Second annual ‘Pink Your Pumpkin’ contest raising awareness about breast cancer

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - The Pink Your Pumpkin contest is where contestants have fun decorating breast cancer-themed pumpkins while also raising awareness about the disease.

Elyse Bower, the director of marketing and development at Horizons Community Solutions, said this is a special time of the year for the company.

“Here at Horizons South Georgia Cancer Coalition, we are one of five cancer coalitions in the State of Georgia. And what we do is we help provide uninsured and underinsured individuals in the communities that we serve free cancer screenings for breast and colorectal cancer,” Bower said.

The contest serves to not only raise awareness about the disease but to encourage women to schedule their regular mammograms.

“Since the pandemic, cancer screenings across the board have been down dramatically. We know that when there’s missed screenings, then that’s a misdiagnosis. And breast cancer, when diagnosed early, is easier to treat. And there’s a higher survival rate,” Bower said.

People can submit their contest entries by getting a pumpkin and decorating, but with pink as the main color of the pumpkin.

The contest winner is decided by the most likes on Facebook and by board members.

“We have extended the deadline for the contest for this year. So, individuals can still submit a pumpkin through midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 26,” Bower said.

The winner will receive a $100 Amazon card and Horizons swag bag.

To enter, email a picture of your pumpkin to elyse.bower@horizonscommunity.org.

Copyright 2022 WALB. All rights reserved.