Posts Tagged “National Watermelon Promotion Board”
by National Watermelon Promotion Board
Nearly 1,000 consumers voted for their favorite entry in this year’s Watermelon Carving Contest, hosted by National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB). The annual contest, which takes place every July to honor National Watermelon Month, encourages watermelon fans everywhere to create and carve watermelon works of art.
Each carving submitted in the contest could be viewed at an online gallery at watermelon.org. NWPB encouraged fans to vote for their favorite overall carving from one of five categories.
“The Pop Culture category, which was new for 2016, included entries of watermelons used as serving bowls, beverage kegs, a wedding cake, and even two different Prince portraits!” said Stephanie Barlow, NWPB Senior Director of Communications. “The submissions really highlighted watermelon’s uniqueness in its versatility.”
While several of the entries were submitted by professional fruit carvers, the Judge’s Choice Award and First Place Award in the Basket Category was given to a beginner carver, showing that creativity and ingenuity is just as important as technical skill. Staging and category fit were also carefully considered by judges of the contest.
In addition to Pop Culture and Basket, other categories for this year’s carving contest included Elegant, Etched and Event/Occasion. Two entrants were also honored for “Judge’s Choice” and “People’s Choice” carvings. Winners from the five different categories received more than $1,000 in Amazon gift cards. Additionally, four carvers were awarded “Honorable Mention” prizes, also Amazon gift cards.
View the complete list of entries, as well as the winning carvings at http://www.watermelon.org/TheSlice/2016-Watermelon-Carving-Contest-Winners. For more watermelon carving inspiration, tips and tricks, visit Watermelon Board’s Pinterest Board or the “Carvings” page on watermelon.org where new carvings are regularly added.
About National Watermelon Promotion Board
The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), based in Winter Springs, Florida, was established in 1989 as an agricultural promotion group to promote watermelon in the United States and in various markets abroad. Funded through a self-mandated industry assessment paid by more than 1,500 watermelon producers, handlers and importers, NWPB mission is to increase consumer demand for watermelon through promotion, research and education programs.
Watermelon, the produce leader in lycopene, is a multivitamin unto itself, with each serving providing an excellent source of Vitamins A and C and a good source of Vitamin B6 with only 80 calories. Watermelon consumption per capita in the United States was an estimated 14.8 pounds in 2015. Watermelon volume in the United States was approximately 4.7 billion pounds in 2015. For additional information, visit www.watermelon.org.
By The National Watermelon Promotion Board
Winter Springs, FL – At 92 percent water and chock full of nutrients, watermelon is a naturally hydrating food fit for the finish line. That’s the message National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), along with its entourage of watermelon queens from National Watermelon Association (NWA) and mascot J. Slice, shared during the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) festivities in Washington, D.C., last month 24-26 where it served a truckload of healthy watermelon to athletes and families.
“From watermelon queens decked out in crowns and sashes touring D.C. landmarks to hydration tips shared via social media and 10 tons of refreshing watermelon at the finish festival, watermelon made a showy appearance at the Marine Corps Marathon during the Board’s second year as a sponsor,” says Stephanie Barlow, NWPB director of PR and social media.
Starting with the three-day Health & Fitness Expo where runners picked up their registration packets, NWPB shared recipes and nutrition research showing why watermelon is nature-made for athletes – offering replenishing electrolytes, like potassium, and sore-muscle relief from the amino acid citrulline.
At Saturday’s MCM Kids Run, nearly 3,600 D.C.-area youth ran one mile at the Pentagon parking lot. National Watermelon Queen Brandi Harrison and mascot J. Slice acted as official race starters for one wave of youth runners.
“The Kids Run fosters a healthy family lifestyle. To that end, NWPB is sponsoring five ‘Jump with Jill’ shows – a music-based health program – next spring for five local schools that had the most participation and won the ‘Healthy School Award,’” shares Barlow. During the event, watermelon queens met with families and handed out 1,200 pounds of fresh watermelon slices while distributing recipe cards, coloring sheets and stickers. At the Mascot Games, J. Slice joined the Marine Corps’ bulldogs Miles and Molly and others to compete in the 100-yard dash.
Known as the “People’s Marathon” and the third largest marathon in the U.S., more than 30,000 athletes participated in the Marine Corps Marathon this year. On Sunday at the MCM Finish Festival in Rosslyn, Va., NWPB served 20,000 samples of refreshing watermelon to athletes and their supporters.