Carol and Dave Stelts win Canfield giant pumpkin weigh-off with 2,565.5-pound pumpkin

Carol and Dave Stelts took first place at the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers’ annual weigh-off in Canfield, Ohio, with a 2,565.5-pound pumpkin on Oct. 11, 2026. The event drew 41 pumpkins, paid out more than $70,000 in prizes and underscored Canfield’s standing on the giant vegetable circuit.

Why it matters: - The Canfield weigh-off is one of the premier stops for giant pumpkin growers, and this year’s results show how competitive the sport has become. - The Top 10 pumpkins totaled 22,120 pounds, a sign of the high average size at the event and the depth of the field. - The competition also functions as a showcase for giant vegetable growing beyond pumpkins, drawing spectators, growers and hobbyists to Mahoning Valley.

What happened: - Carol and Dave Stelts won the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers’ annual Giant Pumpkin World Weigh-Off on Oct. 11, 2026, at Parks Garden Center in Canfield, Ohio. - Their pumpkin weighed 2,565.5 pounds and took first place among 41 giant pumpkins entered. - The Stelts family received a $12,250 first-place prize. - The second-place pumpkin earned $9,250, and third place earned $7,250.

The details: - The winning pumpkin weighed more than 1¼ tons. - The Top 10 pumpkins combined to 22,120 pounds, averaging 2,212 pounds each. - Thirty of the 41 growers earned prize money. - The event’s overall prize purse and awards exceeded $70,000 across competition categories and incentives. - The weigh-off included giant watermelons, giant tomatoes, long gourds, field pumpkins, sunflowers, marrows and bushel gourds. - The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth sanctions the Canfield weigh-off. - The Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers say the event has helped establish Canfield as an important location on the international giant pumpkin-growing calendar.

Between the lines: - The results suggest that elite giant pumpkin growing now requires the same level of precision and long-term planning seen in other specialized agricultural competitions. - The spread of prize money beyond the top three finishers helps keep more growers engaged and broadens participation across the field. - The mix of contest categories shows the event is both a competition and a public-facing agricultural showcase.

What's next: - The Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers will return next year with another sanctioned weigh-off in Canfield. - The organization expects the event to keep drawing experienced growers, spectators and sponsors as competition continues to intensify. - Growers are likely to keep refining soil, nutrition, watering and pest-management practices ahead of the next season.

The bottom line: - Carol and Dave Stelts won a marquee giant pumpkin competition with a nearly 2,600-pound pumpkin, and Canfield again proved it can attract some of the biggest entries in the sport.