The Great Scarecrow Festival

Scarecrow Contest

September 12th, 2026

Help us usher in the arrival of all things fall and festive with a day of spooky, spectacular scarecrows. It’s time for The Great Scarecrow Festival at Grandma’s!

Enter the Scarecrow Contest to compete for prizes!

Regular Entry:
• 1st Place – $300
• 2nd Place – $200
• 3rd Place – $100

Kids Entry (12 & Under):
• 1st Place – $100

People’s Choice Award – $300

(Yes, that does mean your team can win up to $600 if your team claims 1st place as a regular entry and people’s choice!)
All prizes are awarded per team/group

Sign up online

HOW IT WORKS:

Step 1.  Tap here to fill out your registration.

Step 2.  Tap here to sign up for your scarecrow frame.

Step 3.  Pick up your scarecrow frame provided at Grandma’s Gardens.

Step 4.  Decorate your frame—in any way you like, with anything you like!

Step 5.  Set up your scarecrow at your registered time on Thursday, Sept. 10 or Friday, Sept. 11.

Step 6.  Come to The Great Scarecrow Festival on Saturday, September 12 to see all the scarecrows, enjoy the festivities, and find out who wins!

ELIGIBILITY:

Our Scarecrow Contest is open to all ages, individuals, families, clubs/non-profits & businesses. Each individual or group may only enter one time. There is NO cost to enter the contest.

RULES:

1. Scarecrows must be built on the provided frame. The head CAN be removed if desired.

2. No store-bought scarecrows.

3. Scarecrows must be able to fit in a 6′ x 6′ footprint once assembled.

4. Entries deemed offensive, political, not family friendly, or not in the good-natured spirit of the event will be removed.

5. Entrants are responsible for setup and must ensure their scarecrow can withstand the elements.

6. Employees of Grandma’s Gardens are not eligible to win.

ENTRY DUE DATE:

All scarecrows must be delivered to and set up at Grandma’s Gardens (8107 N SR-48 Waynesville, OH 45068) on Thursday, September 10th or Friday, September 11th between the hours of 9am-7pm. Participants must schedule a set up time during registration. If you need to arrange a different setup time, please call 937-885-2740 so we can accommodate. 

DAY OF EVENT:

Saturday, September 12th, 2026
9:00am-10:00am – Scarecrow final touches
10:00am-1:00pm – People’s Choice Award voting
10:00am-3:00pm – Vendors on site
12:00pm – Judging Begins
1:00pm – People’s Choice Award votes counted
2:00pm – Winners announced
Scarecrows are left on display through October 12th (after which time contestants can claim). All contestants who wish to claim their scarecrow must do so no later than October 23rd.

JUDGING CRITERIA:

• Creativity – 5 possible points – unique, original concept, new idea, does the scarecrow tell a story
• Design – 5 possible points – technique, materials used
• Construction – 5 possible points – can your scarecrow withstand the elements (wind and rain)
• Overall Impression – 5 possible points – Judges are looking for that scarecrow with a little bit extra. Whether it’s with the materials used, the way the scarecrow has been made, how it is displayed, or simply an ingenious concept

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Contestants must use the scarecrow frame provided. Collect your scarecrow frame from Grandma’s Gardens after signing up and registering online. All other supplies are up to you. We encourage contestants to do the majority of their design and assembly offsite. Final touches can be added during setup at Grandma’s Gardens. A PVC pipe that fits your scarecrow’s frame will be provided to keep your scarecrow upright—please leave 12 inches of space at the bottom of your scarecrow frame empty to fit into the pipe.

Scarecrow Frames will be available for pickup Friday, August 14th–Tuesday, September 8th, while supplies last. Store hours are 9am-5pm Monday-Saturday and 10am-5pm Sundays.

Set up will occur at the time pre-arranged during your registration—Thursday, September 10th or Friday, September 11th, between the hours of 9am-7pm. ALL SCARECROWS MUST BE ON SITE BY 7:00PM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th TO BE CONSIDERED FOR PRIZES.

On the day of the festival, you may make tweaks. Judging consideration will begin promptly at 10:00am Saturday, September 12th—additional tweaks made after this time will not be considered. Winners announced at 2pm. 

New this year, the People’s Choice Award will now take place in person the day of the Festival. Festival goers will each receive a single voting ticket to vote for their favorite scarecrow. Tickets will be collected and counted at 1:00pm and the winner will be announced at 2pm with Judges’ Choice Awards.

Sign Up Today

Register online