PANS: Each contestant will start with a regulation ten(10) inch gold pan provided by the contest committee. The pan will be filled with sand.  Eight shots, provided by the contest committee, will be placed on the sand. The Judge will then push the shots into the sand so all of them are at the same depth.

PROCEDURE: Beginning with the pan of shots and sand, each contestant will remove the sand,
except the shots, by panning. The standard method of panning is the only method that can be used. There are many folks who enter the World Championship Panning contests, that use a method totally different from the standard way. No gloves, screens, or other devices may be used.  All shots must remain in the pan until the panner is ready to place all shots into the vial. If a shot leaves the pan, it cannot be retrieved. Whenever the panner feels he or she can pick out the shots, the panner will take the shots out of the pan using their fingers only, and place the shots into a vial, provided by the contest committee, and screw the top on the vial. The panner will then place the vial in the judge's pan and then yell, "GOLD!"

TIMING: The Judges will be the time keepers. Timing will begin when the black powder pistol is
fired. Timing will end when the panner places the capped vial in the judge's pan and yells, "GOLD!"

JUDGING: will commence after the panner has placed the vial in the judge's pan, and yells, "GOLD!" The judge will look at the vial to determine there are more shots in the vial than sand in
the vial. If there more sand than shots in the vial, this will result in disqualification. The judge will
count the shots in the vial or have the option of emptying the contents of the vial into the judges
pan to count the shots.

PENALTIES: A ten(10) second penalty will be assessed for each shot lost. Four(4) or more shots lost will result in disqualification. A thirty(30) second penalty will be assessed if the lid is not screwed on the vial or if the lid falls off the in the judges pan.

PANNING ROTATION: Contestants starting positions will be determined by their sign up number. First come, first served. 

The First, Second, and Third  winners of the beginners class will face off on Saturday, August 9, 2003 to determine winners of that class.