Bucket of Junk Contest

2025 Niagara County Fair

Bucket of Junk Competition

Sponsored by The Home Depot Foundation

Open to public participation. (You do NOT have to be in 4-H to register)

The objective of the STEAM “Bucket of Junk Competition” is to create a 3-D sculpture using only the items in your bucket. A sculpture is defined as a “three-dimensional work of art” that can be viewed from 365 degrees.

Timeline:

• Registration deadline: Friday June 27. Space is limited. 
• Bucket pick-up: Tuesday July 1 - Thursday July 3, 8am-4pm, CCE Admin Building (4487 Lake Ave. Lockport)
• Finished artwork Drop off: Tuesday July 29th 12pm-6pm, Training Center Aud (4487 Lake Ave. Lockport)
• Sculptures will be judged on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. Winners will be chosen in both of the Family and Individual Categories. There will be prizes for the winners.

General Rules:

• Contest is limited to the first 10 applicants for Families (must include at least 1 youth) and first 10 applicants for Individuals (ages 16 and up including adults). Please only one(1) entry per family/household.
• There is no entry fee but registration is required.
• When you drop off your sculpture, you MUST bring back the provided Home Depot bucket, in order for your sculpture to be accepted. Please remember to also bring in the completed Contents List.
• Sculptures will remain on display from July 30th, 2025, through the entirety of the Niagara County Fair. Sculptures are to be picked up on the last day of the fair, Sunday Aug 3rd, between 5pm and 7pm in the 4-H training center. 

Presentation:

• All sculptures must be received presentation ready. Sculptures not meeting this requirement will not be judged.
• The judges must know where you used each item in the bucket. Please note: You must use each item provided. You do not need to use the entire item in your sculpture, but there must be enough used to make it visible. The only optional pieces in the bucket are the packaging on the different items, i.e., cardboard package, plastic bag, etc. However, if you want to use it, you may, they are just not mandatory.
• You may NOT add any additional items to your sculpture. Only the items in the bucket are permitted to be part of your sculpture. There will be a list of contents in each bucket provided. Please indicate on the list where each item was used. Please return this list filled out when you drop off your sculpture.

You may cut, weld, melt, paint, shave, curl, staple, glue, tape or sew these items to make your sculpture.

• You may connect your entry to a solid base for stability if needed. The base cannot be part of your sculpture. The base must also be smaller than the sculpture and is NOT to be painted. The base will not be considered part of your sculpture, so it will not be judged.
• Your sculpture will be displayed in the Training Center Auditorium for the duration of the 2025 Niagara County Fair.
• The bucket and contents list need to be returned when you bring in your sculpture. The bucket may not be used as part of the sculpture/display. 
• Any sculpture larger than 20” L x 20” W will be automatically disqualified.
• Your sculpture must be finished when it arrives.NO painting, construction, etc. will be allowed after your sculpture has been dropped off and accepted. 

Judging Criteria:

Contestant used only the materials that were provided (required).... 25%

Contestant used the materials in a new way to create something different....25%

Contestant’s ideas are recognizable.(Clarity of the idea)................ 25%

Contestant’s overall finished appearance of the sculpture................ 25%

(This includes the difficulty of the piece and how well it was made)

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THIS CONTEST: 

Contact Christina Wright by email or phone to reserve your bucket. Contact info is below. Registration will close on June 27, or after all buckets have been reserved, whichever comes first. 

Last updated June 6, 2025