Pumpkin Weigh-Off Organizers Raise the Bar with World Record and $25K in Prize Money

The race is on more than ever before to grow the biggest pumpkin this year.

With $25K in total prize money for the world’s first 1-ton pumpkin, there’s a lot at stake for those cultivators who like to grow colossal pumpkins.

Organizers of Half Moon Bay's Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off announced today they are offering $25,000 in total prize money for the world's first 1-ton pumpkin for this year’s event, which will take on Oct. 8, 2012, before the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival weekend on October 13-14.

The prize money is believed to be the greatest, by far, of any weigh-off in the world, reinforcing Half Moon Bay as the World Pumpkin Capital and "Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs,” according to a press release.

Not to mention, growing the first 1-ton pumpkin would be a world record in itself.

"It's only a matter of time before someone grows the first 1-ton pumpkin, and it would be incredibly exciting to have that monumental landmark established right here," said Cameron Palmer, chairman of the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. "With Half Moon Bay's proud tradition and legacy, it would not only be fitting but also a tremendous honor for our weigh-off."

Here's how the $25,000 breaks down: the winner receives $6 per pound plus a $10,000 bonus mega prize for a new world record plus the difference to get to $25,000. So, a 2,000-pound pumpkin would net $12,000 (2,000 pounds x $6 per pound), plus $10,000 for a new world record, plus an additional $3,000 difference to get to the $25,000 threshold.

To receive the $25,000 mega-prize, the grower must break and hold the world record and 1-ton record at the conclusion of the Half Moon Bay weigh-off. If two or more growers happen to break the world record and 1-ton barrier at Half Moon Bay, the prize money would go to the grower of the heaviest pumpkin.

The current world record is 1,818.5-pounds, grown by Jim & Kelsey Bryson. The Bryson's new record was set at the Prince Edward County Pumpkinfest in Wellington, Ontario Canada in October 2011.

Defending champion Leonardo Urena of Napa obliterated the competition at last year's Half Moon Bay weigh-off with his 1,704-pound Atlantic Giant that set a new California state record.

The Half Moon Bay win also secured Urena "Grower of the Year" honors from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) for his Top 3 pumpkins which had a total weight of 4,948 pounds at three separate weigh-offs, best in GPC history.

The Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off will take place on October 8th from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the I.D.E.S. Grounds, 735 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, CA. The champion pumpkin, along with the top five pumpkins overall, will be on display at the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival on October 13-14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information on the weigh-off and festival, call 650-726-9652 or visit www.miramarevents.com.

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