possible story idea?

**"* D* <r*@kitchengardeners.org>**

Hello Garden Writers,

In case anyone is looking for a good story, here's one for you.  Food and
beverage makers spend well over $10 billion a year promoting their products,
most of them highly-sweetened and processed.  While those of us promoting
healthier alternatives can't outspend the Coca-Cola's and Kraft's of this
world, we have a lot of people-power, creativity and - most important of all
- the truth on our side.  

We're running a contest through November 1st called the "Grow-Off Show-Off"
which seeks to raise the visibility of home-grown, home-cooked foods.  I
hope you'll give our contest site a look and think about how you might help
us to spread the word.  I'm including all the relevant info below and could
provide a quote or two if any of you want to follow up.  

Thanks,

Roger

KGI

---------

You're good and it's time the world knew it

Contests. Contests. They're everywhere. Athletes have the Olympics. Singers
have American Idol. Survivors have, well, Survivor. Heck, even bakers have
the Pillsbury Bake-Off. But what about us kitchen gardeners? We have talents
too (aside from compost pile turning and pesto-making, that is) and it's
time we celebrated them.

The Grow-Off Show-Off <http://www.kitchengardeners.org/growoffshowoff/>
(www.growoffshowoff.org <http://www.growoffshowoff.org/> ) is a
light-hearted, no-holds-barred talent contest for gardeners who cook, cooks
who garden, and other garden-variety foodies. We're looking for fresh,
creative entries that communicate the multiple benefits - health,
environmental, culinary, and community - of home-grown, home-made foods.

The Grow-Off Show-Off is a project of Kitchen Gardeners International
<http://www.kitchengardeners.org>  and is co-sponsored by Mother Earth News
<http://www.motherearthnews.com>  .

What may I enter into competition?

We're really open to just about any type of entry. Last year's winner,
Jennifer Love of Kentucky, entered her
<http://www.kitchengardeners.org/pics/kgisigncontest092106.jpg>  minivan,
well not the van itself which she explained to us that she still needed, but
photos of it bedecked in gardening pictures and slogans. Others entered yard
signs and digital art posted on the web. This year, we're opening the
floodgates wide open, so let your creative juices flow! 

We're looking for high-impact, engaging entries that are capable of reaching
a large audience, either through the power of the internet or through direct
person-to-person contact. While we like being entertained, we're also open
to more serious, food-for-thought entries about the food we eat and the many
reasons for shortening the distance between field and fork, plot and plate.

Here are a few ideas to get your creative neurons firing:
. Do you have a high profile garden, front-yard garden, community garden or
school garden with lots of foot traffic and salivating, hungry gawkers?
Enter that by sending us a picture or two and telling us how your garden is
having an impact in your community. 
. Are you a budding young filmmaker, animator or Youtuber? Enter your
home-grown online video or animation by letting us know where it's posted
and what people are saying about it.
. Are you a musician, singer, rapper, or slam poet? Enter a video or audio
recording of you performing your original garden-themed composition and tell
us how many people have heard you perform it (eg. I performed my original
song "I've got the tasteless, supermarket tomato blues" at this year's state
fair before 1000 screaming, brandywine-loving fans).
. Do you like to make people laugh? Film yourself doing a stand-up comedy
routine in your garden and post it online. Tell us about your day-to-day
battles with the neighborhood woodchuck and how you finally managed to
outsmart him. 
. Are you a muralist or some other type of artist? Enter a photo of your
garden-themed artwork and tell us where it is on display and how it's
getting people to think about food and gardens in a new way.

What can I win?

The Grand Prize is $500 in cash 
donated by Mother Earth News <http://www.motherearthnews.com> 

2nd prize is a powerful, yet portable garden tiller 
donated by Mantis  <http://www.mantis.com> 

3rd prize is an assortment of eco-friendly clothing 
donated by Patagonia  <http://www.patagonia.com> 

4th prize is a $100 gift certificate 
donated by Johnny <http://www.johnnyseeds.com> 's Selected Seeds

5th prize is a gallon of organic fertilizer concentrate 
donated by Neptune <http://www.neptunesharvest.com> 's Harvest

Winning entries will receive national media exposure through this website
and a feature article in Mother Earth News in 2008. 

Early entries are encouraged! 
The first 50 contestants to enter will receive a free one-year membership in
Kitchen Gardeners International and a free 6-month subscription to Mother
Earth News. 

Judging criteria

Entries will be judged on the following basis:
. Style: How fresh and creative is the entry?
. Substance: How well does the entry help communicate the multiple benefits
- health, environmental, culinary, and community - of home-grown,
locally-grown, home-cooked foods?
. Impact and outreach: How many people experienced or are experiencing the
entry? Has the garden or gardener received any media (print, TV, radio,
online) attention? Does the entry include any reference back to KGI or the
contest via a mention of one of our web addresses (igrowfood.com,
wegrowfood.com, kitchengardeners.org, or growoffshowoff.org)?
. X-factor: How do all the elements above come together into a deliciously
effective whole?

How to enter

Entries must be received by 5pm Eastern, November 1, 2007. All entries must
be submitted using the official
<http://www.kitchengardeners.org/resources/GOSOentryform.doc>  entry form
and submitted either by e-mail to info@kitchengardeners.org or by snailmail
to Kitchen Gardeners International, 3 Powderhorn Drive, Scarborough, Maine,
04074, USA. E-mail and early entries are encouraged. We will start sharing
entries as we receive them via the contest website. 

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