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California pumpkin contest awards $21K to Minnesota grower
New York Post • • business
Key Points:
- The 53rd Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, was won by Minnesota grower Travis Gienger with a 2,389-pound pumpkin, earning him $21,501 in prize money.
- Gienger, a four-time winner, transported his massive pumpkin 2,150 miles through challenging terrain to compete and secure the victory.
- The competition, known as the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs,” attracts pumpkin growers nationwide and offers the 2026 champion $9 per pound, a Pumpkin King Champion Ring, and other honors.
- The current world record for the heaviest pumpkin is 2,819 pounds, 4 ounces, set by Ian and Stuart Paton in England in 2025, while Gienger holds the Half Moon Bay record with a 2,749-pound pumpkin from 2023.
- The Half Moon Bay weigh-off began in 1974 as a friendly rivalry with Circleville, Ohio, starting with a winning pumpkin of just 132 pounds.
