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Mission Viejo, CA

Is there anything in the rules that prevents judges from awarding a Howard Dill award to a damaged pumpkin?

9/20/2017 11:50:39 PM

Morgantown, WV

One of those sloppy areas where I believe it is up to the individual site coordinator to decide...

My best guess of the situation would be that it does not qualify for an award if damaged, but with subjective rules it's hard to say for sure.

It would soil my respect for the award to hear that it went to a damaged fruit, just an opinion however, not a rule.

9/21/2017 6:08:11 AM

NILES , CALIF

If its one of those clap the loudest to win the HOWARD DILL;
Its up to the site coordinator, the crowd may like a
damaged pumpkin and clap the loudest, You win!! the Howard.

9/21/2017 12:15:03 PM

Western NY

If it is damaged which means a DQ then how can it win anything?

9/21/2017 4:18:24 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

3) No foreign material (i.e.: fungicides, caulking, skin additives et cetera) will be permitted in the weighing of any fruit.
A) Vines must be trimmed to within one inch of the stem of the fruit.
B) The stem itself will not be applicable to judging as stated below.
4) The specimen must be sound, healthy, and undamaged.
A) Entries must be free of rot.
B) Entries must be free of holes or cracks into the interior cavity of the fruit.
C) Entries must be free of damaged areas that are greater than 3 inches in diameter and greater than 3 inches deep. Any single damaged area greater than 3 inches deep will classify the fruit as damaged (DMG). The dimensions of the damage will be measured after all soft material has been removed with a spoon, if needed.
D) If there are more than two damaged areas, the pumpkin will be disqualified even if each is smaller than described in 4C.
E) Small damaged areas are acceptable if naturally healed over with new rind, also known as natural scabs or new cantalouping.
F) The Judges reserve the right to probe cracks, holes, and to dig out soft spots to judge a fruit official or not. Before the Judges can execute any of the previous they must have the grower present.
G) Judging is to be completed before a fruit is officially weighed.
H) Refusal of any inspection to an entry will cause the entry to be classified exhibition only.
5) The GPC will recognize one entry per grower or team for top ten average calculations.
A) Entries other than the grower’s one official entry will be entered as “EXH – exhibition” for legal fruit and “DMG – damaged” for illegal fruit.
B) If a grower or team wants to bring multiple entries they must contact the site representative(s) prior to the weighoff day to ensure the site can accommodate their multiple fruit.
6) No specimen will be allowed into competition at a GPC site if that specimen has been previously entered at another competition

9/21/2017 8:22:07 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

The Howard Dill Award
This award is given to the prettiest pumpkin at the weigh off, determined by your judges or
other unbiased method – some sites use crowd voting or an independent panel. Some have the
growers vote on the prettiest.
Some sites have a size minimum for this - 500 lbs, as an example. This will be a site
preference; you may decide to have no minimum.
This award should be for the giant pumpkin class. The qualities to look for are a good orange /
red color and symmetry. A few good looking specimens are pictured below.

9/21/2017 8:27:35 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

About as clear as mud. I sure wish they would go with a point system.
Size 1-5
Color 1-5
Symmetry 1-5

9/21/2017 8:30:12 PM

The GPC handbook doesn't have a rule that says fruit with a dmg designation are not eligible to win the Howard Dill Award.

Likewise there is no rule that eliminates exhibition fruit from consideration.

However I believe both are specifically prohibited from receiving prize money so if you have a HDA contender that could end up with a dmg designation don't take it to an event that offers prize money for its Howard Dill Award winner or you could end up being ineligible for that reason.

The handbook gives considerable latitude to site coordinators as mentioned above so you may be able to avoid some game day disappointment by communicating with your club and site coordinator in advance. If they tell you you are not eligible I don't think you would be out of line to ask if that policy has been published in advance or to politely request that it be added to the club and contest materials for next season so that the house rules, once established, are consistent and available to all the growers.

9/21/2017 8:32:44 PM

Western NY

I guess common sense doesn't come into play!

9/21/2017 11:04:12 PM

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

I wouldn't think a dmg is eligible. I don't think if a grower enters a second fruit as an Exhibition it is eligible either ... is it?

9/22/2017 12:10:48 PM

NILES , CALIF

t

9/22/2017 12:24:55 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

If prize money is awarded I feel EXH is not eligible. You get one entry to the show...

9/22/2017 1:15:00 PM

Mission Viejo, CA

There's no cash awarded at our weighoff for the HDA

9/22/2017 1:31:56 PM

NILES , CALIF

Kevin,
Take your pumpkin to the weigh-off,you worked hard growing it.
If something is damaged dont worry about it,let them find it
and tell you.

Good luck

9/22/2017 2:54:52 PM

Torrance, Ca.

We have a 25 year HD judge that will be there Kevin. I'll stand on one side and you stand on the other side when he's checking your pumpkin. We'll bring up a fishing story or something and move him along to the next fruit.:)

Thanks for the pictures and its really hard to even tell there's damage. You'd need a microscope to find it.

9/22/2017 6:58:18 PM

Grittyville, WA

I think there are two reasonable ways of judging for the Howard Dill award. One is to vote on simply "which is the prettiest pumpkin?"

The other would be to follow the traditional definition of pretty, and say the shape should be round, the color should be orange, and the size should be... well, however big Howard Dill thought they should be?? This approach would lend itself to quantification better (like judging on a 1-5 scale).

I think its kinda nice though that the GPC isn't too authoritarian about it. If the club votes on what works best for each of their weigh offs (and how they want to award their money) that works for me. I think there are multiple ways to honor the efforts of Howard Dill. Above all, I think he was trying to please his customers. I doubt a DMG pumpkin would be pleasing to a customer but the issue may still be best left to the clubs to decide.

9/25/2017 3:44:27 AM

Anoka, MN

This is how we are going to handle it our first year.
Howard dill will be awarded by a pannel of judges to undamaged fruit over 500#.
However.... we are also having our own peoples choice award. Any atlantic giant would be eligible and awarded by anonymous voting of general public.
There is no cash for these pumpkins this year.

9/25/2017 6:49:10 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

At Anamosa, the site coordinator appoints a couple of non-grower judges who make the decision. It resulted in a field pumpkin winning one year when there was a aver deserving giant in the show.. Pawnee City gives each grower one vote; just don't vote for your own pumpkin. I prefer the Pawnee City method. The growers who put all the work into the growing have a better perspective.

9/25/2017 8:50:05 AM

Owensboro, Ky.

Iowegian, I hope that problem has been resolved!! Howard Dill award is for an Atlantic Giant pumpkin!! That fact should be explained to anyone in the decision making process. Peace, Wayne

9/28/2017 12:53:06 AM

Johnston, R.I.

This is only an opinion, but it is mine.. I think that only a fruit entered in competition should be considered for any prize which includes a HDA.. How they are chosen at a weighoff is up to the people running the weighoff.. Atlantic Giants only..

10/2/2017 7:37:45 AM

Grittyville, WA

The pnwgpg club picks three which best meet their criteria then let the public vote. I think it would be more fun to just let the public vote on the whole lineup ... but this requires giving every entry a number and it's just a little more work to tally it up.

10/3/2017 10:18:59 PM