Pottery Contests

Have you heard about pottery contests, with potters throwing bigger, faster, and more pieces in a set amount of time? Since most of us potters are fairly solitary creatures, it may be amazing to see both amateur and professional potters go head to head in throwing contests.

As one example of a pottery contest, let's look at the end of June in Manitou Springs. Held just outside Colorado Springs, this festival had a grand turnout for their 19th annual pottery contests. Competitions included contests to form the highest pots in a set amount of time, but also the prettiest pots, matched sets of pots, pots formed by two-person teams, the best pots shaped by one hand, and the best pots shaped using no hands at all. (I wish I'd been there to see that last contest!)

In other pottery contest news, during the Ceramics Southeast Potters' Fayre (at the Aylesford Priory in Kent, UK), they held a Guinness World Record attempt for making the most amount of pots during an hour. The two top contenders were then- world-record holder, Mary Chappelhow and Mark ‘Billy’ Byles. In order to usurp Chapelhow, Byles needed to throw more than 83 pots that also met Guinness’s size and quality specifications.

Who won? Congratulations to Byles who threw an impressive 150 pots in the allotted hour! Even though Chappelhow outdid her old record by throwing 118 pots, she couldn't catch him.

Don't you love how many different ways you can have fun with your clay?