Budding gold prospectors are being encouraged to register for the New Zealand Gold Panning Championships in Arrowtown this month and every entrant will able to keep the gold they find.
Arrowtown 150 co-ordinator Julie Hughes said the championships, run through the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust, were normally held in Cromwell.
This year, however, the event had been shifted to form part of the Arrowtown 150 celebrations, on October 21.
Gold panning - classified as a sport - was one of the few disciplines where age, gender or experience played little part in success.
A "dose of good luck" and good eyesight was often the difference between success or failure.
Entrants, regardless of whether they were competing in teams of three or as individuals, were given a "bucket" containing a pre-determined number of gold flakes.
Each bucket would hold between three and eight flakes. Prospectors, however, had no idea how many flakes they were looking for.
Each gold panner was accompanied by a time-keeper, with the aim of finding all the flakes, as quickly as possible.
For every flake not found, a time penalty was added.
"It's very, very good fun and once you get a little sparkle of gold, you feel that whole gold-rush sensation take over you and you're determined to get a bigger bit," Mrs Hughes said.
"What we're wanting to do is get everybody on board.
"We've got a fantastic section called Have A Go. If someone's never competed before and thinks it's for an exclusive bunch of professionals, it's not at all.
"It's to learn skills. Come in and literally have a go," she said.
Another innovation this year was "Town v Town", in which teams of three from different areas of the Lakes District, Central Otago - or New Zealand - would go up against each other, to win "bragging rights", Mrs Hughes said.
Other sections included traditional, where entrants would use metal pans, open, veterans, men, women, teams, under 16 and under 13.
Another new section this year was aimed at schools.
About 3000 pupils across the region had been taught the basics of the sport and encouraged to enter a team of three in the competition.
Fire brigades across the area had also been invited to enter teams of three, Mrs Hughes said.
"It's not restricted to locals.
"We'd love for anyone to come through and takepart.
"We want to make sure we keep the art of gold panning alive [so] techniques are passed down through generations.
"It's something that's a skill, but once you've picked it up, you're away laughing."
Registrations for the event could be taken through arrowtown150.co.nz or from 9am on October 21 and cost $15 for the initial entry, but every entry thereafter would cost less.
Heats would begin at 10am and the finals were set down for 3pm, at Butler's Green.
The overall winner would receive $1000 cash towards travel to the Australian Gold Panning Championships in Ballarat, Victoria.
