HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) — A gardening enthusiast and engineer from California has claimed the top spot in Northern California’s annual pumpkin-weighing contest with his gigantic jack-o’-lantern gourd tipping the scales at 2,346 pounds.
Brandon Dawson, from Santa Rosa, emerged victorious on Monday at the 52nd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, situated south of San Francisco.
From left, Brandon Dawson celebrates with his children Roman and Ayla after winning the Safeway 52nd annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) Brandon Dawson, center, celebrates after winning the Safeway 52nd annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) Norman Breshears, dressed up as a scarecrow, takes a photo of one of the giant pumpkins at the 52nd annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) Giant pumpkins are raised by fork lifts before being weighed at the 52nd annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) Brandon Dawson, left, celebrates after winning the Safeway 52nd annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Upon receiving the accolade, Dawson jubilantly raised his arms and placed his two children atop the massive pumpkin — which weighs approximately the same as a small car or large bison.
“My mind is kind of racing because I was in this position last year when I lost by 6 pounds (3 kilograms),” he said in an interview.
Dawson, who is a manufacturing engineer at the electric vehicle company Rivian Automotive, has been cultivating enormous pumpkins for half a decade. He attributes his success partly to the precision skills from his career, which assisted him in optimizing the watering and sunlight for his colossal gourd.
He said he enjoys getting his children involved in the process.
“We like to spend time out in the patch and watch the thing grow,” Dawson said about his 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.
“My 4-year-old is now quite interested in the growth process,” he mentioned, noting that these giant pumpkins can gain 50 to 70 pounds (23 to 32 kilograms) daily.
The pumpkin champ won a $20,000 prize for growing the biggest pumpkin.
The previous year, Dawson’s pumpkin was the runner-up in Half Moon Bay’s contest, following Minnesota horticulture teacher Travis Gienger’s winning entry, which weighed in at 2,471 pounds (1,121 kilograms).
Gienger, of Anoka, Minnesota, set a world record at the California contest in 2023 for the heaviest pumpkin when his giant jack-o’-lantern gourd weighed 2,749 pounds (1,247 kilograms). Gienger’s pumpkin was damaged earlier this season and he couldn’t enter this year’s contest in California.
Two brothers in England earlier this month broke Gienger’s record with a gourd that weighed 2,819 pounds (1,278kg).
