Ugly sweater contest rules
Send the rules with the invitation, so people know to dress up and how the vote works.
- 1
Anyone in a holiday sweater is in
Sweaters, vests and cardigans all count. So do sweaters people made themselves.
- 2
Anything can go on it
Lights, bells, tinsel, pompoms, felt and stuffed toys. Battery lights only, nothing that plugs in.
- 3
One vote per category
Everyone gets one vote in each category, and nobody votes for themselves.
- 4
Voting closes at a set time
Say when in the invitation. The host counts the votes and announces the winners.
- 5
One win each
Someone who wins one category is out of the others, so the prizes go round.
- 6
A tie goes to a show of hands
Or a coin toss, if the room can't decide.
Ugly sweater contest categories
Pick three to five. With more than five, the votes spread thin and the prizes stop meaning much. Ugliest overall is the one every contest has.
Ugliest overall
The main prize, for the ugliest sweater in the room.
Most creative
The idea nobody else had: a pun, a scene, a whole story on one sweater.
Best homemade
Built from a plain sweater with felt, tinsel and a glue gun.
Most lights and bells
The one you can hear, or see, from across the room.
Funniest
The sweater that got the biggest laugh.
Best matching pair
Two or more people in sweaters that go together.
Best accessories
The hat, the earrings, the leggings and the light-up glasses.
Secretly nice
The sweater someone would actually wear again.
How to judge and vote
There are three ways to pick the winners. A vote by everyone is the usual one.
Everyone votes
One vote each per category, on a ballot or a phone. The fairest way, and the most fun.
A panel of judges
A few people who aren't competing, scoring ugliness, creativity and effort out of 10.
Applause
Each finalist steps up and the room cheers. Quick, but the loudest friends usually win.
Vote from your phones
Paper ballots take a while to count, and applause goes to the loudest table. Kitokoto is a free poll that everyone answers on their own phone. Free, no account.
Start a sweater vote
Ugly sweater contest prizes
Small and silly works better than expensive. One prize per category, and something the winner can show off.
A trophy
A thrift-store trophy sprayed gold, passed on to next year's winner.
A gift card
Coffee, a bookstore or lunch, $10 to $25.
A crown or a sash
Cheap, silly, and the winner wears it for the rest of the party.
First pick in the gift swap
If there’s a white elephant later, the winner draws number 1.
A box of treats
Homemade cookies or a tin of chocolates.
An hour off
At work, if the manager agrees.
How to win an ugly sweater contest
If you’re entering, not hosting, these help.
Make it light up
A string of battery lights does more than anything else you can add.
Add something 3D
Stuffed toys, pompoms, ornaments and tinsel stand out from across the room.
Pick a theme
A pun, a scene or a film. Judges remember an idea more than a mess.
Make it yourself
A plain sweater from a thrift store, a glue gun and an evening.
Go head to toe
A hat, earrings, leggings or a matching tie.
At work, or online
At work, hold the contest at lunch, with voting closed before people head back to their desks. Keep the categories friendly, and make entering optional.
Online, everyone shows their sweater on camera, one at a time, and votes from their phone during the call. National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, the third Friday in December, is December 18 in 2026, and a good date for it.
For the rest of the party, see work Christmas party ideas.
Where the ugly sweater came from
Christmas sweaters were sold as festive wear for decades before anyone called them ugly. In the UK, Christmas jumpers became popular in the 1980s, when television presenters wore them on air.
The ugly Christmas sweater party came later, as a joke. Wikipedia dates the first one to 2002, in Coquitlam, British Columbia.
Questions
- What are the rules for an ugly sweater contest?
- Anyone in a holiday sweater can enter, everyone gets one vote per category, and nobody votes for themselves. Voting closes at a set time.
- How do you judge an ugly sweater contest?
- Let everyone vote, one vote per category, or pick three judges who aren't competing. Judge on ugliness, creativity and effort.
- What are good ugly sweater contest categories?
- Ugliest overall, most creative, best homemade, most lights and bells, funniest, best matching pair, best accessories, and secretly nice.
- What are good ugly sweater contest prizes?
- A gold-sprayed trophy, a $10 to $25 gift card, a crown or sash, first pick in the gift swap, or a box of treats.
- How to win an ugly Christmas sweater contest?
- Add battery lights and something 3D, pick a theme the judges will remember, and wear accessories to match.
- What is the story behind the ugly sweater?
- Christmas sweaters were sold as festive wear for decades. The ugly Christmas sweater party started as a joke, and Wikipedia dates the first one to 2002, in British Columbia.
- When is National Ugly Sweater Day?
- The third Friday in December. In 2026 that's December 18.
- Is there a printable ugly sweater contest ballot?
- Yes. The ballot on this page is a free PDF with four ballots to a page. Download the PDF.
- Can you run an ugly sweater contest on Zoom?
- Yes. Everyone shows their sweater on camera, then votes on their phone during the call.