Oct 1, 2020
California’s world heavyweight championship of Godzilla gourds is on

Where there’s a will there’s a weigh!

Bring it on beefy, burly behemoths! The excitement is building in Pumpkintown as the World’s Greatest Gourd Growers and their mind-blowing, Volkswagen-sized orange orbs hope to squash the world record on Monday, Oct. 12 at the 47th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off – the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs” – in the World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay, California.

According to a news release, weigh-off organizers and title sponsor Safeway are offering a world’s biggest top prize of $7 per pound. Also at stake are thousands of dollars in super hefty prize money doled out to the top 20 plus the big carrot: a $30,000 total mega-prize for a new world record pumpkin entered at Half Moon Bay – considered the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs.” The weighing of monster pumpkins will begin at 7 a.m. and end around 11 a.m.

Two-time Half Moon Bay champion Leonardo Urena’s goliath 2,175-pound mega-gourd obliterated a formidable field of heavyweight contenders in winning the 2019 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off and setting a new California record.

Beauty will share center stage with beefy brawn – a special $1,000 prize will be awarded to the “most beautiful pumpkin” as judged by our esteemed panel based on color, shape and size. Additional special prizes include: Biggest California Pumpkin – $1,000; Biggest Coastside Pumpkin – $1,000.

Using forklifts and special harnesses, the gargantuan gourds will be carefully placed on a 5-ton capacity, industrial-strength digital scale under the watchful eye of officials from the San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office of Weights, Sealers, and Measures. Half Moon Bay’s Weigh-Off will serve as an officially sanctioned Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) site.

NEW WEIGH-OFF LOCATION:

Long Branch Farms is among the top venues for private events in the San Francisco Bay Area. The venue is popular for weddings, private parties, corporate offsites and company team building events. Two miles south of downtown Half Moon Bay off Highway 1, this unique old western town is nestled in the rolling countryside along the San Mateo coast. Long Branch Farms is located at 321 Verde Road, Half Moon Bay CA 94019.

COVID PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS:

• Due to the COVID pandemic, the weigh-off will not be allowing spectators/the general public to attend the event. However, participating growers are allowed to have a limited number of family and assistants (max. 4 including grower). Event staff and members of the media will be the only other people allowed on-site.

• The health of our participants is our top priority. We are following all safety and sanitary precautions as recommended by the CDC and San Mateo County Health Department.

• Everyone will be required to wear a face covering during the weigh-off and adhere to proper physical distancing. Special weigh-off face coverings will be provided to everyone on-site.

LIVESTREAM ON FACEBOOK: Follow the weigh-off Livestream on Facebook.

OFFICIAL RULES:

• This event is open to growers of giant competition-sized pumpkins only.

• Pumpkins must be grown, cared for, and entered by the weigh-off contestant.

• Each contestant is limited to one entry.

• Pumpkins that have won prizes in any other weigh-off competitions are not eligible.

• In the event of a tie, prize money will be distributed equally among the tied parties.

• Decisions of the judges are final in all cases.

•Pumpkins 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.

•All pumpkins will be weighed without the use of tarps or other carrying devices.

•Pumpkins will be classified by division based on where the specimen is grown, not the residence of the grower.

•The weigh-off will be conducted in accordance with GPC rules.

DELIVERY OF ENTRIES:

Growers are responsible for bringing their entries to the weigh-off by 7:00 a.m. Weigh-off staff will move pumpkins using brute strength manpower, special harnesses and forklifts. ALL entries will be handled with care.

WEIGHING:

The weighing and inspection will be officiated by the GPC and San Mateo County Department of Agriculture Office of Weights and Measures. The official weighing will be conducted using a 2-ton capacity digital scale.

GROWER PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED:

Growers are required to pre-register online on through our Eventbrite page. This will help us manage and control the event and provide an accurate count of entries. Your cooperation will help us run a well-organized event.

This event is open to growers of giant competition-sized pumpkins only. If you register and have tickets but are not a grower or are not entering a giant competition-sized pumpkin, you will not be admitted due to COVID restrictions.

GROWERS AWARDS LUNCHEON:

There will be an awards luncheon to honor all contestants immediately following the weigh-off in the spectacular Long Branch Farms Reception Parlor.

WORLD’S BIGGEST TOP PRIZE – $7/Pound

1st place prize money will be awarded in a “pay-by-the-pound” system with the champion receiving a hefty $7 per pound.

WORLD RECORD MEGA-PRIZE – $30k

The Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off is offering a special $30,000 mega-prize for the world record breaking pumpkin at the prestigious Half Moon Bay event. To receive the $30,000 mega-prize, the grower must break and hold the world record at the conclusion of the Half Moon Bay weigh-off. If two or more growers happen to break the world record at Half Moon Bay, the prize money would go to the grower of the heaviest pumpkin. The current world record pumpkin is 2,624 pounds set on October 9, 2016 by Mathias Willemijns of Belgium at the Giant Pumpkin European Championship in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Here’s how the $30,000 breaks down: the winner receives $7 per pound plus a $10,000 bonus mega prize for a new world record plus the difference to get to $30,000. So, a 2,000-pound pumpkin would net $14,000 (2,000 pounds x $7 per pound), plus $10,000 for a new world record, plus an additional $6,000 difference to get to the $30,000 threshold.

PRIZE MONEY:

1st Place — $7 per pound

2nd Place — $3,000

3rd Place — $2,500

4th Place — $2,000

5th–10th Place — $1,000 each

11th–20th Place — $200 each

SPECIAL PRIZES:

World Record Pumpkin — $30,000 (total)

Biggest California Pumpkin — $1,000

Biggest Coastside Pumpkin (Montara to Pescadero) — $1,000

Most Beautiful Pumpkin — $1,000