Inktober, an annual month-long challenge where artists create one ink drawing per day during October, has come to an end.

Each year, there is an official prompt list, one word for each day, for example, some of the prompts this year are “Blast” on Oct. 21, and “Button” on the 22nd. The artists can interpret these prompts however they like. Traditionally, ink is the medium that is used during Inktober, but some artists prefer using a different medium or digital tools.

Although Inktober is primarily for expressing artwork and creativity, it is also a social interaction between artists, and artworks that use the prompts of Inktober must be shared on social media with the hashtag #Inktober or #inktober with the year, for example, #inktober2025. Most platforms used are Instagram, X/Twitter or TikTok, simply because of their popularity and the number of people on the platforms.

In Mount Nittany Middle School, 8th-grade art teacher Amy Anderson, along with the rest of the art program, has been participating in Inktober for several years.

“We have been running a school-wide celebration of drawing for several years,” Anderson said.

Throughout the years, they have put Inktober prompts on the announcements and encouraged students to participate in Inktober with a contest. The contest is simple: complete five drawings from the Inktober prompts, and you win a small prize, which may be a fun pencil, a pencil sharpener or silly erasers. However, if you were to complete all 31 of the prompts for Inktober, you win a large prize, which is a set of Micron Pens, a pricey brand that is made for quality.

Although Inktober does celebrate art and promote artists globally, some people, like the new secretary of Art Club, Neve Johnson, believe that although Inktober is a creative outlet, it is also a challenge.

“I see it as a creative outlet. I do see it as a little bit of a challenge, I think it gives a lot of creative opportunities,” Johnson said. “I think it would make us all better artists. Sometimes, it can be a challenge to create something every day.”

However, there are some things that both Anderson and Johnson agree on. Inktober is definitely a bonding opportunity.

“It’s a way to bond over your creativity,” Anderson said, speaking about relaxing and doodling, and artwork before sharing it on the internet. She mentioned that it helps to bring the art community together.

“It would create a bonding opportunity, especially if we did it in Art Club,” Johnson said. Online can create a better community and can get more people interested and involved with art and Art Club.

Inktober really is just a way to celebrate creative thinking and help to promote idea development, and gives artists around the world a chance to share their artwork with their community and the rest of the world. It is a way to challenge artists and to get them accustomed to a different medium and style, and it provides a learning experience for the younger generation.