Okemos - When it was said and done, three Honors College students remained amid the mountain of pumpkin innards and paint supplies.

Nearly 50 Honors College students came to Meridian Mall Saturday all with the idea of winning best overall pumpkin in the college’s first carving and painting contest.

Special education senior Matthew Means said the contest was put on to show people that the Honors College isn’t just about academics, but about having fun too.

“This is something to bring the kids out,” he said.

Means said he hopes to make this an annual event.

The contest had two categories, decorating and carving. The best of each was awarded a gift package from the Meridian Mall.

A grand prize of a $500 gift certificate to any Meridian Mall store was given to the best overall pumpkin.

“We will judge on creativity, originality and that special spark,” Honors College adviser Sally Spaniolo said.

Armed with carving knives, paint and creativity, the students worked frantically to transform pumpkins provided by the MSU Horticulture Society into jack-o’-lanterns.

Nursing sophomore Maresa Pardee and her team were looking for a good time on a Saturday afternoon and found it.

“We love Halloween, and we wanted to get involved with the Honors College,” she said.

Pardee and her teammates worked hard to make a UFO out of their pumpkin.

“There is no way we’re going to lose,” teammate and kinesiology and pre-med freshman Dave Newton said.

But it was all for naught for the UFO as it was soundly defeated in all categories.

Sara Mess, an engineering arts junior, Julie Novak and Aimee Brooks didn’t wake up Saturday with the thought of winning the contest at the Meridian Mall. They painted a unisex pumpkin, Eddie-Edwina, black and decorated it with a Halloween picture. Eddie-Edwina won the overall creativity category and the three students split the $500 prize.

“We were shocked,” Brooks said. “We didn’t think we would win.”

Though they felt they were overmatched by the other teams equipped with elaborate plans and stencil designs, their ill-preparedness paid off.

“We basically planned the whole thing in the car,” Novak said.

Novak, a chemical engineering junior and Brooks, a zoology junior, say they plan to use the money for Christmas shopping.

The best-carved pumpkin belonged to Sarah Maclean and Rachel Duval, a no-preference freshman, whose pumpkin, Oscar, won the hearts of judges.

“We were hoping to win, but didn’t expect it,” said Maclean, also a no-preference freshman. “It was really fun, even if you didn’t win.”

In the painting category, philosophy senior Robin Sloan and telecommunication senior Laura Portwood-Stacer were no match for the other teams.

Their pumpkin, bearing resemblance to Ben Franklin, was the result of a carefully planned method on a time table.

“We planned ahead,” Sloan said.