IMG_9097_Tomato.jpg
IMG_9097_Tomato.jpg

Tomato Contests

$0.00

PRIZES 

One blue (1st place) ribbon will be awarded in each of the following categories:

  • Best Red Tomato

  • Best Non-Red Tomato

  • Best Heirloom Tomato

RULES

  1. The tomato must have been grown in a residence, school, or community garden.

  2. Individuals may not submit more than one entry for each of the categories listed above. 

  3. If cherry tomatoes are being submitted, enough must be submitted to be roughly equivalent to the size of a beefsteak tomato.

JUDGING CRITERIA 

  1. Taste (40%)

    1. Tomato is flavorful, with a strong tomato taste. It is slightly acidic, juicy, and fresh tasting with a tender skin. 

  2. Firmness/Slicing Quality (25%)

    1. Tomato has a dense, uniform thick wall with many seed cavities, completely filled with a jelly-like mass. The firmness of the tomato is pleasing: not too mushy (or mealy) and not too hard. The tomato should be such that it will bruise if dropped, yet is not over-ripe. 

  3. Exterior Color (25%)

    1. Tomato has a uniform color, is free of green shoulders and has no evidence of blotchy ripening or other defects. The winning heirloom tomato can be multicolored. 

  4. Shape: (10%)

    1. Tomato is either very symmetrical or has a unique, funky shape. If multiple cherry tomatoes are submitted, they are near uniform in size. 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Register for the tomato contest at https://www.dcstatefair.org/2025-contests by 9:00 p.m. on Friday, August 15. No walk-up registrations will be accepted.

  2. Bring your entry, accompanied with a removable label that includes your name, the contest category, and the name of the entry, to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St NW on Saturday, August 23 between 11 am and 1 pm. Exact room location will be sent closer to the date.

Category:
Register

PRIZES 

One blue (1st place) ribbon will be awarded in each of the following categories:

  • Best Red Tomato

  • Best Non-Red Tomato

  • Best Heirloom Tomato

RULES

  1. The tomato must have been grown in a residence, school, or community garden.

  2. Individuals may not submit more than one entry for each of the categories listed above. 

  3. If cherry tomatoes are being submitted, enough must be submitted to be roughly equivalent to the size of a beefsteak tomato.

JUDGING CRITERIA 

  1. Taste (40%)

    1. Tomato is flavorful, with a strong tomato taste. It is slightly acidic, juicy, and fresh tasting with a tender skin. 

  2. Firmness/Slicing Quality (25%)

    1. Tomato has a dense, uniform thick wall with many seed cavities, completely filled with a jelly-like mass. The firmness of the tomato is pleasing: not too mushy (or mealy) and not too hard. The tomato should be such that it will bruise if dropped, yet is not over-ripe. 

  3. Exterior Color (25%)

    1. Tomato has a uniform color, is free of green shoulders and has no evidence of blotchy ripening or other defects. The winning heirloom tomato can be multicolored. 

  4. Shape: (10%)

    1. Tomato is either very symmetrical or has a unique, funky shape. If multiple cherry tomatoes are submitted, they are near uniform in size. 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Register for the tomato contest at https://www.dcstatefair.org/2025-contests by 9:00 p.m. on Friday, August 15. No walk-up registrations will be accepted.

  2. Bring your entry, accompanied with a removable label that includes your name, the contest category, and the name of the entry, to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St NW on Saturday, August 23 between 11 am and 1 pm. Exact room location will be sent closer to the date.

PRIZES 

One blue (1st place) ribbon will be awarded in each of the following categories:

  • Best Red Tomato

  • Best Non-Red Tomato

  • Best Heirloom Tomato

RULES

  1. The tomato must have been grown in a residence, school, or community garden.

  2. Individuals may not submit more than one entry for each of the categories listed above. 

  3. If cherry tomatoes are being submitted, enough must be submitted to be roughly equivalent to the size of a beefsteak tomato.

JUDGING CRITERIA 

  1. Taste (40%)

    1. Tomato is flavorful, with a strong tomato taste. It is slightly acidic, juicy, and fresh tasting with a tender skin. 

  2. Firmness/Slicing Quality (25%)

    1. Tomato has a dense, uniform thick wall with many seed cavities, completely filled with a jelly-like mass. The firmness of the tomato is pleasing: not too mushy (or mealy) and not too hard. The tomato should be such that it will bruise if dropped, yet is not over-ripe. 

  3. Exterior Color (25%)

    1. Tomato has a uniform color, is free of green shoulders and has no evidence of blotchy ripening or other defects. The winning heirloom tomato can be multicolored. 

  4. Shape: (10%)

    1. Tomato is either very symmetrical or has a unique, funky shape. If multiple cherry tomatoes are submitted, they are near uniform in size. 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Register for the tomato contest at https://www.dcstatefair.org/2025-contests by 9:00 p.m. on Friday, August 15. No walk-up registrations will be accepted.

  2. Bring your entry, accompanied with a removable label that includes your name, the contest category, and the name of the entry, to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St NW on Saturday, August 23 between 11 am and 1 pm. Exact room location will be sent closer to the date.