20th Annual Birdhouse Competition Redux

Part of Raulston Blooms!

  • Saturday, April 30, 2022 – 10:00 am–4:00 pm

Register Register

What better way to celebrate the return of spring than with our 20th Annual Birdhouse Competition?

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.

Adult competitors can enter their creations in either the Serious category for more working creations or the Flight of Fancy category for decorative entries. As always, youth competitors (ages 4 to 16) will be put into categories based on their ages.

Whether you're a competitor or an onlooker, our 20th Annual Birdhouse Competition will surely be one you never forget.

birdhouses and a bee hotel collage

Schedule of Events

Friday, April 29

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 30

10:00 am
Raulston Blooms! opens
JCRA Plant Sale opens
20th Annual Birdhouses Competition opens
4:00 pm
All activities conclude
Entries may be picked up – no entries allowed to leave prior to 4:00 pm
5:00 pm
Entry pickup closes

Monday, May 2

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.

Birdhouses 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 17 and above)
  • Serious
  • Flight of Fancy
Children

  • Ages 4–6
  • Ages 7–9
  • Ages 10–12
  • Ages 13–16

Judging Criteria

Each participant may enter more than one entry. 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(s), roof, and chamber diameter and depth)
  • Aesthetics

Note: Birdhouses entered into the Serious category can best be described as useable structures for birds. 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

Note: Birdhouses entered into the Flights of Fancy category can best be described as decorations. 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 4–16)

Entries will be judged on:

  • Aesthetics
  • Imaginative theme or concept; use of form, texture, and/or color
  • Craftsmanship
  • Functionality for bird

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 structures should be equipped with their own stand that can support the entry in an upright position on a floor. As much as possible, children's entries should be prepared by the entrant.

Judges

Six judges, three for the adult categories and three for the youth categories help judge the entries. Judges have a creative background (e.g., woodworking, ceramics, etc.) or are birders or wildlife enthusiasts. Youth judges typically have a youth education background. If you're interested in helping us judge this year's competition, 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.

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!

Media Sponsor

The JC Raulston Arboretum would like to thank the Triangle Gardener for being the birdhouse competition's media sponsor.

Triangle Gardener logo

Proceeds from Raulston Blooms! benefit the daily operations of the JC Raulston Arboretum. Raulston Blooms! is sponsored by and fund-raising efforts operate under the auspices of the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit (tax ID 56-6049304).

Age
All ages.
Cost
Cost to enter competition: free. Participants receive a free ticket to attend Raulston Blooms! Raulston Blooms! admission: free for members, $5.00 for nonmembers, $10.00 per family. Raulston Blooms! admission includes admission to the Birdhouses and Beyond Competition and Plant Sale, too.
Registration
Advance registration is encouraged. Please register online using our registration e-store. Onsite registration is available on Friday, April 29.
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.