Open to All: Dahlia Flower & Photography Competition
Generous Gardeners will be hosting our first competition for dahlia flowers and photography on September 30th at the Bass Rocks Golf Club in Gloucester, MA. The event will be free and open to the public from 11:00-2:00. You will be able to vote for your favorites for the People’s Choice award in each of the seven categories.
The flower judges will be Bart Kellerman, many time winner of the Topsfield Fair Dahlia competition, Generous Gardener Antonietta Calabrese, and Generous Gardener Mary Grazen Browne. The photography judges will be award-winning photographers, Jason Grow and Shawn Henry. There will also be a People’s Choice award.
General Guidelines and Information:
Exhibitors may be from any town or city and must register on the Generous Gardeners website through this link by September 27.
The cost to register is $5 per category. Limit is a total of two entries per contestant. Each submission is one flower for those categories and one photograph for those categories. Registered submissions will be accepted at Bass Rocks Golf Club main entrance from 8:30 -9:30 a.m. on day of the show only. The show will be open and free to the public from 11:00-2:00.
Breakdown will be from 2:15 – 3:00. Exhibits and photos must stay at Bass Rocks until breakdown. Any exhibits not picked up by the close of the show at 3:00 will become the property of Generous Gardeners unless other arrangements have been made. The award announcement will be at 2:30 at the main entrance to the Bass Rocks clubhouse.
Judge’s decision is final.
Rules for Dahlia Competition: The flower competition is open to all amateur dahlia growers. Exhibitor must be the dahlia grower. Exhibitor does not have to know the name of the dahlia variety entered. Each dahlia may be entered in only one category. Each exhibitor must provide their own container or bud vase for a single dahlia in registered category. The vase is not being judged, so please have simple if you have one available. Bottles are also fine for display.
Rules for Photography Competition: All photographers are welcome. All photos must feature dahlias, either a single flower variety or a garden of many. Photos must be the exhibitor’s own work. Photos must be 5×7 framed and brought to the show. No digital entries will be accepted. The photo is being judged, so no matting please and a simple frame is best although not required.
There are seven categories:
1. Flower: Cactus, Semi-Cactus or Incurved Cactus. Contestant provided bud vase.
2. Flower: Ball, Miniature Ball or PomPon. Contestant provided bud vase.
3. Flower: Formal and Informal Decorative, Stellar or Waterlily. Contestant provided bud vase.
4. Flower: Single, Collarette, Anemone, Mignon Single, Orchid or Peony. Contestant provided bud vase.
5. Photograph: Framed 5×7 Single bloom of a dahlia: petals may or may not extend beyond the edge of the photo. No photographer identification on the photo. No matting.
6. Photograph: Framed 5×7 Multiple blooms of a single variety of dahlia: more than one dahlia must appear in the photo. No photographer identification on the photo. No matting.
7. Photograph: Framed 5×7 Dahlia gardens: any dahlia garden with or without people. No photographer identification on the photo. No matting.