Greetings fellow pipe makers. I am pleased to announce the shape for the 2013 carving contest. This year it is the Dublin Family. The family concept worked very well last year with the bulldog and we will try the family approach again this year.
Shape: This family includes the traditional English Dublin shape as well as the Zulu, Yachtsman, Cutty and Belge, plus free-form interpretations of those shapes. Although pipe shapes in general are difficult to describe in words, the Dublin/Zulu/Yachtsman/Cutty/Belge group is distinctive and easy to recognize on sight. The primary characteristic is a gracefully forward tilted bowl that, for the most part, tapers downward from rim to heel (in the opposite direction of a volcano). The overall look and feel of the pipe will be what the judges use to determine if it is part of the group. Beyond that, anything goes: bent, straight, panel, plain/adorned shank/stem, smooth, rusticated, sandblasted, color(s), etc. Raw creativity will also be a factor. Finally, keep in mind that every detail counts. This applies to the entire pipe; the bowl, the stem, the execution, the aesthetics, everything counts.
Size: The selected pipes must fit in a custom made case that will, of necessity, be made ahead of time. Variation in size is expected, but unusually large or small pipes (or long, like churchwardens) are at risk of elimination if they will not fit in the case.
Eligible Carvers: If you make pipes, either professionally or as an amateur, and live in North America, you are eligible. Citizens of North America who don’t live in North America are not eligible. You do not have to attend the show to enter. Entry is limited to one pipe per carver.
Additional Recognition: This year, “Honorable Mention” will be available, at the judge’s discretion, for pipes that don’t make the set.
Registration: The gkcpipeclub.com website will be updated soon to allow you to register. There will be an entry fee of $20.00.
Judging: The pipes will be judged at the Kansas City Pipe & Tobacco Show, DoubleTree Hotel, Overland Park, KS. June 22nd& 23rd, 2013. The judging will be on Friday night, June 21st.
Newcomers to the carving contest, please read!
By entering the contest, you are NOT donating your pipe. All non-winning pipes will either be returned directly to you after the contest, or, if you prefer, offered for sale at the show, at a price that you set. If it sells, we send you the money.
If your pipe is chosen for the winning 7 day set, it is the same as being sold. The winning pipe makers will equally divide the proceeds of a raffle that awards the set as the grand prize. Last year, that amount was $4,900.00 ($700 for each carver).
Everyone that participates in the contest will have a picture of their pipe published in a photo spread in Pipes and tobaccos magazine along with their name/contact info/web address (space allowing). Thank you Chuck Stanion! If you don’t subscribe, please do. He is supporting us in a big way. The least we can do is subscribe to the magazine. Ask your customers to support you, and the magazine, by subscribing.
I strongly recommend that you pick up the Fall 2012 issue of Pipes and tobaccos magazine and read the article about the contest. The interview with the judges (Greg Pease, Tad Gage & George Dibos) will give you excellent insight into what the judges are looking for and what they consider important .
This contest came to be in an effort to support and promote American Carvers. It is working, just ask the carvers who have participated in the first three. We all win, some get money, some get new customers, some stretch and make a pipe beyond their previous abilities, but we all win. We are showcasing American Pipe Maker’s talents and the world is noticing. Each year the caliber of pipe needed to be included in the set goes up. This is a friendly competition within our small community with the common goal of supporting and promoting all of us. Welcome to the contest and thank you for your participation.
Please pass this invitation on to other pipe makers who you feel would enjoy participating in the contest. As always, if you have questions or comments, please contact me.
Quinton Wells
Quinton@gkcpipeclub.com
Cell 816-223-9506
