East Maui Taro Festival crowns winners of 16th Queen’s Challenge

Organizers of the 16th annual Queen’s Challenge awarded top honors to Jake Sipes of Haʻikū and Kūlia Lind of Kīpahulu for their traditional Hawaiian kalo varieties during the East Maui Taro Festival on Saturday.

The competition honors Queen Emma Kalanikaumakaamano Kaleleonālani Na‘ea Rooke for her historical expertise in taro cultivation and focuses on preserving the nearly 60 remaining traditional varieties of Hawaiian kalo.

Judges evaluated each plant based on overall health, corm weight and starchiness. Organic growing methods, used historically by Queen Emma, earned entrants extra points in the scoring process.

Sipes took first place in the dryland category with a Mana ʻulu variety.

In the wetland category, Lind secured the top prize with Lehua palaiʻi. Lind, who placed second in the 2025 contest, continues a family farming legacy established by his grandparents, John and Tweetie Lind.

The quality of the corm is often determined by a float test. If a kalo floats, the starch has turned to sugar, a condition known as loli.

The Queen’s Challenge remains a centerpiece of the festival, highlighting the connection between careful cultivation and the quality of the harvest.