Sustainable Scarecrow Contest

ELIGIBILITY: 
• Participants must be between the ages of 8-18 as of January 1, 2026. Individuals who turn 19 after January 1, 2026 are still eligible to participate. 
• Youth must live in Washington County or attend school in Washington County. 
• This is a competition for amateurs. Commercial enterprises or businesses are not eligible to enter. 
• All entries must be original construction. Kits are not allowed. 
• The committee has the authority to disqualify any scarecrow that is inappropriate and not family friendly.

ENTRY: 
• All applicants must submit a registration form online by June 10, 2026. Applications are located on the Washington County Fair website (washcofairwi.com)
• All scarecrows should be dropped off Sunday, July 19th between 3:00pm-5:00pm or Monday July 20th between 1:00pm-6:00pm. NO LATE DROP-OFFS will be accepted. 
• All registered youth are eligible to purchase an exhibitor season pass admission ticket for $8.00 to the 2026 Washington County Fair at the Fair Park office during business hours.

REQUIREMENTS: 
• Scarecrows should be limited in size to a maximum of 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide.
• Scarecrows must be free-standing or securely stabilized in a 5-gallon bucket.
• No personal identification (name, initials, or signatures) should be included on scarecrow.
• Scarecrow must be made from recycled or repurposed materials.
• All expenses are not to exceed $50 value. 
• Always use appropriate safety equipment; such as goggles, ear plugs, masks. All power tools should be used under adult supervision. Follow directions listed in owner’s manuals and on equipment. 
• 4 (four) photographs of child participating in the scarecrow making process should be included. 
• The provided information sheet must accompany each scarecrow entry with the following information: 
    o Name of scarecrow
    o The crop/garden the scarecrow is designed for 
    o Cost of project 
    o Explanation of materials used
    o One (or more) things the youth learned from building this project 
• All exhibits must remain on display throughout the duration of the Washington County Fair and may be picked up during exhibit release on Sunday, July 26th, 2026 at 6:30p.m. If it is not picked up by Sunday evening, it would become property of Fair Park.

JUDGING: 
• Judging will take place on Saturday, July 25, 2026 starting at 12:00pm. 
• Exhibitors are not required to attend but are highly encouraged to.
• Scarecrows will be judged on the following included but not limited to:
    • Functionality                    • Quality of build
    • Materials used                 • Durability
    • Creativity/originality         • Overall appearance for use outdoors
• All judge’s decisions are final.
• Award winners will be announced on Saturday July 25, 2026 at 6:00pm 
• One entry will be selected for each placing: One 1st place award, one 2nd place award, one 3rd place award, one fair goers choice award.
• Cash prizes (1st place $1,000, 2nd place $500, 3rd place $250, $250 fair goers choice) will be awarded in the form of a check payable solely to the youth contest winner and will be mailed to the address on file. Cash prize redemption requires the completion of an IRS W-9 form by the contest winner prior to receiving the check distribution. 

Register at www.wcfairpark.com/fair by June 10th