# Ugly Sweater Contest Ideas for the Office or a Virtual Party (2026) > How to run an ugly sweater contest at work or on a video call: categories, a simple judging sheet, voting with chat reactions, cheap prizes, the 2026 dates and a video entry for remote teammates. This is a plan for an ugly sweater contest at the office or on a video call: categories that give more people a chance to win, a simple way to judge, voting with chat reactions, cheap prizes, the 2026 dates and how teammates who work from home can enter with a short video. The video entry needs one photo of one adult, from the waist up or more, and gives a 5-second vertical 9:16 clip of them dancing in a reindeer sweater at a party. It costs from 10 credits, or from $6.39 for one video without an account. ## Pick the day In the US, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day falls on the third Friday of December, which is Friday, December 18, 2026 ([Punchbowl](https://www.punchbowl.com/holidays/2026/12/18/national-ugly-christmas-sweater-day)). In the UK, Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day is Thursday, 10 December 2026, and it asks for a donation, typically £2 for adults ([Save the Children](https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/christmas-jumper-day)). If your team spans both countries, pick one date and run the contest in the overlap of everyone's working hours. ## Categories, so more people can win One "ugliest sweater" prize goes to the same person every year. Six categories keep it open: 1. **Ugliest overall.** The classic, decided by the crowd. 2. **Most homemade.** Glue gun, tinsel, felt and a store-bought sweater nobody would recognise anymore. 3. **It actually lights up.** Battery lights, bells, anything that blinks or jingles. 4. **Most 3D.** Pom-poms, stuffed reindeer, a whole tree sticking out of the chest. 5. **Best duo.** Two teammates whose sweaters only make sense side by side. 6. **Best moves.** For video entries, see below. ## A judging sheet that takes two minutes Pick three judges from different teams and give each a sheet with every entry numbered. They score 1 to 5 on three things: **ugliness** (how bad is it, honestly), **effort** (bought this morning or built over a weekend) and **commitment** (did the wearer stay in character all day). Judges skip entries from their own team. If two entries tie, the room breaks it with applause. ## Voting with reactions on a virtual party On a call, ask everyone to post one photo or clip in the chat, each in its own message, and number them in order. Pick one emoji as the vote, give each person a single vote and no votes for their own entry, and close voting at a set time. Screenshot the counts before someone "accidentally" adds a few. If the vote needs to be secret, use your chat tool's poll instead of reactions. ## Cheap prizes people want - A thrift-store sweater sprayed gold, passed on to next year's winner. - First pick at the gift swap. - Control of the playlist at the next team event. - A small donation to the charity of the winner's choice, which fits Christmas Jumper Day. For scale: the largest gathering of people in holiday sweaters that Guinness World Records lists is 3,473, set by Kansas Athletics at a basketball game in Lawrence, Kansas, on 19 December 2015 ([Guinness World Records](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/106250-largest-gathering-of-people-wearing-christmas-jumpers-sweaters)). Your office probably won't threaten it, but it makes a good opening line. ## The video entry for remote teammates Some people work from home, don't own a sweater or don't want to buy one for a single day. They can enter with a video instead: - **Each person sends one photo of themselves.** Waist up or more, face to the camera, ideally smiling, since the clip ends on a laugh. What they wear doesn't matter: it becomes the sweater. Only make videos from photos people sent you themselves, of adults who agreed. - **One video per person.** Each one is 5 seconds: they stand in a green reindeer sweater with a red nose, do finger guns, spin once and laugh while blurred, made-up guests clap behind them. - **Play them in a row.** Put the clips one after another and share your screen, or post each in the chat with its number. - **Judge them in Best Moves.** Every video entrant wears the same sweater, so they compete with each other on the dance, not against the homemade knits. Download the clips silent if you want your own party playlist underneath. ## What a video entry costs It isn't free. Each video is Balanced at 10 credits for 480p or 20 for 720p, or Premium at 20, 40 or 70 credits for 480p, 720p or 1080p. One video without an account starts at $6.39; credit packs start at $7.92, so an organiser making clips for several teammates can buy credits once. There is no watermark, and a failed render is refunded automatically. [Make a video entry →](https://costumewalkai.com/ugly-sweater-dance-video) ## FAQ ### What day should we hold the ugly sweater contest in 2026? In the US, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day is Friday, December 18, 2026. UK teams often pick Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day, Thursday, 10 December 2026. Any day before people leave for the holidays works. ### How do you judge an ugly sweater contest fairly? Use three judges from different teams and score each entry from 1 to 5 on ugliness, effort and commitment. Judges skip their own team's entries, and the crowd breaks ties. ### How can remote employees take part? They wear their own sweater on camera, or send a photo and enter a 5-second dance video in which they wear a reindeer sweater. Number every entry and vote with chat reactions. ### Should a video entry compete with a real sweater? Give video entries their own category, such as Best Moves. Every video entrant wears the same reindeer knit, so judging it against homemade sweaters isn't fair to either side. ### What are good cheap prizes? A thrift-store sweater sprayed gold as a trophy, first pick at the gift swap, control of the next party playlist, or a small donation to a charity in the winner's name. Make it on CostumeWalk AI: https://costumewalkai.com/blog/ugly-sweater-contest-ideas