Gourdness gracious were these some great pumpkins; coloring contest winners announced

This year’s pumpkin patch grew bountifully for The Spokesman-Review’s annual children’s pumpkin coloring contest.

We had 82 entries, in three age groups: 0 to 4, 5 to 8 and 9 to 12. And from those entries, newsroom judges gathered and were inspired by what they saw. From Frankenstein’s monster to Coraline and the Other Mother, we saw the spooky, the cute and downright creative.

Here are the top three winners from each age group:

Ages 0 to 4

In our youngest group, 2-year-old Ophelia Bond, of Spokane, delivered a classic fall theme with leaves and autumnal colors. Four-year-old Leela Dasovich’s vertical blocked coloring caught the judges’ attention. Leela is from Spokane. And coming from Martha Lake, Washington, 4-year-old Isaiah Weiser, strayed away from fall colors and instead used an unexpected palate of green. The heart eyes were a nice addition.

Ages 5 to 8

Also applying a use of hearts, Aspen Anderson, 7, of Newman Lake, Washington, created a pumpkin of whimsy and joy. Ella Toth, who hails from Spokane, won over the office’s cat lovers, and Colbert’s Lydian Pritchard spooked the judges with a ghost. Ella and Lydian are 8.

Ages 9 to 12

Stark colors brought Addilyn McConnell’s scene to life. The 9-year-old from Spokane’s art piece sported a mushroom house with a cat peering through the window and a witch flying in front of the moon. Hadley Landrus, 10, of Spokane Valley, depicted Frankenstein’s monster in a classic green hue with lightning bolts. The classically spooky piece also included spiders. Eleven-year-old Gianna Murray, of Deer Park, detailed a portrait of a couple of Neil Gaiman characters: Coraline and the Other Mother, known for her button eyes, from the book and movie “Coraline.” The detail of the tunnel behind the characters pulled the scene together.

Thank you for another round of fantastic submissions and keep an eye out for the next holiday coloring contest later this year.

This year’s submissions can be viewed at Mobius Discovery Center, 331 N. Post St.