What to Know
- The 2024 California Strawberry Festival sweetens our worlds on May 18 and 19
- Ventura County Fairgrounds (note the different location; the festival formerly called Oxnard home)
- The 2024 Artwork Contest concludes on Jan. 12; the winner will receive $2000 cash as well as VIP tickets to the fruity fest
Though spring lovers are not yet in full peepers-peeled mode, we do very much long for the bright days when signs of the sweeter season begin to appear.
This might be a bursting bud on a tree branch, a random California poppy in the middle of a parkway, or a Monarch butterfly fluttering on a breeze.
But here's a big sign from the merry days of May, and right plunk in the middle of a January cold blast, too: The California Strawberry Festival Artwork Contest is open, a colorful competition that will result in big, juicy bucks for the winner, as well as VIP tickets to the springtime foodie festivity.
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What do we mean by "big, juicy bucks"?
Two thousand dollars is the prize, and that's promised in CASH (the festival went with capital letters in its contest announcement on social media, so we feel strongly we should honor that show of exuberance).
"Entries will be evaluated by a judging panel looking for creativity and the best use of a strawberry design," assures the announcement.
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"The winning design may be used in printed and digital advertising collateral as well as on souvenir merchandise." And good to know? "Judges may give preference to artwork that will print well on promotional items like t-shirts," so keep that in mind as you put pen to paper or brush to canvas or stylus to screen.
There is a specific size for submitted entries, and other important things you'll want to know, so read up on the rules now.
Will strawberries play the starring roles in your design? Obviously, but whether you do something watercolor-y, or create a comical strawberry character, or go for an abstract feel, is up to you.
The festival is also known for its zany contests and activities — think tart-eating showdowns and tart tosses — so that may serve as inspiration as well.
It's year 38 for the tart to-do, a weekend-big event that moved cities, from Oxnard to Ventura, in 2023.
