2025 Amateur Competition Rules & Sign Up
Want to try your hand at throwing in the big leagures?
Sign up for the 2025 Amateur Competition here.
The Amateur Pottery Competition is at 11am on Sunday the 27th, you MUST sign in at the Riversong Stage by 10:30am so we know you are on the grounds.
2024 Winners!
Rules for 2025:
We'll have heats back-to-back, each heat can have up to 4 people competing at the same time.
You will receive 3 pounds of clay and have 5 minutes to throw the widest bowl. It has to be 3" off the bat. Once the time is up, hands off, we'll come around and measure it. Our tape measure is the official measurement.
Then you'll have another 3 pounds and 5 minutes to throw the tallest vase. It must be 3" wide at the top opening. It must have a bottom, we'll have you wire it off to ensure it has a bottom.
Both pieces must have enough integrity to stay up for us to measure it, you might be the fourth pot measured. If it flops before the tape measure gets there, it's zero inches.
We will measure the radius at the highest and widest points, but it has to be at least 50% of the diameter at that height or width.
You may not add handles, you may not pull up or out the clay to create little peaks.
We will have four wheels (three shimpo VL whisper wheels and 1 brent). We will provide bats, tools, clay (a mid-range oxidation body from Continental Clay), buckets of water, sponges, and towels. You may not use your own tools. You may wedge your clay yourself but you cannot begin throwing or centering until we say go.
In the case of a tie we will flip a coin for who gets first and second. In the case of a more than two way tie, we will draw numbers. Unfortunately we don't have enough time to have a throw-down.
We add up both of your measurements and that's how we get the first and second place winners. The first place prize is gift certificate from Minnesota Clay.
All competition decisions are at the discretion of the ATC stage team. Any major decisions will be put to the MN Pottery Festival Board.