GAMA Karshakasree 2024 – The Ultimate Gardening Challenge
Do you love to cultivate in your backyard, front yard, apartment patio or kitchen countertop? Whether you are an avid gardener or a hobbyist, it’s time for you to challenge yourself and take it to the next level! Greater Austin Malayalee Association (GAMA) invites all Greater Austin residents to register for the “GAMA Karshakasree 2024” Gardening Challenge.
Objective:
The objective of the GAMA Karshakasree 2024 is to promote gardening and sustainable agriculture practices among GAMA community members and to encourage them to showcase their gardening skills.
Contestants:
The contest is open to all Greater Austin Residents who have a passion for gardening and sustainability.
Age Group:
No age restrictions.
There are no restrictions on the number of participants in a group.
Categories:
- Home Vegetable Gardeners
- Apartment Patio/Balcony/Counter top- Vegetable/Flower/Microgreens/Mixed
- Home Flower/Landscaping Gardeners
Competition Format:
The competition will be divided into three rounds:
Registration
Register your name and contact details for the challenge. Registration Start date : March 17, 2023. Please use the same email id for all submissions.
Round 1: Email Submission of proposal
Participants are required to submit an Email Document describing their gardening project. The application form should include the following details:
- A brief description of the gardening project
- Type of garden (vegetable, flower, apartment patio/balcony garden, etc.)
- Size of the garden
- Types of plants planned to be grown
- Sustainability practices planned
- Challenges anticipated
- Photos and/or videos of the garden space you have chosen for this project.
Judging Criteria for Round 1:
- Creativity and originality of the gardening project
- Use of sustainable practices
- Quality of the application form and supporting materials (photos, videos, etc.)
Email submission to : [email protected]
Round 2: Monthly update on progress of the project
Please update on the progress of this project with:
- Photo/video of sprouts/growth/harvest in the initially identified space.
- Any challenges encountered each month
- How the challenges were addressed.
Share this details every month till challenge ends
Email Progress to : [email protected]
Round 2 will be evaluated with contents submitted from July 1st 2024 to July 14th 2024 and top 5 finalists will be identified.
Round 3: On-Site Visit
The top 5 participants from Round 2 will be invited for an on-site visit by the judges to evaluate the garden project. The on-site visit will include a detailed inspection of the initially identified garden space, interaction with the participant, and a Q&A session.
Judging Criteria for Round 3:
- Alignment with the initial plan that was submitted.
- Overall garden design and aesthetics
- Health and growth of the plants
- Use of sustainable practices
- Innovation in gardening techniques
- Effectiveness in addressing challenges faced
Timeline:
- Contest announcement: March 17, 2024
- Round 1 application/initial write-up deadline: April 30, 2024
- Round 2 -monthly update deadline: June 30, 2024
- Announcement of top 5 finalists: July 15, 2024
- On-site visit and judging for Round 3: July 15, 2024 – July 30, 2024
- Announcement of winners: Onam get together
- Prizes -Trophies will be distributed during the GAMA Onam Get together.
Guidelines:
- Garden Design: Layout of the garden, the visual appearance, arrangement of plants, overall landscape, and creativity.
- Diversity: Growing and producing with distinct vegetables, herbs/spices used for Kerala style cooking. Fruits from the new plants can also be considered for the vegetable gardeners category.
- Resource Utilization: Organic/Non-GMO (Optional),use of non-genetically modified seeds, natural fertilizers, and biological pest controls , water consumption etc.
- Garden Tour: Providing a video tour about the garden, farming methods, cultivation experience, which can be a competitive consideration and an inspiration for the community who want to start vegetable gardening.
- Quality of Produce: This includes external factors as appearance (size, shape, color, gloss)
- Flower Garden: A flower Garden is any garden where flowers are grown and displayed. Growing and producing flowers with distinct colors that provide a sense of calm and visual unity. Suggestion to include Texas Native varieties for better water utilization as well as sustenance.
Seeds/Plants Distribution:
Notes: Participants need to use their own seeds. GAMA may facilitate seed exchange programs. However, GAMA may not be responsible for the quality of seeds.
This year GAMA may plan for a farmers market, where the community members can distribute/exchange their produce at one of GAMA’s summer events. Please stay tuned for more information.
Registration and Submission Process:
Online Registration Form
o Name of the participant
o Type of Garden (Backyard, Patio/Counter top, Flower Garden)
o Phone number
o Email
o Address
Email Submissions
Videos and or pictures of the following will be considered for judging
- Planting (optional for those who have grown up plants)
- Plant growth (Lifecycle) and maintenance
- Produce on the plants before harvesting
- Produce after harvesting
The Documents, videos and or pictures must be emailed to [email protected] by the deadlines for each round.
A Whatsapp group may be created to communicate and share details, share seeds etc between participants to make sure to update on gardening skills. This will be valid till the announcement of winners.
Maximum Ten (12) number of Documents, videos and or pictures are allowed.
Maximum allowed duration of the Videos – 4 minutes.
Maximum allowed size of the files – 25 MB.
File name format:
- Document should be in pdf format
- ParticpantnameXX.mp4
- ParticipantnameXX_plantname(s).jpeg
- XX stands for numbers.
GAMA reserves the right to ask for more pictures and or and videos if deemed necessary.
Disclaimer/Waiver:
Award winners, along with the garden/harvest pictures and videos will be published through GAMA Social media communications.
Judging:
- The initial round of judging occurs via the submitted videos and or pictures
- After reviewing the pictures and videos, the GAMA member may request video calls with the participants.
- GAMA team may visit the backyard garden/Patio if deemed necessary (in-person Judgement) for the final decisions.
Conclusion:
The GAMA Karshakasree 2024 gardening contest is a unique opportunity facilitated by Greater Austin Malayalee Association for the Greater Austin Residents to showcase their gardening skills and promote sustainable agriculture practices. We hope to see enthusiastic participation from the community and look forward to a successful event.
Questions? [email protected]