Maggie Weiss from Bristol, Maine submitted the winning T-shirt design for this year’s Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta. This year’s festival will be Oct. 8-11. Her design was selected from among 40 entries, a strong showing from the local artist community for the annual Pumpkinfest T-shirt Design Contest. Judges were Pumpkinfest volunteers attending the June 17 planning meeting. The winning design won a $500 prize.

Maggie Weiss is a 23-year-old artist and business woman who recently received both her BFA 2020 and MBA 2021 from Alfred University in Western New York.

Her inspiration for the design was to create an image celebrating the Regatta, where costumed boaters in pumpkin boats race each other in the harbor to an appreciative crowd.

“Growing up in the area it’s been fantastic to see Pumpkinfest reach the size it has, and the positive effect it has on local businesses,” said Maggie. “Throughout high school I was a volunteer for KidsZone,” says Maggie. “Even while working, the positive, community-minded, atmosphere of the whole weekend made it one of my favorite times of year. I chose the Regatta as the focal point of my design because it is well known as the flagship event of Pumpkinfest, and the crazy notion of racing pumpkins down the river was the original idea that began this whole thing.”

Colors for this year’s coveted Pumpkinfest T-shirts and hoodies are grey or black in adult and children’s sizes. These and other Pumpkinfest gear will be available for sale in late August at Supplies Unlimited, Main Street Grocery, and Hannaford-Damariscotta, and at https://www.mainepumpkinfest.com.