Pre-registration required. $10 entry fee.
Enter by May 15, 2024
Seedling pick up on Saturday, May 18 from 8 a.m. - noon or Sunday, May 19 from 1 -5 p.m. at the Maryville Glass and Lock in Maryville.

Pumpkins will be displayed, and $2,000 in prize money will be awarded at “Fall Into Fun” on the final day of the Maryville Farmers Market on Sept. 29, 2024.

By registering, you gain a unique opportunity to grow a giant pumpkin. You'll receive two seedlings or seeds, contest rules, and how to get valuable tips on how to nurture your giant.

Entries must be grown from provided seedlings or seeds by a resident of and in Nodaway or seven adjacent counties—only one entry per registration.

Plants and seeds provided by the contest are the same variety that produces world record holders ­— including the world record 2,749 pounder. We are not expecting whoppers. But all entries have started from the same Atlantic Giant seeds that routinely produce 200 to 500 pounders. It’s not easy! Soil Ph, water, fertilizer, insecticides, fungicides, and two and four-legged critter control are all factors. Growers participating in state, national and international events spend hundreds of dollars acquiring seeds from giants and devote countless hours growing, pollinating and tending their pumpkins.

1. All entrants must pre-register online using the form below, pay a $10 entry fee, and are allowed one pumpkin entry in the contest. Seedlings are provided.

2. Pumpkin must be grown in and by a resident of Nodaway County, Missouri or in one of seven adjacent counties. (Atchison, Holt, Andrew, Gentry and Worth counties in Missouri, and Taylor or Page counties in Iowa.)

3. Entry must be grown from Atlantic Giant seedlings or seeds provided by the contest organizers. (Plants must be picked up between 8 a.m. and noon on Saturday, May 18th or 1 - 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 19th, at Maryville Glass and Lock, 5th and Buchanan in Maryville.

4. Weigh-in will be on Friday, Sept. 27th, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Consumers Oil Co., First and Depot in Maryville, Mo.

5. At weigh-in, judges will inspect pumpkins to ensure that pumpkins:

   • are clean and free of soil or foreign matter

   • are free of rot and holes or cracks going into the interior cavity of the fruit

   • do not have more than one damaged area more than three inches in depth

6. Fresh superficial damage caused by lifting, animals or growth cracks will not count toward disqualification. Fruits not meeting the above specifications will be disqualified. The inspection judges' decision is final.

7. Grower agrees to allowing Downtown Maryville to display their entry until the closing of the Fall Into Fun — Final day of the Maryville Farmer’s Market on Sunday, Sept. 29th.

8. Prize monies will be awarded at 4 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 29th, at Fall Into Fun on the square in downtown Maryville.

9. Pumpkins not picked up at the conclusion of Fall Into Fun will be destroyed.

10. No Cheatin’!