2014 Frankenfood Carving and Costume Contest

Hello everyone! Frank N. Foode™ here to make an important announcement. October 31st – celebrated both as Halloween and the birthdate of this fine blog (what a coincidence?) is just around the corner. You know what that means? Oh yes, it is time for our annual Frankenfood Carving and Costume Contest!
In previous years, you’ve all stepped up and carved yourselves some gnarly pumpkins, assorted squash, and hacked up many other bounties from the harvest. You’ve also donned scary plant-based costumes. Well it’s time to grab the knives and sewing needles for another great contest with some awesome prizes!

Here are the rules:

This contest is open to everyone – you need not have ever commented on the blog before the day you enter in the contest.
You’ve seen the scary pictures. Needles in tomatoes, and corn with sharp jaws to bite off your fingers. This is what some people imagine GMOs are like. You and I know better, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun! Take a pumpkin, squash, corn, celery, you-name-it, and carve it up into the scariest, most OMG-worthy GMO you can think of. Stitch different plants together, make a real Frankenfood!
OR – make yourself a costume worthy of being seen in one of those GMO protests – or a counter-protest – dressed as a plant or something related to it! It’s your choice – and either one gets you into the contest.
Upload a photo of your mad creation to the forum. Or upload it to our Facebook Page.
To give you time to upload a picture from Halloween, the contest is open until November 2nd, at midnight Pacific time in the US.
The Biofortified Blog’s Editors will decide on a winner and announce it within the next week.

Pick some news during the past year and make fun of it. The scarier, the funnier, the more clever – the better!

Prizes

What is a contest without prizes? For our winners, you get your choice of a Frank N. Foode™ or Lanakila Papaya™ plushie sent to you, and our first place winners will get their choice of one of the books on our prize page as well. Now if we get a lot of entries, we’re going to throw in some more prizes just to make it interesting!
So go! Run out to the field and find a worthy cucurbit, grab your surgical tools (be safe!), and make us some monsters! Can you top last year’s winner?

It’s ALIVE!

Bg31b-ACIAAX7GU — A screenshot taken by a backer who increased their donation just enough to tease us for ten minutes!

Tonight, in a flurry of activity, we have reached our Kickstarter goal to Bring Frank N. Foode™ to Life! After 14 days, $10,050 was pledged by 158 backers, which means that we will now have enough funds to put a Frank in everyone’s hands.

Cue the maniacal laughter!

Continue reading →

Winner omits the Control!

Happy November, everyone, Frank N. Foode™ here, and I’ve got the results of the 2013 Frankenfood Carving and Costume Contest. This year, we had some very creative, geeky, politicky and foodie entries, and it was a difficult decision. But our judges have indeed declared the winners, and they will be showered with prizes and fame! Let’s see what creativity our readers have up the sleeves of their lab coats! Continue reading “Winner omits the Control!” →

2013 Frankenfood Carving Contest

Greetings, plants and people! This is Frank N. Foode™ with a special announcement. Leaves are turning colors and falling from the trees. The weather is changing, and demonstrations are happening both near and far with people talking about genetically engineered foods as if they were scary monsters out to get them. Why does this always seem to happen around Halloween? Well we have our own way of sending these images off with a seasonal celebration of scary imagery: It is time for our 4th annual Frankenfood Carving and Costume Contest! Get that agrobacteria ready – it’s time to make some monsters and win fabulous prizes and have fun at the same time!

Here are the rules: Continue reading “2013 Frankenfood Carving Contest” →

Contest winner is ghoulish!

Howdy everyone, Frank N. Foode™ here to announce the winner of this year’s Frankenfood Carving Contest!

Which one is scariest? One took on New Jersey…

It was a late-announced contest, but with the new forum and its image-upload features it was so much easier to enter, and we definitely got some entries this year. Photos of both costumes and carved produce rolled in, from human-sized sushi and an accompanying sushi chef, to a vampire pumpkin and a kiwan-o-lantern! I even got in on the action and carved my very own Schmeiser Apparition! It’s on the side opposite me from hurricane Sandy.
Everyone’s creativity was awesome, and we’re grateful for all the entries we received. But one entry rose above the rest, both with its original use of genetically engineered food, and its downright cuteness! So without any further ado, I give you the winner of our 7th Community Contest Continue reading →

2012 Frankenfood Carving and Costume Contest

Hello everyone! Frank N. Foode™ here, ready to bring in the Hallo-weeny Cheer! October is closing fast, important elections are around the corner, and the fourth birthday of the Biofortified Blog is also coming up. For many, it is a very scary time.
Well here’s something to cheer you up… how about our 3rd annual Frankenfood Carving and Costume Contest? Oh yeah, break out your gene guns, it’s time to make us some monsters! Continue reading “2012 Frankenfood Carving and Costume Contest” →

Everyone’s a Winner!

Howdy everyone! Frank N. Foode here, with some exciting news. It has been a hot and dry summer for a lot of plants and people around the country, but we managed to come together and decide which of you people really love your plants. Get ready for the results of our recent gardening community contest (#6), and then, a special scavenger hunt for some amazing news that we just can’t wait to tell you all about! Everyone’s a winner!
We asked you to talk about your gardens in the forum, and what was at stake was a tote bag, book from our prize page, and ten tins of homemade beeswax hand salve. And six of you entered! Here are the entries:
1. Canadian Garden, by Richard R
2. Massachusetts Garden, by MaryM
3. First time raised bed owner, by JPlovesCOTTON
4. Pennsylvania Garden, by GregH
5. Seattle Garden, by Rachael Ludwick
6. Illinois Garden, by willb
They talked about peas, carrots, troubles with rabbits, and of course, tons of varieties of tomatoes. Hundreds of people have visited each entry already, some offering a little advice, or even realizing that they should keep a closer eye on what tomatoes go through their garden soil! A little ingenuity on tomato cages was shared, along with lots of pictures in the forum, and links to them on other sites. Truly, you people love your plants.
How to pick who would be the winner of this contest? We narrowed it down to 2 first place winners one early adopter and one newcomer. One photo-savvy entrant and one garden planting updater. Drum roll please… Continue reading “Everyone’s a Winner!” →

Community Contest 6: Love your plants!

carrotkiss — Frank gets a smooch from a carrot at SciFest, 2012

Happy May, everyone! Frank N. Foode™ here to announce the start of a new community contest here on the Biofortified Blog!
Spring is an exciting time for a plant such as myself. Farmers and gardeners everywhere are planning and planting, tilling and drilling, and hoping for a good summer grilling! Around the hemisphere, plants are popping up from the soil – aided by our human friends. Being a domesticated plant has its benefits, but we depend on people to plant us, weed our beds, protect us from pests, and make sure we have the moisture and nutrients we need. I try to help when I can, digging my roots deep in the soil, and jousting with caterpillars ad beetle larvae, but my tassel’s off to the hard work of people who love plants.
If you read this blog, you probably love plants. You might be growing plants right now, or have tried to. If so, this contest is for you. We want to hear about your gardens! Those labors of love between you and your plants and all the successes and failures that come with it. And we’ve got some special prizes just in time to make your gardening even more awesome this year (or to help heal the wounds of past attempts)! Continue reading →

Community Contest #5 Winners!

Hello one and all, your favorite genetically engineered corn is here to spread a little cheer! At long last, I am pleased to announce the winners of our recent carving and costume contest.
For this community contest, the stakes were high. With two tote bags, two books, and a Norman Borlaug coin up for grabs, it took ingenuity, creativity, and sewing acuity to make an entry that stood out. We had Luscious of Borg dress as a living work of art with her Son of Man outfit, and an aptly-named and mustached “flavor saver” pumpkin by Richard R. and son. So far, excellent! (One judge was forced to recuse himself as he painted the apple on Ms. of Borg’s face.)

culturabiotec3 — "I find your lack of pith disturbing"

Then CulturaBiotech pulled some maize out o’ the old packet and whipped up a Bt Corn Darth Vader. Stepping outside the pumpkin box, (and into a freeze dryer flask?) it sure caught the attention of the judges.
Then SkepticalVegan posted his entry… Frank N. Foode™. Hey that’s my name. Wait, what? Continue reading →

2011 Frankenfood Carving and Costume Contest

Hey there everyone, Frank N. Foode™ here. There have been lots of things going on in the world, but not so much that we can’t come together for another community contest. It is October, which means that we’re nearing the third birthday of this blog and of yours truly. What a better way to celebrate than by holding our second annual carving contest?
But, first things first. In our last community contest, we wanted to find the most co-existing community member who has provided helpful and productive comments. It was a difficult decision for the editors to make, but the winner of our fourth community contest is none other than Ewan R! His contributions to the community have been a delight, from long comments breaking down arguments piece by piece, to clever witticisms that always bring a laugh.
For his prize, he chose to receive a copy of Tomorrow’s Table, which is on its way to him along with a tote bag. Four cheers for Ewan! (Because three are not enough.)
So lets get to this year’s extravaganza. Continue reading “2011 Frankenfood Carving and Costume Contest” →