I cannot lie – this year’s submissions totally blew me away! I wrote last year that 2014 was the most successful contest to date, but I think this year took the watermelon cake.
Between the sheer number of entries this year, I was most impressed by the creativity and selection. Every submission was unique in its own way, which made it very difficult to choose a first, second and third place winner in each category. In reality, I’d like to award you all for your submissions, but that’s why I’m not a judge; it’s too much pressure to pick just one winner!
To recap, the judges’ criteria included not just the quality of the carving itself, but other factors like staging, the creativity of the concept, and the attention to detail paid by the carver. Originality was a key factor, too. In other words, did the carver go above and beyond by showing the judges something they might not have seen before?
This year’s carving categories included Most Elegant Carving, Best Fruit Basket Carving, Funniest Carving, Best Animal Carving, and Star-Spangled Carving. If anyone has any ideas for categories for next year’s contest, please leave a comment on this entry.
So, without further ado, I’m proud to announce the winners of the 2015 Watermelon Carving Contest:
Contents
MOST ELEGANT CARVING
Beginner
FIRST PLACE: Alex Szambelan
SECOND PLACE: Deepa Kaul
Experienced
FIRST PLACE: Panayiota Thoma
SECOND PLACE: Aneta Lekas
THIRD PLACE: Catalina Feng
BEST FRUIT BASKET
Beginner
FIRST PLACE: Lilian Ho
SECOND PLACE: Donna Lipscomb
THIRD PLACE: Donna Lipscomb
Experienced
FIRST PLACE: Aneta Lekas
SECOND PLACE: April Schmidt
THIRD PLACE: Ethel Darwin
FUNNIEST CARVING
Beginner
FIRST PLACE: David Carver
SECOND PLACE: Donna Lipscomb
Experienced
FIRST PLACE: Sue Dietrick
SECOND PLACE: Areerat Wancowicz
THIRD PLACE: Laura Poulsen
BEST ANIMAL CARVING
Beginner
FIRST PLACE: Kate Kierat
SECOND PLACE: Kate Kierat
THIRD PLACE: David Carver
Experienced
FIRST PLACE: Simon Muscat
SECOND PLACE: Aneta Lekas
THIRD PLACE: Sue Dietrick
STAR-SPANGLED CARVING
Beginner
FIRST PLACE: Donna Lipscomb
Experienced
FIRST PLACE: Rose Flores
SECOND PLACE: Rose Flores
THIRD PLACE: Laura Poulsen
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Beginner
FIRST PLACE: Deepa Kaul
Experienced
FIRST PLACE: Areerat Wancowicz
JUDGE’S CHOICE
Beginner
FIRST PLACE: Kate Kierat
Experienced
FIRST PLACE: Laura Poulsen
Congratulations to our 2015 Carving Contest winners and thank you to everyone who participated!
UP NEXT: Make watermelon pops with this cool prize!
View Comments (3)
It is great seeing all of this creativity. It made it really tough to pick winners because everyone did such a great job. Thanks to all the watermelon lovers that took the time to carve your favorite fruit or vegetable.
I feel the best overall “experienced” carving, not the Judge’s Choice, but rather the Star Spangled entry by Rose Flores. Every detail appeared to be perfect. Traditionally, one thinks Fourth of July for picnics, watermelon and patriotism,, and what could have been more perfect Ms. Flores’ entry.
I totally agree, Mark! Every year I think I’ve seen it all, but the next wave of watermelon carvers never ceases to amaze me! It takes a lot of skill to carve any kind of fruit or vegetable, which is something that I just can’t seem to grasp. Have you ever carved watermelon?