The Build-a-Potato contest just seems to get better and better every year. Each year the scenes become bigger and more elaborate. Both of The Three Little Pig entries were memorable, and it was interesting how each entry was depicted so differently. It’s hard to capture through photos, but the manipulation of the potatoes is really quite genius as in Erick’s Tyrannosaurus Rex.  The shape of the potato can also make all the difference in the world as evidenced in Samarah’s The Little Red Hen.

The Cat in the Hat and Finding Nemo are always popular characters and this year was no exception. It’s makes them difficult to judge because their uniqueness is no longer a surprise, but The Lorax and Thing 1 and Thing 2 were. The real surprise character this year was Katniss from the Hunger Games.

I must note that not all potatoes are based on book characters. No matter how many times I tell the kids the potatoes are to depict characters from books, some do what they want anyway. This year was no different with the number of entries I received fashioned after Angry Birds and Hello Kitty. The funniest potato I have ever received was  El Chavo del Ocho, and that same year a student turned in potatoes depicting two contestants from the Spanish version of Dancing with the Stars.

I wish I could have taken photos of all the entries but there are always far too many. I hope you enjoy the few I have included here. Can you pick the winners?

When I think the potato characters can’t get any better, they do. We had so many amazing entries this year. Winners won a $10 gift certificate to the book fair while honorable mentions won $5 dollar gift certificates. Here is just a sample of some of the incredible potatoes that were submitted in our 7th annual Build-a-Potato contest.