What is a Scarecrow Festival?
Scarecrow Festivals are held in many towns and villages across the U.K. and are a fun way to bring together the community. Scarecrows have been used since ancient times to protect farmers' crops from feeding birds.
In recent years, many communities have begun to hold Scarecrow Festivals as a way of bringing different groups, businesses, schools and residents together and bring back the “community feel” that seems to have been lost in an era of technology and busy working families.
Ideas and Inspiration
There are all sorts of shapes and sizes of Scarecrow, ranging from window displays to large groups of individual Scarecrows, depending on the space and time that you have and your imagination. Google “Scarecrow Festivals” for inspiration.
If your home is directly on to the street you could display your Scarecrow in your window, or in a plant pot.
Conditions
1. To enter, please complete the entry form with the location of your Scarecrow, your contact information and the address/location of your Scarecrow.
2. By entering, you are agreeing to your entry being photographed and used in publicity about the Scarecrow Festival and to your name or your group or business name being used in publicity about the festival in future years. Should you wish to withdraw your consent please contact the Clerk via the email or by post as indicated below.
3. The Parish Council will hold the information on your form in compliance with GDPR requirements.
4. Each entrant can enter one Scarecrow or a group of Scarecrows.
5. Commercially available Scarecrows cannot be entered.
6. Cash prizes will be awarded for the winning entry in each category:
- Best Overall Scarecrow wins £100
- 1st in each category wins £40
- Runner-up in each category wins £20
- Best “Selfie with your Scarecrow” photo wins £30
- Judge's Choice £30
7. There are 6 categories for entry:
- Business or Organisation (e.g. shops, supermarkets, community groups, churches etc.)
- Education or Uniformed Groups (e.g. schools, nurseries, brownies etc.)
- Families
- Individuals 16 years and over
- Children under 16 years (majority of the work must have been done by the child/children)
- Best Street
8. Completed Entry Forms should be emailed to: [email protected]
9. Please send in a photograph of your Scarecrow to the email address: [email protected] by Friday 16th September 2022 Ensure you include your name and address on the email.
10. Scarecrows should be displayed within the boundary of your property and be clearly visible from the road for judging. Please ensure that your Scarecrow is secure so as not to fall or cause harm or damage to any person or property.
11. Scarecrows should be displayed from Sunday 24th September 2023 – Sunday 1st October 2023 and judging will take place on Sunday 1st October 2023.
12. Scarecrows should be constructed to be weatherproof in case of inclement weather.
13. Entrants must be residents of or have businesses within the vicinity of Clayton-le-Woods.
14. The closing date for entries is Friday 15th September 2023
15. The Parish Council will provide a virtual map of the Scarecrow entries during the festival and an online gallery.
16. The entries will be judged by 3 Parish Councillors who will be judging on the following two criteria:
1. Originality
2. Artistic/Creative Skills Displayed.
Points from 0 to 10 will be awarded for each criterion, and the winner of each category will be the entry with the highest points. In the event of a draw then the judges will exercise their discretion in deciding the winner. The overall winner will be determined at the judges’ discretion from all the Scarecrows entered.
Please remember that this is an event for the whole community so please avoid horror, graphic images, racial or sexual content.”
Submit an Entry
Closing date for entries is Friday 15th September 2023.