March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 51 F

Clawdia, Shelly, or Edgar B. Pinchon–who will win?

Name the crabThe quest to name Maryland’s famous blue crab on the Treasure the Chesapeake license plate has begun. During the past two weeks, more than 1,000 names have been submitted to the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s “Name our Crab” competition. Residents from Maryland and throughout the country have suggested their most creative and funny name ideas for this iconic crustacean. In the end the finalists have been narrowed down to three possibilities: Clawdia, Shelly, and Edgar B. Pinchon.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust, the host of this competition, is a non-profit, grantmaking organization dedicated to restoring the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers. This contest was created to raise awareness for the work of the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Treasure the Chesapeake license plate.  Each year the Trust awards more than $5 million in grants to improve communities and restore the Chesapeake Bay and local waters. A portion of the Trust’s funding comes from sales of the Treasure the Chesapeake license plate which are only $20 and can be purchased online anytime at www.bayplate.org. Last year the Trust launched a similar contest to name the blue heron on the license plate and after more than 500 names submissions and 600 votes, the name “Wade” was selected.

“We had so much fun seeing all the great name ideas that were submitted to the ‘Name our Crab’ competition,” said Molly Alton Mullins, director of communications at the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “People really put a lot of creative thought into their ideas and explanations, which to me, indicates how much they love Maryland’s blue crab and our Chesapeake Bay. It was incredibly hard to narrow it down, but we think we found three great name ideas for the public to choose from.”

Clawdia was submitted by Emily Rhode, a native Marylander from La Plata who currently lives in Durham, N.C. When asked why she liked the name, Rhode said, the “Chesapeake Bay Trust needs some female representation in their “spokes-animals”:) Clawdia is a simple play on the name Claudia, and represents the blue crab’s most famous/infamous appendages!”

For Shelly, submitted by Suzanne Weber of Annapolis, she said her reason was, [because of its] “Anatomy and [to be] Wade’s girlfriend!” The third naming option is Edgar B. Pinchon, submitted by Peggy Wittman of Easton, Md.  She thought this name was fitting for the iconic symbol because “Edgar popped into my mind as the crab fisherman from Deadliest Catch. I came up with the initial B for Blue, and Pinchon as a play on pinching (for the claws).”

The three names will be voted on by the public from July 24 until August 1. The official winner will be announced on August 4 and there are multiple chances to win prizes. There will be two grand prize winners: one for whose name is chosen to represent the blue crab and the other will be a randomly selected voter who chooses the winning name. These two lucky recipients will receive great prizes, including Southwest airline tickets, a free Bay plate, tickets to the Trust’s Treasure the Chesapeake Celebration gala and other upcoming events. There are also fantastic giveaways for the runner-ups and randomly chosen participants daily throughout the contest. Visit www.bayplate.org to see the official rules and prizes.

“One in 10 Marylanders already own a Treasure the Chesapeake license plate but not everyone knows that the $20 they spend to purchase one goes to a local nonprofit doing great work to help the Chesapeake Bay and our communities,” continued Mullins. “We wanted to come up with a creative way to connect the Bay plate and Chesapeake Bay Trust to Maryland residents while having fun at the same time.”

For more information on the Chesapeake Bay Trust and how you can support Bay restoration, visit www.cbtrust.org. To vote for your favorite name and for official contest rules, visit www.bayplate.org.

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