Information and Rules of the Garrett Contest 2026
The 10th Garrett Contest will take place on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Cesenatico (FC), on the Free Beach of the Skyscraper (ref. Piazza Andrea Costa), with the patronage of the Municipality of Cesenatico and the Riviera Lifeguards Cooperative.
The competition is open to everyone (including children).
You can participate with any brand or model of Metal Detector.
The competition field will cover an area of approximately 3500 sqm and will be entirely reserved for the event. The Garrett Contest has a limited number of participants up to a maximum of 300 competitors.
The aim of the competition is to find special tokens previously buried by the organizers, made of different types of metal.
The tokens are buried at a maximum depth of 10/15 cm under the sand, therefore deep digging is not required. All holes must be carefully closed and any unwanted materials must be thrown into the designated waste bags located on the field.
The competition will be divided into 4 qualification rounds held in the morning, 2 semifinals in the early afternoon, and a final round later in the afternoon.
For this purpose, competitors will be divided into different groups, each identified by a different color.
All competitors will be given an “ALL BLACK” Mini Shovel, which must be used for digging and recovery during their round. NO other digging tools are allowed; alternatively, digging by hand is permitted.
The competition number, associated with the colored sticker identifying the qualification round, will be placed in a plastic badge with a pin and must be clearly visible on each competitor. During the competition participants must wear the “Detectorshop” t-shirt, the cap and the token bag provided in the race kit.
Golden Coins Formula: four special tokens will be buried during the four qualification rounds, one for each round. Whoever finds the Golden Coin will receive a "€150 Purchase Voucher" to be used on the website www.detectorshop.it. The Golden Coin will still be added to the total number of tokens recovered. If not found, the remaining Golden Coins will be raffled among all participants at the end of the Final Round (around 4:45 PM).
"Lucky Loser": at the end of the qualification rounds, 20 competitors will be randomly selected among those who did not qualify. The lucky participants will be allowed to take part in the 2 Semifinals held in the afternoon.
All children up to 10 years old may enter the competition field only if accompanied by a parent, who must maintain a passive role and cannot assist in searching or digging. The only exception is that the parent may carry the shovel.
The same rules, at the discretion of the jury, apply to competitors with evident mobility difficulties who may enter the competition field together with an assistant.
During the qualification rounds, semifinals and final, event staff may occasionally distract competitors in a playful way. Any signs of intolerance toward this activity will not be tolerated and may result in disqualification.
Throughout the entire event it is strictly forbidden to pass tokens to other competitors. Any unsportsmanlike behavior will lead to immediate disqualification.
In case of bad weather the competition will still take place.
The competition (or part of it) may be cancelled or modified at the sole discretion of the organizers only in case of dangerous weather conditions or for public safety reasons.
Participants are asked to dress appropriately according to weather conditions and to consider their personal limits in case of adverse weather. In case of cancellation or suspension, no alternative date will be scheduled.
Participation fees are non-refundable but may be transferred to another competitor with at least 10 days' notice before the event.
WARNING: competitors entering the field may be checked using handheld metal detectors to prevent irregularities.
Any disputes must be immediately reported to the judges on the field, who are the sole referees of the competition. Judges' decisions are final and may only be revised if another judge reports an issue before the count declaration becomes public.
Children's Area
At the competition field there will also be a dedicated children's area, where, under the supervision of their parents, kids can try Garrett Metal Detectors to search for objects hidden in the sand.
Event Schedule
Race numbers and race kit collection
When:
- Saturday, April 25: from 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM
- Sunday, April 26: from 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM
Where:
Cesenatico (FC) – Free Beach of the Skyscraper (ref. Piazza Andrea Costa)
Collection method:
- Race numbers and the race kit will be delivered to registered participants.
- All materials will be contained in a dedicated bag.
- The race kit can only be collected personally by the registered participant.
Race kit contents
- 1 Detectorshop Bag
- 1 Garrett Bag
- 1 Detectorshop T-Shirt "Garrett Contest 2026"
- 1 Cap
- 1 All Black XT Shovel
- Free drink coupon for the Saturday night Detectorshop Party
- 15% Discount Voucher to be used on www.detectorshop.it
Saturday, April 25
4:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Race kit collection and beach activities for participants.
7:30 PM
Detectorshop Evening Party.
Sunday, April 26
From 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM
Race numbers and race kit collection.
9:00 AM
Start of qualification rounds.
Each round will last 25 minutes. Competitors must recover as many tokens as possible from the competition field.
Judges will be present on the field to supervise the correct conduct of the competition.
At the end of the 25 minutes competitors will go to the judges’ desk for the token count. The best 25 competitors from each round will qualify for the semifinals.
In case of a tie, a draw will be held.
11:45 AM
Lucky Loser Draw.
12:00 PM
Lunch Break.
2:00 PM
Start of the Semifinals (30 minutes). The best 20 competitors from each round will qualify for the Final. In case of a tie, a draw will be held.
4:00 PM
Start of the Final Round lasting 30 minutes.
4:45 PM
Group photo with all participants, Contest awards ceremony, lottery draw and closing ceremony.
