Attention commercial watermelon growers and gardeners in Florida, Alabama and Georgia:It is almost time to enter your finest melons in the Big Melon Contest at the Panhandle Watermelon Festival.
The festival and the contest have been summer-time staples in the Central Panhandle for decades. Growers should not miss their opportunity to showcase the delicious product of their hard work with a chance to win prize money.
The contest classes will be divided by varieties. The heaviest melon in the class wins. Winners of each class will receive $50, while runner-up will win $25. In addition to the classes, there will be a $300 grand prize paid for the overall heaviest melon in the contest and $250 for the runner-up.
There is no cost to enter a melon in the contest. However, melons that are entered in the contest are donated to the festival and will be sold via auction. Proceeds of the auction will be used to offset the costs of next year’s festival. All contest melons will be on display during the festival and their variety, weight, and grower will be announced during the auction.
The 2023 Panhandle Watermelon Festival will be Friday June 23, and Saturday June 24, in Chipley, Florida. The Friday night concert festivities will be held at Jim Trawick Park and Saturday’s events (including the melon auction) will be at the Washington County Ag Center. The auction will begin at noon on Saturday.
Melons being entered in the contest will need to be delivered to the Washington County Ag Center prior to the festival. Melons will be received and weighed-in at the Ag Center Wednesday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or Thursday between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. central time.
The Washington County Ag Center is located at 1424 Jackson Ave. Chipley, Florida, 32428.
If you have any questions regarding the contest, contact Mark Mauldin at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Washington County Office (850-638-6180 or mdm83@ufl.edu).