We are a little less than a month away from the start of the Iowa State Fair (August 8-18, 2024)! Each year, amazing flowers, fruits, vegetables, and other horticultural plants are displayed located in the Agriculture Building in the center of the Fairgrounds.
While many of the contests in the Floriculture and Horticultural Crops divisions at the State Fair require pre-registration, a few require no prior registration and have no entry fee.
Below are some opportunities for you to get involved. Your talents and skills could win you a prize (and bragging rights!). Be sure to check out the rules and information before showing up.
Weed Identification Contest
Friday, August 9 2024, from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM | The contest will be conducted in an area adjacent to the Agriculture Building.
Join Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa State University Agronomy Department for a fun-filled and family-friendly weed ID competition. Participants in each of three divisions (Future Agronomists (under age 19), General, and Professional) identify weeds by common name. Ribbons and cash prizes are presented for the top 5 individuals in each division!
Most Unusual Vegetable Contest
Submit entries between 3:00 PM on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 and 9:00 AM on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 | Bring the entries to the Agriculture Building, Agricultural and Horticultural Crops Department.
Unusual-looking vegetables are an accident of nature that cannot, as a rule, be predicted and planned for at the beginning of the growing season; thus, many are brought to the Fair by persons who did not enter in the Agricultural and Horticultural Crops Department. Judging begins at 9:15 AM. Entries may be a single or multiple specimens. Entries will be judged based on their quality as a vegetable, their uniqueness, unusual appearance, and humorous qualities. The exhibitor will need to include a name or title for the entry.
Best Tasting Tomato Contest
Saturday, August 10, 2024 from 8:00 AM to 9:45 AM | Bring the entries to the Agriculture Building, Agricultural and Horticultural Crops Department.
The tomatoes will be judged entirely on their taste. Judges will be looking for the best tasting, large sandwich-sized tomato. This excludes patio, cherry, grape, yellow, orange, and striped tomatoes. The judges understand that some varieties are not beautiful, but they have good taste. If the tomato is good enough to give to your neighbor, it is good enough for the contest. The variety name must be currently available at retail outlets and must be written on the entry tag, but it will be hidden from the judges. Learn more in this video from Iowa PBS: Best Tasting Tomato 2021 Iowa State Fair.
Fruit, Vegetable, and Nut Identification Contest
Wednesday, August 14, 2024 from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM | The contest will be conducted in or near the west side of the Agriculture Building.
The winner of this contest receives Hy-Vee gift cards. Twenty vegetables and 20 fruits will be placed on the judging tables for identification. Five kinds of nuts will also be on the tables and, in the event of a tie, will serve as a tiebreaker. A maximum of an hour will be allowed for identification. This contest is for the general public - unfortunately, produce managers or employees in produce departments of grocery stores are not eligible to participate. Learn more in this video from Iowa PBS: Fruit, Vegetable, and Nut Identification – Fair 2022
Plant Identification Contest
Friday, August 9, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM | The contest will be conducted in the Agriculture Building, Floriculture Department.
Identify the cuttings of plants, shrubs, trees, and bulb flowers on display and win a prize (and bragging rights!).
Flower Identification Contest
Tuesday, August 13, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM | The contest will be conducted in the Agriculture Building, Floriculture Department.
Identify flower stems on display and win a gift certificate.
Guess How Many Rose Petals
Thursday, August 15, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM | The contest will be conducted in the Agriculture Building, Floriculture Department.
Rose petals are placed in a glass jar on display. Guess the correct number of rose petals and win! Only one entry per person is allowed.
Seed Pictures
Submit entries between 9:00 AM on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 and 10:00 AM on Thursday, August 8, 2024 | Bring the entries to the Agriculture Building, Floriculture Department.
These artistic designs must be on a wood background, not to exceed 14 x 18 inches, and ready to hang on display all 11 days of the Fair. Any grain (including rice) and/or seeds (colored or naturally grown) may be used. Seeds, grains, or rice may be painted or colored.
Floral Designs
Several classes of floral arrangements can be entered with no pre-registration required. Just bring the entry to the Agriculture Building, Floriculture Department, at the time noted.
- Iowa Perennials - a design using fresh, perennial flowers suitable for Iowa hardiness zones in a container of your choice
Submit entries on Thursday, August 8, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon - Color Division - a colorful design using fresh plant material in a container of your choice
Submit entries on Thursday, August 8, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon - Pella Wonderland - a design inspired by Pella's Dutch Heritage featuring fresh flowers and greenery only
Submit entries on Monday, August 12, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon - Fresh Floral Design - a design using a container of your choice utilizing fresh flowers suitable for growing in Iowa
Submit entries on Monday, August 12, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon - Holiday Design - a design inspired by the holiday season featuring fresh flowers and greenery only
Submit entries on Wednesday, August 14, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon - Unusual Container - a design in an unusual container of your choice featuring fresh plant material and must include sunflowers
Submit entries on Friday, August 16, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon - Adel's Finest - a cut flower design using a basket
Submit entries on Friday, August 16, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon
Planters and Gardens
Several classes of planters and gardens can be entered with no pre-registration required. Just bring your creations to the Agriculture Building, Floriculture Department at the time noted.
- Terrarium - a transparent enclosure of any size up to 18 inches long and 12 inches wide with a minimum of three plants growing inside.
Submit entries on Monday, August 12, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon - Gnome Garden - a miniature landscape in a shallow container no larger than 6 inches deep and between at least 12 x 12 inches, but not to exceed 18 x 18 inches. Man-made accessories are required, and natural accessories may be used. And, of course, at least one gnome!
Submit entries on Monday, August 12, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon - Summer Patio Planter - Use up to five compatible plants (no duplicates) planted in soil in a container not to exceed 15 x 15 x 15 inches.
Submit entries on Wednesday, August 14, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon - Fairy Garden - a miniature landscape with five or more compatible plants in a shallow container no larger than 6 inches deep and between at least 12 x 12 inches, but not to exceed 24 x 24 inches. Man-made accessories are required, and natural accessories may be used
Submit entries on Friday, August 16, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon - Succulent Garden - a planter in a container of your choice (no hanging containers) that contains at least three different succulent plants
Submit entries on Friday, August 16, 2024 from 9:00 AM to Noon
Additional Information
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Yard and Garden, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on July 11, 2024. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.