2025 Contests

Thank you for your interest in participating in a competition at the Fifth Annual Fauquier County Juneteenth Celebration! This year the contests have been reimagined to explore additional cultural aspects relating to literacy, art, games, history, and recognizing local heroes.

4TH ANNUAL SWEET POTATO PIE & POUND CAKE COMPETITION - 1st Place Sweet Potato Pie ($150) and 1st Place Pound Cake ($150)

Sweet Potato Pie and Pound Cake Contest!
What??? We value community feedback and we were asked to consider a pie/ pound cake contest this year. Some folks are intimidated by pie baking, and pound cake has a wonderful history within the African-American Heritage and Community, so why not??  Join in the fun…..enter one or both! To register for the contest click here.

Contestants will be judged on the  following criteria: 

• Presentation/Appearance

• Crust – Flakiness 

• Filling Texture/consistency 

• Flavor 

Contestants will be judged on the  following criteria: 

• Presentation/Appearance

• Texture

• Flavor

• Consistency

Contestants will report to Warrenton Presbyterian Church for check-in at 2:00p.m. All pies and cakes will be judged at 2:30p.m. and winners will be announced at 3:00p.m.

2ND ANNUAL JAM & JELLY CONTEST
Bring your homemade jams and or jellies to Fauquier Juneteenth for a new contest requested by our festival participants!

Entries are due no later than Friday 6p.m., June 14, 2024 at Walk By Faith Book Store 9 S 5th Street, Warrenton. All entries must be in clear canning jars with no rust on the screw top and labeled with the contents and dated no more than 12 months prior to the contest. Headspace is 1/4 inch from the lid. To register for the contest click here.

Entries will be judged on the  following criteria: 

• Flavor

• Texture

• Appearance

• Consistency

• Creativity

• Labeling

Jams and Jellies will be judged separately. Winners will be announced at 3:00p.m.

2ND ANNUAL ESSAY CONTEST for Juniors & High School Seniors - $500 Prize

Launching February 1, 2025 in celebration of Black History Month. Prompt: Examine the role of African Americans in shaping labor movements in the United States. How have their contributions to different forms of work and advocacy for workers’ rights influenced broader social and economic systems? Thank you to all students that submitted an essay for review. Once reveivee our community judges will go to work reading the beautiful inputs and the winner will be announced no later than April 15, 2025.

The Fauquier Juneteenth Executive Committee is thrilled to announce the winner of the first ever Fauquier Juneteenth Essay Contest! We received a total of 11 entries. The judges all commented on the overall excellence of the submitted essays. The 2024 Essay Contest Winner is Rueaa Ebrahim of Fauquier High School! We’d also like to recognize Leguejou Awunganyi, also of Fauquier High School, for a very close second place! Please join us on June 15 for the celebration.  Rueaa will receive the Education Prize and read the award  winning essay.

Please join us in thanking our community judges - Ms.  Angela Robinson, Dr. Ethel Canty Bethuel, and Mr. Renard Carlos for their time and expertise.