The Southern Christmas Tree Association (SCTA) shall hold an tree contest at its annual Fall meeting for the purpose of promoting and rewarding excellence in the production of Christmas trees in the region and establishing eligibility of the winners for NCTA’s National Christmas Tree Contest.
Eligibility of Entrants
• All current members of SCTA are eligible to enter a tree in the contest.
• Members may enter more than one tree in the contest, but only ONE tree per species.
• Each tree entered must be set up in the established display area not later than 9:00 am of the first day of the annual meeting.
Requirements of Entries
• All classes of commercially grown Christmas trees are eligible for entry in the contest, including both cut trees and container-grown trees. There will be no separate classes or categories of trees.
• Eligible trees must be no less than 6 ft. in height and no more than 8 ft. in height measured from the bottom of the handle to the tip of the leader.
• In the case of container trees, it will be measured from the bottom of the pot to the top of the leader. The container can be any size or shape except that the diameter of the top of pot cannot exceed 24 in.
• Entries cannot be artificially colored or flocked.
• Entries cannot have branches or limbs that are wired, tied, or inserted in any fashion within the tree.
• Any tree failing to meet these requirements will be declared ineligible by the contest chairperson.
Entry and Balloting Procedures
• Members who enter a tree in the contest will notify the contest chairperson of their entry prior to the entry deadline.
• The President of SCTA will appoint a three-person contest committee with a chairperson to supervise the contest procedures, balloting, and announcement of awards.
• The chairperson will attach a numbered tag to each entry and maintain a log of each entry detailing the entrant and the assigned number of his/her tree
• The Association Secretary will prepare ballots prior to the beginning of the meeting and include them in the registration packet.
• Balloting for the tree contest must conclude not later than 1:00 pm of the first day of the annual meeting. Ballots will be collected by the contest chairperson and counted by the three-person contest committee.
Contest Awards and Recognition
• A first, second, and third place award will be presented to the entries from each state that received the most votes.
• A contest Grand Champion and Reserve Champion will also be awarded to the two entrants receiving the most votes from among the winners from the three states.
• The Grand Champion and Reserve Champion will have the honor of representing the SCTA at the National Contest sponsored by NCTA in the following year’s Annual NCTA Contest.
The Southern Christmas Tree Association
Christmas Tree Competition
Rules and Procedures
