Dawson City gold seekers are expected to descend down to Fourth Avenue on July 5 as the annual Yukon Gold Panning Championships takes place, as tourists and locals are expected to test their luck for a $2,000 prize in historic Klondike style.
The Yukon Gold Panning Championships has attracted prospectors, families and tourists since the 1970s, said Andy Cunningham of the Klondike Visitors Association. He said the July 5 event will follow rules set by the World Gold Panning Association.
Last year's annual Yukon Gold Panning Championships drew approximately 150 with two-thirds being tourists and families, Cunningham said. The remaining quarter are those competing for the $2,000, Cunningham added.
Registration for the Yukon Gold Panning Championships will open at 11 a.m. on July 5, with the competition scheduled to run from noon to 3 p.m. the same day.
"The most popular categories for sure, are the kids category and the beginners category, they love it. It's an easy way to try it out. We have people around helping them," Cunningham said.
Participants, who register at 11 a.m., pan equal dirt containers holding five to 12 tiny flakes, then transfer gold into vials for judging, with penalties that apply for missed flakes, shaping final times.
Technic, a local company in Dawson, will be at the Yukon Gold Panning Championships with a live gold-melting demonstration that turns raw pieces into a solid gold bar. Organizers say the display connects spectators with both modern mining techniques and the historical practices of the Klondike Gold Rush, adding an educational touch to the hands-on competition.
"They come in and melt gold and pour it into a gold bar live at the event. So you can see, like, the process of going from some pieces of gold to a nice heavy gold bar," Cunningham said.
The Yukon Gold Panning Championships began in the 1970s, likely inspired by the World Gold Panning Championships launched in Finland in 1974, Cunningham said. The Klondike Visitors Association took over organizing duties by the late ’70s, though its original founders remain unknown.
Dawson City hosted the global championship in 1984, showcasing the Yukon's historical roots on the international gold panning stage. Organizers say the local event now includes categories for children, seniors and professionals, reflecting its evolution and inclusive spirit over nearly five decades.
"We have a lot of you know, tourists that come to the area and want to try out gold panning, whether it's on Bonanza Creek, we get the free claim where they can pan, or in town here through Goldbottom who does panning right on Front Street. But the event is, it's different from obviously, mining. there's not a ton of gold panning that happens in mining," Cunningham said.
"It's an interesting effect in the way it is a gold panning event, which obviously ties back to the Klondike Gold Rush and the modern placer mining of today."
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
