There are multiple ways to participate:

• Host an event
• Host a food drive
• Collect cash donations
• Shop at local businesses who are supporting the cause

To register your organization to participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring, or to find an event in your area, visit www.souperbowl.org.

• Arrange for use of a parking lot that gets a lot of visibility and traffic. (Think grocery store, mall parking lot, football stadium.)
• Sign up participants ahead of time to collect food donations in the trunks of their cars. Encourage school and church groups to put together a team to participate. Local businesses can also get in on the fun and challenge their local competitors.
• Encourage the participants to decorate their trunks.
• Have celebrity judges vote for the best decorated trunk.
• Supporters can “vote” for the best decorated trunk by placing non-perishable food items in the trunk of their choice.
• Set up a donation box for those that perfer to give a monetary donation instead.
• Have music, games, prizes, and trick or treat candy to hand out.
• Sell food and beverages for those that come to parcipate and volunteer for the event. Proceeds of refreshment sales can also be donated to the food pantry.
• Get the local media to come out and cover the event.

An esteemed jury declared seven winners from a field of hundreds of local winners that went on to compete via photography at the International level. The body of work represented at the competition was expansive. Canstruction sculptures reflected current events and issues, musical legends and artistic luminaries.

“Orange you Glad you CAN e-Lemon-ate Hunger” by Arlington, Virginia’s Samaha Associates took Juror’s Favorite award with a striking rendition of colorful fruit that left the judges anticipating summer’s refreshment. The design was crisp and clean, exploding with freshness and realism.

The Structural Ingenuity award went to Fluor Canada from Calgary with “Two-Point Canversion.” This eight feet tall football was precariously balanced on a point and exhibited beautiful symmetry, simplicity and massive scale.

Musical legends were a winner in Best Use of Labels. “We Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends” by New York City’s Ted Moudis Associates depicted the four faces of the Beatles. John, Ringo, Paul and George were depicted in four separate planes using an ingenious optical effect. Each plane was built through the use of staggered steps which when viewed from distance created a single frame.

The Waterloo Architecture Student Association from the University of Waterloo in Canada took the Best Meal category with their sculpture of the “Parthenon-Building a Long Lasting Community.” Standing high on the Acropolis, this Parthenon could sustain the ancient residents of Greece through a famine. This wonder of the world was packed with nutritious food and symbolism.

Two winners in the Honorable Mention category captured the judges with beautiful compositions. “Shuck Hunger” created by HDR, Inc. from Dallas, Texas and “War(hol)on Hunger” created by BRR Architecture from Kansas City, Missouri received the honors. A shucked ear of corn stood six feet tall with its husk flowing down to the floor. One of the most important food staples, corn is the most highly cultivated crop in the world. The iconic Marilyn Monroe was depicted in a 360 degree pixilated composition. Three colorful pictures were engaging from every angle and interactive at the human scale. Beguiling in cans as she was on the canvas.

A Most Cans award is given every year to the local winning structure that incorporates the largest number of canned foods. This year’s winner, with 12,394 cans, was created by NK Architects of Newark, New Jersey. The enormous “Zamboni Ice Resurfacer ” was large enough to sit on and drive.

The esteemed jury included:

Randy Lavigne, AIA – Executive Director of the AIA Las Vegas

David Baird, AIA – Director of the UNLV School of Architecture

David Spero – Executive Chef of Tableau at Wynn Hotel

Kent Barber, P.E., S.E. -Structural Engineer of LR Consulting Engineers

Roy Burson, AIA – Partner in Charge of JVC Architects

Sean Coulter, AIA – Partner Pugsley, Simpson & Coulter Associates

View the rest of the 2010 winners at www.canstruction.org.  

Invite your neighbors for a “cookout and get to know you afternoon”, with everyone bringing not only a dish to pass, but a donation to your local food pantry.  You get to have a fun afternoon learning more about your neighbors and also help your local food pantry at the same time.

You could do this with co-workers, church members, or other organizations that you belong too.

After the competition exhibit closes, all food is donated to local food pantries.

 Canstruction® is a trademarked event, so visit their website for guidelines for hosting a competition.

Check out the archive of creations from the annual NYC Design and Build competition in New York here…