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Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Howard Dill award: This award will be given to the grower of the prettiest, symmetric, orange or orange-red pumpkin. How the winner is decided based on this description will be up to each site coordinator.

I think changes are need to the criteria, so it is based on a fair judgment.

1> The Pumpkin must be an Atlantic Giant of at least 500lbs. No field pumpkin should ever be considered for this award
2> It must be an official entered pumpkin no Dmg, no Exhibition.
3> I believe there needs to be a better way of deciding the Howard Dill Award to Judge on the criteria of Color, Shape and symmetry.

11/23/2015 1:10:00 PM

South Hero, VT

All good points. I have seen ugly orange AGs get an HD award, and I have seen beautifully shaped pumpkins that weren't really orange get an HD award.

11/23/2015 1:28:25 PM

Wixom MI.

i agree,but maybe a 400 lbs because of southern states like arizona texas alabama etc... ?

11/23/2015 1:32:00 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I liked the way the award was chosen at Pawnee City. Each grower got a vote but couldn't vote for their own. They didn't set a size limit since it was a newer weighoff. I guess you could say I didn't like how it was done in Anamosa, since I didn't win. I really don't know who picked the winner and how they judged it. One year when my son had the best looking AG by far, the HD was given to a field pumpkin.

11/23/2015 2:30:48 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

At doylestown each grower gets one anonymous vote. We've done it like that since the beginning. There is no weight requirement, but a field pumpkin would not be allowed.

11/23/2015 2:55:51 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

There was not one 500 pounder in Missouri this year and I know many people personally who tried to grow.

11/23/2015 3:01:35 PM

South Hero, VT

I believe the 500 lb weight limit was set by Diane Dill, Howard Dill's daughter.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

11/23/2015 4:26:07 PM

NILES , CALIF

This subject was brought up a while back,and if I
remember correctly the gpc was gonna take a very hard look
at it.Hopefully they will let us know what has transpired
All these ideas on the Howard dill award are great

11/23/2015 4:53:11 PM

South Hero, VT

That's DIANA Dill. My bad.

11/23/2015 5:16:32 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

steve...how do you type Diana, with a tongue roll?

11/23/2015 7:31:38 PM

Muddy Waters

The problem is it usually gets political.Its very hard for people to be unbiased. A fair way to do this would be to send photos of the entrys at one weighoff to a group of growers who are not present.They would have no idea whos they were.No that would be a fair vote

11/23/2015 8:45:18 PM

Muddy Waters

now not no sorry typo

11/23/2015 8:46:03 PM

Buffalo, MN (Billsbigpumpkins@hotmail.com)

For once I agree with Bubba, growers will be biased to people we like because we all know who brought what pumpkin. I think to have a fair selection a small group that has no contact with any of the growers should be chosen. I also think an exhibition fruit should count if it passes all the rules to be an official fruit at the site. Are we not looking for the best looking pumpkin to win the HD award.

11/23/2015 10:27:50 PM

Muddy Waters

Yes good point Bill.Exh should count

11/24/2015 8:01:55 AM

Wixom MI.

you still need to judge in person, photos can be misleading. you can make a pail pumpkin look orange, a orange pumpkin look redish and who is going to take a pictures of the flaws on the pumpkins.you can only see everything in person.i think lowegian idea is the best way myself.honesty i have no idea how our site does it ? i never even heard of the results until 3 weeks later ? and i had a potential HD candidate!

11/24/2015 10:33:57 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

The color, shape, and being the "prettiest" will always be subjective and open to debate, unless it is your pumpkin, then it's the best one. Weight isn't.

11/24/2015 12:54:39 PM

Minnesota(dw447@fastmail.fm)

I like the Pawnee City method as well(as stated by Iowegian). If all the growers voted, I would hope that most of them would be unbiased by who grew the pumpkin, and vote for the best looking their mind.
I also like the idea of eligible pumpkins needing to be at least 500 lbs., for this region anyway. If it is a problem in the south, maybe they could lower the weight threshold for those weighoffs, or smaller/newer weighoffs as well.

11/24/2015 7:27:00 PM

Minnesota(dw447@fastmail.fm)

"in the their mind" I meant

11/24/2015 7:27:40 PM

Muddy Waters

Doug I saw a HD contest where a guy had 15 friends with him.The ugly pumpkin won the HD.It was a no brainer But it turned out a popularity contest. These things are tough to keep fair.

11/24/2015 7:30:55 PM

Minnesota(dw447@fastmail.fm)

Wow Mark! I guess things like that can happen then.

I recall one year I won "Prettiest" Pumpkin at a weighoff. Mine was decent looking and orange, but there were two other pumpkins there, that I'd say were clearly better looking than mine, IMO. I'm not sure, but I think one or two non-growers voted that year. I thought maybe they got the numbers on the pumpkins mixed up, or something. Or maybe best looking is just that highly subjective.

11/24/2015 9:16:33 PM

Johnston, R.I.

I grow orange and try to grow only orange because it makes me happy.. The HD award is my gold medal and I want as many as I can get.. Unlike nascar we have no template to put over the pumpkin to judge the prettiest. A wise man told me once that the HD award is like Gymnastics, what makes a pumpkin a 9.6 or a 9.8 is in the eye of the judge and always will be.. I think exabition pumpkins should not be considered in this only official entries should be judged. A picture never tells the true story, pumpkins along with people have a better profile on one side or another. I think they need to be judged in person on site.. These are nothing more than my opinions and were not meant to ruffle anyone's feathers, and if I did I am sorry..

11/25/2015 1:40:42 AM

Central Illinois

Judging by photos will not work as some of you have stated, also after watching the diaries all season many growers/voters will know what pumpkin belongs to what grower just by seeing the photo.

I think HD can also be a EXH as long as it could pass as official but, should be something like over 300 pounds.

11/25/2015 8:35:30 AM

NILES , CALIF

Just my thought on the Howard Dill;
Maybe we can have " Two HOWARD DILL AWARDS" at each sight
Both get a ribbon and a howard dill plague ,plus
you would attract more orange growers to participate;
When ever you go to a pumpkin site to compete they always
have all kinds of numerous ways to win as far as heavy and
only one Howard Dill?

11/25/2015 10:49:51 AM

Minnesota

Can the people coming to the weigh-offs vote on it, have a say? (I have not been involved with the work behind the scenes, setting everything up, taking it down, all the work that goes into it) Couldn't there be a voting shoe box encouraging everyone to vote on the Howard Dill winner? promising the voter who's name is drawn some free pumpkin seeds?

11/25/2015 2:22:52 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

I think uneducated voters from the general audience would be a very bad idea. Once I was at a weighoff where the MC picked the HD winner and he picked a very unique looking pumpkin that he found interesting. He didn't understand the importance or proper criteria to choose correctly.

11/25/2015 2:31:20 PM

South Hero, VT

Growers should vote on the pumpkin that gets the HD award.

11/25/2015 3:08:44 PM

Minnesota

I don't know, I think someone attending the event would choose the pumpkin that looks the most perfect.

11/26/2015 1:26:11 AM

NE Arkansas

Yeah cut us some slack in the south... our HD winner was 329 lbs at Missouri... and I know how much work went into it...

11/26/2015 3:45:00 AM

Omaha, Ne.

Pawnee city, was only for the one's weighing a pumpkin had a vote. and not for there own. I think worked very well. Even if I thought mine was prettier then my wife's:)

11/26/2015 1:09:20 PM

Central Illinois

Should the HD winner in a State weigh-off be grown in that State

11/27/2015 9:09:56 AM

Upa Creek, Mo

Baitman, my issue with that is the smaller weigh offs like the one we have in So Missouri. Many of our contestants come from border states like Arkansas and even other states as far as Alabama (spence). If they didn't have a shot at an HD I feel that might veer growers from out of state away, and wouldn't help the event.

Daren, I like that idea

11/27/2015 9:31:56 AM

NE Arkansas

Yeah smallmouth is right cause we don't have a weigh off for pumpkins in Arkansas so if you couldn't win the HD award then why would we grow orange?

11/27/2015 2:41:38 PM

NE Arkansas

We have to travel to Missouri, Alabama, and Tennessee for weigh offs.

11/27/2015 2:44:00 PM