Affirming once again that there is no endeavor too small or inconsequential that humans will not compete at, there is a world championship heavyweight pumpkin competition. The annual competition—officially known as the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off—is, predictably, held in the United States of America. And on Monday a new “world champion” was crowned in what organizers have dubbed the “Heavyweight Championship of Gargantuan Gourds.”
Here’s this year’s winner weighing in at 2,058 pounds grown by John Hawkley, who took home a cash prize of $12,510—or six bucks a pound.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
In case you’re interested in taking your urban gardening hobby to the next, world championship level in the pumpkin division, there are rules. A sampling of the biggies:
Specimen must be grown, cared for, and entered by the weigh-off contestant.
Specimens must be in healthy and undamaged condition, free of rot, holes and cracks through the cavity, chemical residue, and soft spots.
To be classified as pumpkin, specimen must be 75% yellow/orange in color; all others will be classified as squash.
The vine must be trimmed to one inch from the stem. No foreign material is permitted in the weighing.
Here are some more super sized pumpkins for you.
