Hosting an ugly sweater contest is a festive way to spread holiday cheer and spark friendly competition. From creative DIY designs to store-bought masterpieces, this guide covers how to organize, promote, and judge your contest with ease. Learn how to set clear categories, create a voting system, and collect entries with SurveyLegend’s picture-based survey tool. Upload sweater photos, share your survey link, and watch live results roll in as participants vote for the ugliest, funniest, or most creative design. Perfect for offices, schools, and families, an ugly sweater contest brings laughter, memories, and holiday spirit to everyone involved.
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The holidays – love ‘em or hate ‘em, what’s not to love about an ugly holiday sweater contest? These gaudy garments can make you laugh and cringe, all in the spirit of fun. Ugly sweaters have become a thing everyone associates with holiday celebrations, turning into an iconic part of the season. From Christmas to Kwanzaa to Hanukkah, ugly holiday sweater competitions have become a tradition. And like all traditions, contests are often built around them. Ugly Christmas sweater contests are held between friends, family, co-workers, and communities. Kids also get involved in ugly sweater contests, making it a fun family tradition that everyone can enjoy together. If you’re holding an ugly holiday sweater contest, you’ll need an ugly holiday sweater contest survey to determine a winner. Here’s how to get started!
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The History of Ugly Christmas Sweaters
While the tradition of ugly Christmas sweaters seems to be a relatively new one, the trend is recognized as having begun in the 1980s. Some say it was an ironic form of rebellion against the fashionable – but large and gaudy – sweaters of that era. But the seasonal wearing of ugly Christmas sweaters – which often feature kitschy motifs of reindeer, snowmen, and other holiday staples, or cheesy or overly sentimental phrases – really got underway in the 2000s.
According to The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book: The Definitive Guide to Getting Your Ugly On, a couple of Canadian guys threw the first ugly Christmas sweater party in Vancouver back in 2001. Since then, hosting “Ugly Christmas Sweater” parties has become a holiday tradition. At these events, guests are encouraged to wear the most outlandishly ugly sweaters they can find, all in festive fun. Traditional holiday elements like wrapping paper, lights, and decorations have always played a role in creating a warm, festive atmosphere—much like the sweaters themselves, which add to the nostalgic holiday spirit.
In 2013, after startup company Tipsy Elves appeared on the television show Shark Tank and got a $100K investment from Robert Herjavec, and went on to become a multimillion-dollar business, the popularity of ugly holiday sweaters increased and expanded, with ugly Hanukkah sweaters, ugly Kwanzaa sweaters, and more. Today, even major retailers and fashion brands have gotten in on the act, producing intentionally ugly holiday sweaters.
Ugly holiday sweater contests have appeared on daytime talk shows like Good Morning America, and the ugly attire commonly appears on holiday episodes of popular television shows, like Modern Family. Each year, the ugly sweater contest tradition continues to grow and evolve, with more people joining in the fun and making it a beloved part of their annual holiday celebrations.
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Creating Your Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest
Ugly holiday sweater contests are hosted at households, company parties, community events, and more. Many ugly holiday sweater contests are just for fun or bragging rights, while others can have significant prizes, meaning voting on the ugliest sweater can get heated! To make sure the competition is fair, you’ll want to be sure the judging criteria are clear to participants.
For example, if the contest is large, you might want to consider different categories, such as:
- Best Store-bought sweater
- Best DIY sweater (some people will opt to make their own)
- Best use of lights (many sweaters light up)
- Best use of music and technology (many sweaters play music, and some connect to Bluetooth devices)
- Best outfit overall (some people go above and beyond, wearing more than just an ugly sweater – but that may not be fair for those only wearing ugly sweaters).
You’ll also want to identify how judging will be done. Sometimes, specific people are chosen to judge the contest; other times, everyone at the event has a vote. In school settings, teachers can be involved in the judging process, helping to encourage student creativity and ensure fairness. Remember to specify if there will be prizes. If prizes are substantial, like at a large community event, you’re likely to get a lot more participants. An award, such as a certificate or trophy, can be given to recognize the winner’s accomplishment and motivate continued engagement. So, you might want to consider an entry fee for participating.
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LOVE HOLIDAY CONTESTS? SurveyLegend specializes in them. Be sure to check out our Christmas Light Contest Survey, Thanksgiving Contest Survey, and our Halloween Costume and Pumpkin Contest Surveys!
Create Your FREE Ugly Sweater Contest Survey Now!
Designing Your Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest Survey
Like the look of the ugly holiday sweater contest survey with images above? It was created with SurveyLegend’s online survey tool. Images of various sweaters were uploaded, and a holiday background and font were added in the DESIGN stage. In this example, we chose a relatively plain image, with a hint of Christmas lights, to ensure that the sweaters “popped” off the page; you can also use plain colors or change the background to your liking. In the example below, for example, a Christmas sweater pattern was selected. We did select the BLUR option so it wouldn’t compete so much with the sweaters themselves.
To create your own ugly holiday sweater survey with photos, simply ask participants to take pictures of themselves (or take them as they enter the event). You might consider cropping off heads as we did, so that voters aren’t unfairly influenced by the person wearing the sweater.
Next, upload all of the participants’ images into your survey and share your survey link with others to collect votes. SurveyLegend will automatically tally up the votes in real time, which you can display live on your event page if you like to make the contest more fun and engaging. It won’t be long before you’ll have crowned a winner in your ugly holiday sweater contest!
Create Your FREE Ugly Sweater Contest Survey Now!
Here’s a step-by-step guide to make the best survey possible.
How to Create Your Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest Survey with SurveyLegend
- Log in to your account.
- Add a new survey, and navigate to the CREATE step.
- Use our picture-based question type (“Picture Selection”) by clicking on it.
- Click on the picture selection question that was just added, and then click on the “upload” button.
- Select all of your pictures at once from your computer, and then hit upload. Wait until the upload process is complete for all images.
- If you like, change the layout and size of holiday sweater photos using the settings on the left-hand side. You can also choose whichever voting type you prefer. People usually use the “Ranking” voting type and let people vote for their top 3 favorites.
- Go to the DESIGN step to change the look and feel of your survey (for example, you can choose a dark theme or upload your own background).
- Go to the CONFIGURE step and give your ugly sweater contest a good name so that you remember it. Also, make sure you have this setting ON: “Limit number of participations,” which will make sure people cannot vote multiple times to influence results.
- Finally, continue to the SHARE step, copy your competition link, and send it to your audience using SMS, Email, Facebook, Slack, or whatever platform you like.
- When the distribution of your ugly holiday sweater survey is done, go to Live Analytics and watch as the results come in.
If you’re holding a holiday party, you can also use video projection to broadcast the live analytics page to all attendees. They can watch, in real-time, as the votes roll in. This makes your ugly Christmas sweater competition a lot more fun!
Create Your FREE Ugly Sweater Contest Survey Now!
Implementing and Promoting Your Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest
Bringing your ugly Christmas sweater contest to life is where the real fun begins! Once you’ve designed your survey and set the rules, it’s time to turn your holiday tradition into an event everyone will remember. Start by locking in the details: pick a date and time that works for your group, whether it’s a December office party, a classroom celebration, or a community gathering. Choose a location that’s easy for everyone to get to—think office break room, local community center, or even a virtual party if your coworkers or friends are spread out.
To make your contest extra festive, consider awarding extra points for sweaters that go above and beyond—think blinking lights, reindeer antlers, or over-the-top holiday themes. The more creative and outrageous, the better! Encourage everyone to wear their ugliest sweater and really get into the spirit of the season.
Promotion is key to making your ugly sweater contest a hit. Create colorful posters or flyers to hang around your office, school, or town, and don’t forget to include all the important details: date, time, location, and what prizes are up for grabs. Take your promotion online by posting about the contest on Instagram, Facebook, or your company’s internal channels. Use hashtags like #uglychristmassweater, #sweatercontest, and #holidaytradition to spread the word and get people excited to compete for the title of ugliest sweater. You can even post teaser photos or memes to build anticipation as the big day approaches.
To keep things interesting, offer prizes in a variety of categories—like the ugliest sweater, most creative design, or the sweater that best captures the holiday spirit. This gives everyone a chance to shine, whether they’re rocking a classic ugly Christmas sweater or a DIY masterpiece. Don’t forget to snap plenty of pictures and share them on your event page or social media—everyone will love seeing the wild and wacky sweaters on display!
Create Your FREE Ugly Sweater Contest Survey Now!
When it comes to judging, you have options. You can appoint a panel of judges to pick the winners, or let everyone vote for their favorites using your online survey. Just make sure your judging criteria are clear—creativity, originality, and overall ugliness are always good benchmarks. This keeps the contest fair and ensures everyone has a great time, whether they win or not.
With a little planning and a lot of holiday cheer, your ugly Christmas sweater contest will quickly become a favorite holiday tradition. So don’t wait—start organizing your contest today, rally your coworkers, students, or friends, and get ready to see who can claim the crown for the ugliest, most creative holiday sweater in town. It’s a great way to bring people together, spread some festive fun, and maybe even inspire a few new holiday memes along the way!
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Ready to create your ugly sweater contest voting form? Our surveys render beautifully on any screen, are customizable to your design preferences, and can limit voters to one answer so overly competitive dressers don’t continue to vote for themselves. They can also be made anonymous so there won’t be any feuding between friends! Start now with SurveyLegend and hold the best ugly Christmas sweater contest in town!
Do you participate in ugly holiday sweater contests? Have you ever won one? We’d love to hear about your winning wardrobe in the comments!
Create Your FREE Ugly Sweater Contest Survey Now!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Where is the best place to buy an ugly Christmas or holiday sweater?
Many retailers carry ugly Christmas sweaters, and make versions for other celebrations such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Some online retailers to check out include Tipsy Elves, Ragstock, Etsy, Ugly Christmas Sweater, along with large outlets like Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Kohl’s.
Can you make a DIY ugly sweater for a contest?
Creating your own ugly sweater shows great creativity, but if it’s a contest with prizes, you’ll want to check the rules to be sure that DIY creations are eligible to win.
How should I host an ugly holiday sweater contest?
Organize the contest within the community or amongst friends, family, and coworkers toward the end of November to give them plenty of time to find the ugliest sweater. Set rules, categories, judging criteria, and prizes (if there will be prizes). Then, use SurveyLegend’s online survey tool to highlight all the participants’ sweaters and allow people to vote for their favorite(s).
