For our third annual pumpkin carving contest, we asked you to mix hip-hop and Halloween and you didn’t disappoint. Our inbox was filled with some awesome carvings of Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Kanye West, and Jay-Z. But we had to whittle it down to three jack-o’-lanterns that stood out from the pack.

Mandy sent chills down our spine with her thrilling carving of Michael Jackson as a zombie from his iconic “Thriller” video. Her attention to detail and technique won her first place and a Sony Bloggie 3D camera. Congrats!

Check out second and third place and some honorable mentions below.

2nd Place: All bow in the presence of the ArchAndroid. Ben nailed his carving of Cindi Mayweather with this pumpkin inspired by Janelle Monáe’s album cover. A Swatch New Gent watch is on its way to you, sir.

3rd Place: It’s alive! Mad Dog unleashed a monster with this depiction of Nicki Minaj as the “Bride of Blackenstein” from her “SNL” appearance, complete with a Nicki chain.

Here are some other submissions that caught our eye:

Congratulations to all the winners and a big thank you to everyone who entered. Happy Halloween!

Break out the knives. Rap-Up’s pumpkin carving contest is back for a third year. With Halloween around the corner, we’re once again looking for the best hip-hop-inspired jack-o’-lanterns. Past entries have included a parental advisory sticker, Michael Jackson tribute, and even a dressed up Lil Wayne. This year we’re hoping to see a Nicki Minaj or two, Tyler, the Creator, or maybe a pumpkin inspired by Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne. The best creations will win some dope products and be featured on Rap-Up.com. Check out the prizes and enter below!

1ST PRIZE: Sony Bloggie 3D Camera ($250)

Capture your favorite moments in 3D with the Sony Bloggie 3D. Small enough to fit in a pocket, the innovative camera shoots up to four hours of photos and high-definition video in 3D and 2D. Play back your memories on the LCD without the use of 3D glasses.

2ND AND 3RD PRIZES: Swatch New Gent Watch ($70)

Add some style to your wrist with the New Gent Collection from Swatch. The unisex watches offer fashion at an affordable price and are available in 10 trendy colors including red, black, white, and purple. Jessie J can be seen rocking them in her video for “Who’s Laughing Now.”

SUBMISSION RULES:

• Carve out a hip-hop or R&B-themed pumpkin. It can be a rapper, R&B singer, or any other design inspired by the music.
• Snap a photo of your pumpkin and send it in along with your name to halloween@rap-up.com.
• Take the best picture possible. Tip: Lighting your pumpkin from the inside will make for a better photo.
• Make sure you tell us what the pumpkin is supposed to be in the email in case there’s any uncertainty.
• Rap-Up will review all submissions and select three jack-o’-lanterns to win the prizes. We may even feature your creation on Rap-Up.com.
• Winners will be chosen based on originality, creativity, and technique.
• All entries must be received by Sunday, October 30, at 8 p.m. EST.

We asked you to carve up some hip-hop-inspired pumpkins for Halloween and you definitely delivered. Our inbox was flooded with Rihannas, Rick Rosses, Weezys, Nicki Minajs, and Jay-Zs. But there were three jack-o’-lanterns that stood out from the pack.

Mad Dog’s Parental Advisory pumpkin showed a high level of detail and creativity, but it came with an even better explanation: “I decided to carve something to scare all of the parents out there.” Congrats to our first place winner, who will receive a prize pack worth nearly $500 including Denon AH-D2000 advanced over-ear headphones, Logitech iPod speaker S315i, and Rihanna’s photo book.

Check out some of the other winners and runners-up below.

2nd Place: Jill’s pumpkin paid homage to one of hip-hop’s most essential elements: the DJ. And throwing in the Rap-Up logo didn’t hurt.

3rd Place: Glenn was in an “Empire State of Mind” when he carved this pumpkin. His portrait of Jay-Z even included his signature Yankees cap. Nice touch.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Emma carved everyone’s favorite martian Lil Wayne into her pumpkin.

Vince put his pumpkin on ice, carving a bottle of Dom Pérignon into a bucket. Bottoms up!

The bossiest pumpkin of them all belonged to Richard with his Rick Ross design.

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to everyone who entered! We’re sorry we couldn’t give prizes to you all. Happy Halloween!

Goblins, ghosts, and Gucci Mane, oh my! Rap-Up.com’s pumpkin carving contest is back by popular demand. With less than a week to go before Halloween, we’re once again looking for the best hip-hop-inspired jack-o’-lanterns. So bust out those knives and start carving! It may just win you Denon headphones, a Flip MinoHD cam, Logitech iPod speaker, and/or a copy of Rihanna’s new photo book. Enter below!

1ST PRIZE: Denon AH-D2000 Advanced Over-Ear Headphones, Logitech Rechargeable Speaker S315i, and Rihanna’s Photo Book ($480)

The superior headphone housing used in Denon’s AH-D2000 to produce high-quality sound is made of materials yielding exceptional acoustic characteristics ensuring faithful reproduction of the original sound. Compound metal is used to increase density, making the sound more stable and clear. Valued at $350.

Logitech’s S315i rechargeable speaker lets you enjoy up to 20 hours of accurately-reproduced music from your iPod or iPhone—at home or on the go. Valued at $100.

Rihanna’s 144-page photography book, available in trade paperback and hardcover editions from Rizzoli Publications, is a visual chronicle of one of the world’s most-talked-about performing artists and fashion icons. Valued at $30.

2ND PRIZE: Flip MinoHD and Rihanna’s Photo Book ($260)

Shoot up to two hours of stunning HD video on the easy-to-use Flip MinoHD (8GB) featuring image stabilization to produce incredibly clear and steady HD video. Valued at $230.

3RD PRIZE: Denon AH-C560R In-Ear Headphones and Rihanna’s Photo Book ($130)

Part of Denon’s exclusive Mobile Elite series, the AH-560R in-ear headphones combine the latest technologies with an inline three-button remote that can control select iPod and iPhone models, and includes a microphone that lets you record voice memos and answer calls on your iPhone. Valued at $100.

SUBMISSION RULES:

• Carve out a hip-hop or R&B-themed pumpkin like the ones seen here. It can be a rapper, R&B singer, or any other design inspired by the music.
• Snap a photo of your pumpkin and send it in along with your name to halloween@rap-up.com.
• Take the best picture possible. Tip: Lighting your pumpkin from the inside will make for a better photo.
• Make sure you tell us what the pumpkin is supposed to be in the email in case there’s any uncertainty.
• Rap-Up will review all submissions and select three jack-o’-lanterns to win the prizes. We may even feature your creation on Rap-Up.com.
• Winners will be chosen based on originality, creativity, and technique.
• All entries must be received by Saturday, October 30, at 7 p.m. EST.

The three winners for Rap-Up.com’s first-ever pumpkin carving contest have been revealed. Brian’s thrilling carving of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, reigns above the competition and scores a T-Mobile Dash 3G smartphone. Check out the second and third place jack-o’-lanterns below.

2nd Place: I’mma let you finish, but Brandon had one of the best Kanye West pumpkins of all time!

3rd Place: Adam’s Lil Wayne jack-o’-lantern comes complete with tats, diamonds in his grill, and shades, just like the real Weezy.

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to everyone who entered! Happy Halloween!

Hip-hop meets Halloween with Rap-Up.com’s first-ever pumpkin carving contest. With the holiday right around the corner, we’re looking for the best hip-hop-inspired jack-o’-lanterns. So sharpen those knives and start carving! It may just win you a spooktacular prize. Details below.

1ST PRIZE: T-Mobile Dash 3G

T-Mobile’s sleek smartphone features a full keyboard, 3G technology, Wi-Fi, video capture, Stereo Bluetooth, and more. Valued at $350.

2ND PRIZE: DJ Hero

From the makers of Guitar Hero comes an entirely new way to experience music. Spin and scratch more than 100 songs from artists like Eminem, Jay-Z, and Black Eyed Peas using the authentic turntable controller. Valued at $120.

3RD PRIZE: Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus

Bump music from your iPod or iPhone with Logitech’s portable speaker dock and alarm clock. Valued at $120.

SUBMISSION RULES:

• Carve out a hip-hop or R&B-themed pumpkin like the one seen here. It can be a rapper, R&B singer, or any other design inspired by the music.
• Snap a photo of your pumpkin and send it in along with your name.
• Take the best picture possible. Tip: Lighting your pumpkin from the inside will make for a better photo.
• Make sure you tell us what the pumpkin is supposed to be in the e-mail in case there’s any uncertainty.
• Rap-Up will review all submissions and select three jack-o’-lanterns to win the three prizes. We may even feature your creation on Rap-Up.com.
• Winners will be chosen based on originality, creativity, and technique.
• All entries must be received by Friday, October 30, at 8 p.m. PST.

Good luck!

In celebration of The-Dream’s debut album LoveHate, we’re giving away 3 copies of his CD, in stores today. The album features the hit single “Shawty is a 10″ and the follow-up single, “Falsetto.” All you have to do to enter is send an email telling us your dream gift for the holidays. 50 words max. Make sure to put “Dream” in the subject. Winners will be notified by email.

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED. THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Rap-Up.com has teamed up with T-Mobile to give away a brand new
Sidekick iD (value $299.99) plus a black bumper set (value $19.99) to one lucky reader. The Sidekick iD is all about personalization at an accessible price. Users can easily remove and replace the exterior of the device with fashionable color panels to fit their personal style, mood, or to match a certain outfit. The Sidekick iD features a large screen and a full-QWERTY keyboard, as well as voice calling, email, instant messaging, text messaging, and Web browsing.

All you have to do to enter is purchase a copy of Rap-Up‘s May/June issue and answer the following question:

Which artist asked Ciara a Pass the Mic! question? HINT: Look on page 66.

Email your answer along with your full name, age, and address to sidekick@rap-up.com. We will randomly select one winner from all correct entries. Contest ends Monday, May 28th.

The May/June issue of Rap-Up is on sale now. You can purchase your copy right here or at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Wal-Mart, Books-A-Million, Hastings, B. Dalton, and 7-Eleven.

Sidekick iD courtesy of T-Mobile.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING.

Can you guess who’s on the new cover of Rap-Up? Guess one of the two artists who will be on the cover of our May/June issue. Post your guess in the comments below. Two (2) lucky winners will be chosen from all the correct entries to receive a year’s subscription to the magazine. Make sure you post with your correct email so we can contact the winners. One entry allowed per person. Check back here on Wednesday, May 2nd, when we unveil the May/June cover. Good luck!

HINT: One artist is a male rapper and the other is a female R&B singer.