The Scarecrow Invasion team invites residents of Meaford to enter the Scarecrow Invasion Contest for best scarecrow in the categories of “Overall Best” and “Green” scarecrows.
The Scarecrow Invasion team is looking for ideas to make scarecrows more sustainable for future invasions and may use some of the ideas from contest entries. Please see judging criteria for the “Green” scarecrow category for specifics that are important to the organizers for next year’s invasion.
Click on the link below to see full contest details and enter the contest.
Contest Rules, Terms and Conditions
Eligibility
Only residents of the Municipality of Meaford are eligible to enter this contest.
Minimum # of Participants
There must be a minimum of ten participants in each category in order for the contest to proceed
Prizes
- One (1) $500 prize for “Overall Best” Contest Category
- One (1) $500 prize for “Green” Contest Category
- Refer to “Judging Criteria” below for criteria for each category
Contest Entry
- Enter the contest by filling out the form accessed through the link above.
- Your scarecrow must be completed before submitting your contest entry.
Contest Timeline:
- Entries will be accepted between from 12:01 AM on August 28th, 2023 to 11:59 PM on September 28th
- Judging will take place from 7:00 AM on September 29th, 2023 to 7:00 PM on October 5th, 2023
- Winners will be notified on October 6th by phone call and email
- Winners will be published on the Scarecrow Invasion website on October 10th, 2023.
- Prizes will be awarded at the Scarecrow Invasion Volunteer Recognition Event on October 17th 2023.
Judging of Contest Entries
- Each scarecrow will be judged for both contest categories
- Depending on the number and location of entries, some contestants may be asked to submit photos, in which cases, judging will be done from the photos
- Judges will assign points according to the Judging Criteria shown below
- The winner of each category will be the contestant with the highest points
- In the event of a tie, the winner will be selected by random draw of the tying entries, to be presided over by a minimum of two Scarecrow Invasion Executive Committee members
- In the event that a contest winner is not willing, or is unable, to collect the final prize, an alternate winner will be selected and announced. The alternate winner selected will be the contestant with the next highest number or points in that category.
- The judges’ decisions are final.
Judging Criteria:
| Overall
Contest |
Green
Contest |
||||
| Criteria | 1 – 3 points | 4 – 7 points | 8 – 10 points | Points | Points |
| Appearance | Good effort | Impressive | Exceptional | ||
| Creativity | Good effort | Impressive | Exceptional | ||
| Biodegradability of construction materials | 0 – 33% biodegradable materials | 34 – 66% biodegradable materials | 67 – 100% biodegradable materials | ||
| Durability
|
Would last for about 1 – 3 weeks | Would last for about 3 – 5 weeks | Would last for about 5 – 7 weeks | ||
| Method Scale-up | Difficult | Possible | Highly suitable | ||
| Total Points | /30 | /30 | |||
Explanation of Judging Criteria:
- Appearance: In the opinion of the judges, how visually appealing the scarecrow is.
- Creativity: In the opinion of the judges, how original and imaginative the scarecrow is.
- Biodegradability of construction materials: In the opinion of the judges, roughly what percentage of the scarecrow is made of biodegradable materials
- Durability: In the opinion of the judges, how well the scarecrow would maintain its structure and appearance over 7 weeks while outside exposed to the elements
- Method Scale-up: In the opinion of the judges, how easy it is to make this scarecrow in large quantities (200 – 400); over the course of several months; by untrained volunteers; and be suitable for storing and transporting according to the needs of the event.
