ScarecrowPromoSCARECROW ENTRIES: Judging Guidelines and entry criteria: The festival committee wish to remind people about the new guidelines and entry criteria for the All Ireland Scarecrow Championships. These guidelines are currently available on our facebook page and information leaflets. These guidelines have been devised by our panel of judges based on their experience over the past number of years, to ensure fairness, equity and consistency in terms of the judging process. They have clearly set out what constitutes a scarecrow and how the exhibit will be scored. There will as always be three sets of judges. Unlike other years when all judges examined every aspect of the scarecrow, this year each set of judges will be given one or two criteria items under which to judge. This will ensure fairer and more consistency in awarding of scores.
New categories have been introduced and you will also be asked when you are completing your entry if you are a household, group or a business. These categories will then be judged against each other. Competition categories are: Humorous, Topical and Open / General.
The most exciting addition is the award for ‘Best Residential Community’. This award is in recognition of the work and effort of the residents of Durrow in bringing the town alive with scarecrows and welcoming visitors into their streets and estates. The award which will be separate to the prize fund will be valued at €300 and be awarded to the relevant Resident’s Association / Group. The winners of the award will be determined by the percentage of houses in the street/estate which participate in the competition plus the average score of the scarecrow entries. Please contact the committee to confirm your area’s wish to be considered for this award. Your area will not be considered unless a formal approach is made to the committee for your inclusion. If you have any queries in relation to the new guidelines or entry criteria, please contact Marian on (086) 8390266 or marian@durrow.ie by email.

Entering a Scarecrow? For anybody entering scarecrows for this years competition, could they please have their entry forms in as soon as possible, you don’t have to have your entry made and we promise we won’t tell anybody what it is, but there is a lot of background work to be done, including making the signs and laminating them and receiving the entries so late is a bit of a nightmare, so your early entries would be much appreciated. As always Noeleen Dunphy is the contact for all entries (087) 9636460.