2026 Challenge: 3D Fidgets
March 16th to June 19th, 2026
First Place Winner - $150
Second Place Winner - $125
Third Place Winner - $100
3 Runner Ups - $30 each
2 CGOA Membership Renewals
To Register
Deadline to register is June 5th.
Send an email to the Chapter Challenge team at chapterchallenge@crochet.org. Be sure to include:
- Your Chapter’s name and location.
- The total number of CGOA members in your chapter. This number should also be included on your monthly tally sheet.
- The contact person for the Challenge, their email address and phone number.
- Who the winning check should be made out to and a mailing address for sending the Challenge’s prize winnings check.
- Fidget Guidelines
Fidgets should be made to the following guidelines:
- Acrylic, cotton or cotton blend yarn should be used. These fibers are both soft to the
touch and easy to clean. - Raised texture crochet stitches and/or beads can be used to give the fidget a tactile surface.
- The fidgets should be of a mammal, bird, sea creature, bug or mythical figure, and be 3-dimensional. Its largest
measurement should be approximately 5 inches and total dimension (height+width+depth) approximately 12 inches. - There is no one pattern or color palette required so use your creativity.
- An internet search for “crochet fidgets” will result in a number of sites to give you inspiration.
UPDATE 3/25/26
The Chapter Challenge Committee has received a number of questions on this year’s 3 Dimensional Fidget challenge. Hopefully the following will clarify the rules.
The fidget should be of a mammal, bird, sea creature, bug or mythical creature.
Examples include
- Mammals – hedgehog, mouse, bear, dog, dinosaurs. This category also includes
- lizards, snakes and unstuffed fidgets, such as worry worms.
- Birds - chicken, duck, parrot.
- Sea Creatures - whales, fish, octopus, crabs, frog, jelly fish, stingray, turtles.
- Bugs – bumble bee, ladybug, spider.
- Mystical creatures – unicorns, dragons.
Polyester fiberfill is generally used to stuff a fidget body. The fidget’s stuffing can also be
large beads or marbles that move. Bubble wrap or items that make a sound are also
used.
Unstuffed fidgets take less effort to make than those that are stuffed. That being the
case, a fidgets whose body is not stuffed will be considered 1/5 th of a fidget. That is, 5
unstuffed fidgets will be counted as 1 stuffed fidget. The tally sheet will be revised so
both the total number of stuffed and unstuffed fidgets made are reported.
Please contact the Chapter Challenge Committee at ChapterChallenge@crochet.org if
you need any clarification or have questions.
Where to Donate
Each CGOA chapter can decide where best to donate their fidgets For example, they can be donated to family services organizations, schools, hospitals, women shelters or other charities or organizations.
Eligibility & Counting
Although this is a chapter-level event, only the participation of chapter members who are also Crochet Guild of America members will be counted for the competition. Each participant’s CGOA membership ID number needs to be recorded on the chapter’s monthly tally sheet.
Chapters come in a variety of sizes. Winners will be based on the average number of items made based on the chapter’s total number of CGOA members. That is, the number of items created by the chapter’s CGOA members will be divided by that chapter’s total number of CGOA members.
For example:
If 8 of a chapter’s 25 CGOA members make 50 items then the average number of items per CGOA member is 2 (50 items ÷ 25 CGOA members = 2). If all 25 CGOA members made 50 items then the average number of flying discs per CGOA member is 2.
How to Submit
At the end of each month, email the Chapter Challenge team at chapterchallenge@crochet.org.
Please include:
- updated Tally Sheet
- where donations were made
- pictures of the items created. (Please note: These photos may be posted on CGOA’s Facebook site during the Challenge, be a part of the Chapter Challenge summary video, used in the winner announcements made during CGOA’s annual Members Meeting and/or posted on CGOA’s social media sites.)
Be sure to rename the file by adding your chapter’s name at the end of the file name and save it to your computer/tablet/phone.
Deadline
Your FINAL TALLY SHEET with all totals must be emailed to the Chapter Challenge Team by June 19th, 11:59pm (your local time)
On your final tally sheet be sure that your chapter’s total number of CGOA members and participant’s membership account numbers are included. Member account numbers are required for that person’s items to be included in the chapter’s total. Items made by non-CGOA members will NOT be counted toward a chapter’s total. Please let the Chapter Challenge team know if you will not be able to send your final tally sheet by the deadline date and time.
Awards will be given to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners and three runner-up chapters. Two CGOA membership renewal prizes going to the 2 CGOA members who made the most items. The winning chapters and individuals will be announced at the annual CGOA Members Meeting planned for later this year. A short summary video about 2026 Chapter Challenge will be posted to CGOA’s website, Facebook and other social media platforms.
2026 Chapter Challenge Team
- Valerie Long – Board Liaison
- Karen Navoy – Team Lead
- Kathy McLaughlin – Team Member
- Lyn Leshner – Team Member
email: chapterchallenge@crochet.org
Files & Downloads
- Rules, Tally Sheet, Gift Tags: ChpCH 2026 Document
- Clarification Addendum: ChpCH Clarification v3
- Tally sheet only: 2026 ChpChallenge Tally Sheet