The 2023 Championship will be bigger and better than ever!
This years competition will be Thursday, September 7th to Sunday, September 10th.
Twenty of the world’s finest chainsaw artists will be selected to come to Libby to test their skills against each other in pursuit of the fifth annual Kootenai Country Montana International Chainsaw Carving Championship. The competitors include carvers from all across the United States, as well as around the world.
The competition will be an intense, four-day affair with the artists carving not only their competition masterpiece, but also engaging in several hour-long “quick carve” events during scheduled breaks.
The competition will be held on the street, allowing the public to watch the artists at work.
2020 presented us with many unique challenges, and thanks to the efforts of our amazing crew, city and county health officials, and all of our outstanding sponsors, we met them all with great success. This event will be no different. We will once again put on a world-class show with public safety as our highest priority.
Paul Bunn, the founder of this event said: “This is an event that will help showcase the natural beauty of Kootenai Country Montana and help to bring more people to our neck of the woods,” Bunn said. “What could possibly be more distinctly Montana than chainsaw art? And what could be better than bringing the very best in the world to the world’s most beautiful place for a live carving championship? We’re sure this will be an event we’ll be holding for as long as we can foresee.”
The event is scheduled to begin Thursday, September 7th in Libby. Carvers will work Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning on their competition pieces with short “quick-carve” breaks. The quick-carve pieces will be available for public auction during the competition.
The Carver’s Masterpiece Auction is Sunday afternoon, the event schedule will be posted in the beginning of August for exact times.
Awards Presentation to follow, where we award up to $15,000 worth in prizes.
Producing an event like this is both challenging and rewarding. One of the most challenging pieces of the puzzle is selecting the 20 carvers to compete. We diligently pour over dozens of applications to fill the available carver spots, working to choose the professional artists we think will provide the most engaging and crowd-pleasing show. We believe that we select the best of the best in the world, and by the end of our competition we are hoping that you will agree.
We would also like to take a moment to shed light on the backbones of our competition; our sponsors, donors, staff, and volunteers, as well as the talented professional artists that provide such an enjoyable and memorable weekend for the town of Libby. Thank you!