The Preface:

Here at SeeYourImpact we are always on the lookout for novel charities that are making a difference in their communities. Luck was on our side when we stumbled across this gem of a charitable contest.

The Event:

Each June thousands of Seattle urbanites descend on the Seattle center to eat at the Bite of Seattle. But this year visitors are going to get a little more than they bargained for; live entertainment.  The Bite of Seattle is sponsoring a sculpting contest. However this is no mid June, Cannon Beach, sandcastle contest. No, this is a canstruction contest. Teams of architects and designers will descend on the innocent, naïve, Bite of Seattle goers, to blow their minds with eight foot tall sculptures of everything from Pac-Man to caterpillars, using the most allusive medium of all; canned food.

The About:

Canstruction is the brainchild of the American institute of Architecture who originally designed the contest as a novel way to engage architects, engineers and aspiring students in a good spirited architecture challenge. Since its inception the contest has been picked up by various organizations around the world, about 150 approved canstruciton contests are held each year, where winners have the opportunity to gain entry into the national canstruction tournament. Some memorable past winners have been a recreation of the Mona Lisa, a pumpkin pie, and the human sized caterpillar.

The Rules:

The rules are simple; each team can have as many members as they want, but only five can build at a time. Each team can use as many cans as they want, but they only have twelve hours to construct their masterpieces.  Teams are also limited to sculptures that fit a 10’ x 10’ x 8’ dimension, or 800 cubic feet. There are also various complex rules that involve what kinds of cheating are not allowed, which is to say no kind of cheating is allowed and there are complex rules that outline what that means.

The Impact:

In Seattle, this June, the stakes are high and failure to win means momentary shame, while the top team goes home with event wide fame, glory, and possibly a free meal. But, the real winners are the area food banks. Every canstruction exhibit ends with the dramatic deconstruction of the sculptures, leaving thousands of cans of perfectly edible food in the lurch. It has been a long standing tradition to donate the canned food to food banks, emergency feeding programs, and various charities. Further, during the exhibition visitors are encouraged to donate non-perishables in a good ol’ fashion food drive. To date, canstruction events have raised over 10,000,000  pounds of food for food banks, emergency feeding programs, elderly homes, and day cares.  That figure is only going to increase as non-profits realize the significant impact of the contest.

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