14th Annual Birdhouse Competition

Imaginations Run Wild—Birds Take Flight


  • Friday, April 4, 2014 – 10:00 am6:00 pm – Entries Accepted
  • Saturday, April 5, 2014 – 9:00 am5:00 pm – Show

It's that time of year again! The Birdhouse Competition returns to the JC Raulston Arboretum. If making birdhouses is not your thing, then looking at them should be. The creations range from barrels of laughs to studies in craftsmanship and beauty. Pack up the whole brood and join the fun.

Schedule of Events

Friday, April 4, 2014

10:00 am
Registration opens
4:00 pm
JCRA Plant Sale (members-only preview sale) opens
6:00 pm
Registration closes – no birdhouse entries accepted after 6:00 pm
6:30 pm
Judging
7:00 pm
JCRA Plant Sale closes

Saturday, April 5, 2014

9:00 am
Raulston Blooms! opens
JCRA Plant Sale opens
14th Annual Birdhouse Competition opens
5:00 pm
All activities conclude
Entries may be picked up – no entries allowed to leave prior to 5:00 pm
6:00 pm
Entry pickup closes

Monday, April 7, 2014

Entries may be picked up between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm on Monday. Entries not removed by 6:00 pm will become the property of the JCRA.

Birdhouse Competition Details

Open to adults and children. If you love the natural world and unique garden art, get out your sketch pad, paints, and tool box. The competition is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness about bird habitats, while expressing your own creativity.

Categories

Adult (Ages 16 and above)
  • Serious
  • Flight of Fancy
Children

  • Ages 4–6
  • Ages 7–9
  • Ages 10–12
  • Ages 13–15

Judging Criteria

Each participant may enter more than one birdhouse. There's no limit.

Serious

Entries will be judged on:

  • Craftsmanship
  • Functionality for humans and birds
  • Mountability, ability to be raised or lowered, type of material, ability to be cleaned out, hole, roof, chamber (hole diameter, depth)
  • Aesthetics
Note: Birdhouses entered into the Serious category can best be described as working birdhouses. They will be judged using the criteria listed above in the order they are listed.

Flight of Fancy

Entries will be judged on:

  • Aesthetics
  • Imaginative theme or concept and exceptional use of form, texture, and/or color, composition, and execution
  • Craftsmanship
  • Functionality for birds (hole, roof, chamber, etc.)
Note: Birdhouses entered into the Flights of Fancy category can best be described as decorator birdhouses. They will be judged using the criteria listed above in the order they are listed.

Please note the order in which the judging criteria are listed. These are listed in the order of importance for each category.

Children (Ages 4–15)

Entries will be judged on:

  • Aesthetics
  • Imaginative theme or concept; use of form, texture and/or color
  • Craftsmanship
  • Functionality for birds (hole, roof, chamber, etc.)

All entries should be portable.

Most entries should be able to stand alone when placed upon a display table. If they cannot stand on their own, please bring a stand to help display the birdhouse. Large birdhouses should be equipped with their own stand that can support the birdhouse in an upright position on a floor. As much as possible, children's entries should be prepared by the entrant.

"Celebrating North Carolina" Best-of-theme Award

Two best-of-theme awards will be given to the entries that best exemplify our "Celebrating North Carolina" theme (one per all adults and one per all children). Use your imagination. Any birdhouse with a design celebrating our state's rich heritage will be considered for this award. This is not a separate category. All birdhouses entered will be considered for this award.

Judges

We're looking for some great judges to help us choose the best birdhouses. If you're interested, please contact Chris Glenn at (919) 513-7005 or chris_glenn@ncsu.edu.

Visitors' Choice Awards

All guests are invited to judge the birdhouses on Saturday. Use your spare change to vote for your favorite birdhouses. There's no limit. Vote for as many as you wish. Each 1¢ is worth one vote. Winners of the Visitor's Choice Awards will be announced on the JCRA's Web site and our Facebook page.

Prizes

First, second, third, and best-of-theme award winners will receive prizes kindly provided by Pennington Seed.

Raulston Blooms! Tickets

Raulston Blooms! tickets will be provided everyone that enters a birdhouse in the competition. Invite your entire family to attend the event and see your birdhouse in the competition, shop the Spring Plant Sale, and enjoy Raulston Blooms!

Cost
Cost to enter birdhouse(s): Free. Admission: Free for members, $5.00 for nonmembers, $10.00 per family. Includes admission to Raulston Blooms! and the JCRA Plant Sale, too.
Registration
Advance registration is not available to attend the birdhouse competition, Raulston Blooms!, or the plant sale. Complete the entry forms (adults and children) prior to arriving to check in quickly.
Location
Ruby C. McSwain Education Center at the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University, 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Directions
Need directions? Click here.
Parking
Free parking is available at the JC Raulston Arboretum and along Beryl Road.
Questions
Please call (919) 513-7005 for more information about this event.