In honor of National Farmers Market Week 2012, the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) announces the Farmers Market Inspiration Award, designed to reward and showcase the variety of ways farmers markets benefit communities across the United States.  This award is conducted in concert with the American Farmland Trust’s America’s Favorite Farmers Market Contest.

We’re looking for essay submissions from all corners of the nation that depict concrete examples of farmers market impacts: on-farm biodiversity, diversity among producers and customers, or diversity in the partnerships that help your farmers markets best serve your community. This year, we are specifically looking for essays written by farmers/producers at farmers markets.

Timeframe for Entry

June 21st through August 11^th, 2012

Award

$1,000 cash prize to one (1) grand prize winner; Five (5) honorable mentions will each receive a free one year membership in the Farmers Market Coalition, and a one year print subscription to Growing for Market.

What kind of submissions are we looking for?

We are looking for concise, imaginative, striking essays that reflect agricultural producers’ perspectives about the people, products, or partnerships that make selling at farmers markets valuable. While our top award will be chosen based on how compelling and clearly they depicts this general theme, honorable mentions will also be chosen for publication. We’ve offered some ideas, but this is just to get your imagination going!

How do I tell my farmers market story?

Start by asking yourself: Why do I sell at farmers markets? What challenges, major or minor, are involved in selling at farmers markets? What priceless relationships have I formed at markets? How has my business changed since I began selling at farmers markets? What have I learned from my customers? How have I built my product mix around the unique assets of the land I use? What advice would I give new and beginning producers? What humorous or humbling lessons have you learned there surprises or innovations? We suggest that you choose one specific example rather than attempt to cover everything. Be creative, be specific, and have fun!

Who can enter?

Submissions will be accepted by agricultural producers actively selling at farmers markets in the United States. Entries from current or past paid staff of Farmers Market Coalition or American Farmland Trust will not be considered eligible.

When is the deadline for entries?

The deadline for entries is 5 p.m. Eastern August 11, 2012. Judging will take place in August, with the winning entry to be announced August 31st, 2012, in conjunction with the America’s Favorite Farmers Market Contest.

Who will judge the submissions?

The panel of judges will consist of Farmers Market Coalition Board of Directors, as well as representatives from American Farmland Trust, and Growing for Market editorial staff.

What happens with the winning essays?

The judges will choose, from all submissions, one winning award, which will appear in the October issue of Growing for Market as well as on the FMC web site. Honorable mentions will be chosen and published by FMC or in other print or online publications.

All essays, both winning and non-winning, may also be published in all Farmers Market Coalition print and electronic publications, and may, with the contestant submission, also be published in partnering organization blogs, print publications, or FMC partner web sites.

What are the rules for entry?

1. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on August 11, 2012.

2. Entries should tell one story that responds to the question, “How has selling at farmers markets affected you, your farm, your family, or your community?”

3. Essay Criteria:
   • Your essay should be no longer than 1,200 words.

   • Your essay should focus on a specific example that illustrates the value of farmers markets to your business, not just a summary about your business. You can even focus on one crop, one customer, one interaction, one lesson learned, or one market day.

   • Your essay should include at least one quote from a fellow farmer, customer, market manager or community partner.

   • Your essay should include at least three pieces of measurable data that strengthen the story you have to tell, for example: number of acres in production, number of crops/varieties, income earned at farmers markets, number of employees and/or family members supported by farmers market sales, number of regular customers, number of pounds donated annually to social service agencies in your market’s community.

4. Submissions should be uploaded to http://farmersmarketcoalition.org/inspiration-submission.

5. Supporting documentation: Each entry will not be considered complete without submission of a photograph of the submitter (or another representative from their business) at their market booth. A one sentence caption is required.

6. By entering the contest, you give Farmers Market Coalition program the right to publish your essay and/or photos in any of its publications, as well as submit on your behalf to other like-minded organizations and on-line publications. Furthermore, we will assume that future credited use of your writing and photos in Farmers Market Coalition publications is possible unless you specify otherwise.

7. We reserve the right to excerpt from essays and crop images as we see fit.

8. Entries must be your own work, and all information factual. A fact check will be conducted before the grand prize is awarded.

9. Entries should not have won previous competitions, and should not have been published elsewhere.

10. No responsibility is accepted for ineligible entries or entries made fraudulently.

11. By entering this competition you are accepting these rules and agree to be bound by them.

12. Current or past paid Farmers Market Coalition staff board members are not eligible to win the Farmers Market Inspirations Award.

See the official legalese here.

Are you ready to submit?