World Kite Museum and Washington State International Kite Festival in Long Beach, Washington

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Thursday's Events

WSIKF/NAFKA Fighter Kite Challenge
Bruce & Donna Lambert, Event Directors
10:00a.m., Field C

Handcrafted Comprehensive Competition
Al Councilman & Robin Haas, Co-Directors
9:30a.m., Field A

All kites entered in today’s competition will be flown and judged by the “RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR COMPREHENSIVE KITEMAKING COMPETITION,” published by the AKA, as a guideline.

Every participant in the Handcrafted Kite Competition will be a winner! A special participation pin will be given to every competitor that enters at least one kite for judging.

Judging criteria includes craftsmanship, structural design, kite flight and handling, and visual appeal.

Each event (except Smallest Kite) will include four competitor levels: APPRENTICE, JOURNEYMAN, MASTERS & KAHUNA. A questionnaire form will be available to determine each competitor’s skill level. Anyone can compete in at higher level of skill.

Pre-registration will be open for three hours on Wednesday afternoon. Listen for announcements.

Kites that have placed in Handcrafted Competition at WSIKF in previous years are ineligible to compete.

Kites can be either built by an individual or cooperatively by two or more people (hence no Cooperative Kites category in this year’s competition).

Upon the completion of the competition, a drawing will be made from the APPRENTICE winners for a free ride scholarship to Fort Worden Kite Makers Conference in 2007 (room, meals and tuition).

Held the 3rd Full Week of August Each Year:
August 18-24, 2008
August 17-23, 2009

Events (not listed in any particular order):

TRAINS AND CENTIPEDES – Kites of any shape or structure that is connected by lines to each other.

THE SMALLEST KITE – The kite should demonstrate stability in flight. Once meeting this requirement, the kite with the smallest amount of lifting surface will be declared the winner.

FLAT OR BOWED KITES – The lift surface is a single plane. Diamonds, Della Portas, Eddys, Edos, and Bermudas are all examples of Flat or Bowed Kites.

ROKKAKU KITES – Kite shape must be six-sided and framed as a traditional Sanjo Rokkaku

CELLULAR OR DIMENSIONAL KITES- A three dimensional structure with the wind flowing through channels formed by the sail surfaces which are also lifting surfaces.

DELTA OR DELTA DERIVATIVES – Usually a triangular winged kite

SOFT & SEMI-RIGID – The shape of the kite is maintained by the interaction of the wind on the sail and the proper bridling of the kite. Semi-rigid kites may have spars going in one direction only.

FIGURE OR NOVELTY KITES - Shapes of these kites represent persons, animals, or other objects. Kites whose surfaces are decorated with pictures or representations of the above are not considered figure kites.

STUNTS OR MULTI-LINE KITES – Kites which require more flying lines to lift the kite in the air and keep it steady as it flies.

TRADITIONAL KITES – Kites include eastern or western kites using designs that might have been found before 1950 and/or based on designs indigenous to the region they represent. This includes countries such as Bali, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand.

LINE ACCESSORIES – Sometimes referred to as “line art,” this category will included any tethered object. The object may be tethered to a kite, line, or the ground. Examples would include windsocks, bols, wheels, etc.

FIGHTER KITES – This category is open to all types and designs of fighter kites

MULTI-LINE FIGURE KITES – The shapes of these kites, the flight of which is controlled by two or more lines, represents persons, animals, or other objects. Kites whose surfaces are decorated with pictures or representations of the above are not considered figure kites.

INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS & DESIGNS – This category recognizes new designs or styles of kites that do not fit within any other category. Imagination, innovation, experimentation, with and originality are added emphasis.

OPEN OR COMBINED KITES – This category will be used only when there are kites entered in the competition that do not readily fit within any other category, or if there are insufficient entries in more than one of the other categories to warrant a separate competition in that category.