Weighing and measuring rules

1. How to get eligible results

EGVGA only accepts and publishes results of club members.

To take part in the annually club competitions you must be a member by May 1st.

All members must comply with the rules and regulations set forth at a measuring event they wish to participate in. Any rules have to be fair and impartial for all growers wishing to participate.

Members shall contact the leader of a measuring event prior to the measuring day to ensure the site can accommodate their multiple entries.

There are different ways to get eligible results for EGVGA charts and competitions.

A: GPC weigh-offs

EGVGA accepts all weights and measurements of any Great Pumpkin Commonwealth sanctioned weigh-off site.
The EGVGA board has the right to refuse or delete results of a GPC event, if there are any doubts about absolute correctness.

B: Traditional Events

EGVGA accepts weights and measurements of local traditional weighing or measuring events, if the rules for eligible fruits and measuring tools meet EGVGA rules.

There is a “white list” of these events. Only results from events on our “white list” are accepted.

If you would like an event to be put on our list, contact the EGVGA board at least four weeks before the event with appropriate and necessary information.

The EGVGA board decides which events will be put on this list.

The EGVGA board has the right to refuse to put an event on the list or delete an event from the list, if there are any doubts about absolute correctness.

C: Members measuring events

A minimum of three EGVGA members can organize their own measuring event.

Each measuring event needs an available responsible person who may contact the EGVGA board and provide all needed information.

Each eligible measuring event must be open to all EGVGA members who wish to participate. If there are less than 5 members/participants present, measurements have to be documented by photo or video.

There is a “white list” of these events. Only results from events on our “white list” are accepted.

If you would like an event to be put on our list, contact the EGVGA board at least four weeks before the event with appropriate and necessary information including date, address, designated judges, responsible person and categories that will be possible to be measured.

The EGVGA board decides which events will be put on this list.

The EGVGA board has the right to refuse to put an event on the list or delete an event from the list, if there are any doubts about absolute correctness.

2. Growers

“Grower” is defined as a person who has grown and cared for the entry from planting to harvest without essential help of a third party.

“Team” is a group of at least two growers contributing equally to the care of a fruit/vegetable grown at the same address and exhibited together.

Each entry must be exhibited by the grower or team.

3. Fruits & Vegetables

The specimen shall be sound, healthy, and undamaged.

Entries must be proper for kitchen use.

Entries must be free of holes or cracks into the interior cavity of the fruit.

Entries must be free of serious damaged areas

Entries must be free of proceding rot

No foreign material (i.e.: soil, caulking, skin additives, fungicides et cetera,) will be permitted in the weighing of any fruit.

Vines must be trimmed to within one inch of the stem of the pumpkin, squash or gourd for weighing.

Stems, leaves or roots of other vegetables shall be cut one inch of the skin of the fruit, bulb or root.

The international standards and rules apply for all varieties.

4. Weighing and measuring equipment

All specimens that will be submitted to the EGVGA for awards and recognition must be weighed on a certified scale with only the fruit on the scale.

Any fruit weighed with a tarp, pallet, or any other lifting device will be classified unofficial weight or “EXH”.

The scale including all lifting devices, platform or other extensions has to be set to “zero” prior to each single weighing and must not be changed during the whole procedure to be fair and equal for all entries of a category.

All scales have to be “legal for trade” and must have a current certification sticker attached to the scale or been inspected and certified by a governmental agency prior to the measuring day.

All sites should use fitting sized platform scales, sitting level on a solid stable surface.

Accuracy of scales should be according to the weight of the entries.

Different categories may be weighted at different scales.

5. Judges

At least three judges shall be responsible for providing fair and authentic measuring.

All judges must have a complete knowledge of the rules.

It will be necessary to have a current copy or online access to the rules present at each site so anyone may reference them.

If any judge has his/her entry in question, another will be appointed in their place.

The judges will also assume responsibility of ensuring the integrity of the fruits and measuring tools.

The Judges reserve the right to probe cracks, holes, and to dig out soft spots to judge a fruit official or not. Before the Judges can execute any of the previous they must have the grower present.

Judging is to be completed before a fruit is officially measured.

Refusal of any inspection to any entry will cause the entry to be declassified as damaged.

6. EGVGA Competition Classes

Descriptions of all recognized categories of vegetables are listed on egvga.eu

The EGVGA board selects and determines the competition classes every year.

“Seed of the year” and “squash seed of the year” are extra classes, entries for these will be eligible although classified as exhibition only (EXH) in a local weigh off and/or GPC-charts.

The competition classes of the year are published in spring.

7. Results

The EGVGA will only recognize one award per fixed address per class.

A fixed address will be defined as a parcel of land used by growers and/or teams to grow their entries.

Only the first one measurement of each fruit or vegetable shall be official and eligible for EGVGA chart registration. Multiple entering will be classified as cheat if not proper signed as “already weighed”

Entries are only accepted till October 31st of every year.

All growers are responsible for their results. They have to make sure, that the results are sent in time to the EGVGA in required format by the responsible person of a weigh off or another reliable person.

The EGVGA board decides, if results follow the rules and are accepted.

The board has the right to reject results, if there are any doubts about correctness.

The EGVGA will publish all qualified measuring events as soon as possible.

8. Prize Moneys

The EGVGA decides and publishes competition classes and prize moneys for these classes every year in spring.

Prize moneys may vary depending on financial possibilities like number of memberships, results of seed auctions, donations and other reasons.

Winners’ results and full name will be published on our website. Results and names may also be published on other websites like social media.

Winners of prize money must contact the club treasurer to clarify the payment method.

9. Board Decisions

The rules will be strictly enforced for weights, fruit soundness and certification of scales and measuring tools.

If there are any reasonable doubts about the admissibility of any entry, any member could report this to the EGVGA board.

The EGVGA board has the right to change entries from regular to damaged (DMG) or delete at all.

The EGVGA board has the right to delete all entries of a member if one entry is classified as cheat. Furthermore the board has the right to banish a grower from membership.

10. Disclaimer, members’ data

The EGVGA saves name, home address and email address of every member.

We only use these data to send your seed package to your home address and club information to your email address.

We don’t give any personal information to others.

These rules apply from August 8th, 2020. More details may be added.