for the competition. Judges receive photos and entry numbers rather than contact details. Jotform processes the entry form and uploads through its European submission service; here.now hosts this website. Facebook and Instagram process the public entry posts and engagement. We may share necessary information with a prize provider or delivery service to fulfil a prize, with the ASA or another authority where required, or with advisers where necessary for a dispute. Entry does not sign anyone up to property marketing.

Providers and international processing. Hosting, form and social-media providers may use infrastructure and subprocessors outside the UK. Their information about processing locations and transfer safeguards is available in the Jotform privacy policy, Jotform data-processing terms, here.now privacy policy and Meta privacy policy. Contact us for information about arrangements relevant to your entry and available safeguards. This website links to those services; it does not embed a social-media feed or add its own marketing trackers.

How long we keep information. Public pumpkin photos and entry numbers may remain online indefinitely as a record of the 2026 competition, subject to continued permission and your rights. We review continued publication at least annually and consider removal requests when received. We review private contact and eligibility details when prizes have been supplied and any complaints have been resolved, then delete or anonymise information no longer needed. Judging/vote evidence is retained only while needed to demonstrate fair awards or deal with a complaint; we review it at least annually. A minimal publication-permission record is kept while the relevant photo remains published. Information needed for an active legal or regulatory matter is retained for that matter and reviewed when it ends. Private contact information is not kept indefinitely simply because a pumpkin photo remains online.

Your choices and rights. Email us to request access, correction, deletion, restriction or objection to processing, portability where applicable, or withdrawal of publication consent. These rights depend on the relevant lawful basis and circumstances. We will explain any information we must retain. We can remove material from accounts we control but cannot guarantee deletion of independent copies made by other people. You may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.

Winner information. We publish the winning entry numbers and pumpkin photos. To request confirmation that valid prizes were awarded, email us within 30 days of the winner announcement. Adult winners' surname and county may be made available for that purpose, subject to an objection or request to reduce public identification. Winners are told before that information is disclosed. Children's identities remain protected; evidence of a valid award can still be supplied privately to the ASA if required. A separate publicity photo is not compulsory.

Nothing in these terms limits rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.