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Harrogate in Bloom Competitions

Harrogate in Bloom values the contribution made by all floral features in the town. Throughout the year we run a number of competitions to recognise endeavour and to encourage more involvement.

 

All entrants are judged against standards set by the RHS. The 2026 results were announced at the “Harrogate in Bloom” Awards evening on 6th October at The Cedar Court Hotel.

Children's Art Competition 2026

The first competition of the year is always for children. The theme of our 2026 competition was

'SUNSHINE’

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​Children between the ages of seven and eleven years are challenged to design a flower bed on this theme, which will be planted in 2027, in the circular bed near the main entrance of the Valley Gardens.

Children from seven schools entered this year - Brackenfield School, Coppice Valley Primary School , Hookstone Chase Primary School , Rossett Acre Primary School, St Peter’s CE Primary School, Western Primary School and Willow Tree Primary School. Four entries were shortlisted and the 2026 winner of the Christine Dean Cup is Ewan Astbury from Western Primary School.

The theme of the 2025 competition was "250 years since the declaration of independence in the USA"​

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Poppy Garbutt from Willow Tree School designed this colourful winning entry.  Poppy's design was planted up by the gardeners in the Valley Gardens in June 2026.

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Harrogate in Bloom Awards 2026​​

The categories for the Harrogate in Bloom Awards 2026 were:

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  • Hotels

  • Guest Houses

  • Pubs and Restaurants

 

​Judges consider: 

  • The range, quality and maintenance of planting

  • Decorative features

  • Well-maintained boundaries, paving, paths etc. Litter-free.

  • Community participation

  • The overall impression

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The 2026 winners are given below. The Fat Badger also received the Harrogate Chamber of Trade & Commerce Trophy for their beautiful gardens which look amazing all year round.

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  • Care Homes

  • Communal grounds

  • Residential Communities

School Playground & Garden Award 2026

Harrogate in Bloom’s School Playground & Garden Award is for all schools - both Primary Schools and Secondary Schools. 

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Gardening in school could consist of raised beds, containers or areas of your school grounds planted with bee-loving flowers, colourful flowers, vegetables or fruit - there are many possibilities. 

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Judges are looking for:

  • The range, quality and maintenance of planting

  • Examples of encouraging biodiversity

  • Composting, water-harvesting and recycling

  • Student and school participation

  • The overall impression

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Bilton Grange Primary School, Hookstone Chase Primary School, Oatlands Infants School, Rossett Acre Primary School, Rossett School and St Peter's CE Primary School entered the 2026 competition. The winner of the Hammond Mann Trophy was Rossett Acre Primary School.​​
 

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Floral Shop Window Competition 2026 in partnership with Harrogate Business Improvement District

The Harrogate BID team, working in partnership with Harrogate in Bloom, once again held a Floral Shop Window Competition, encouraging local businesses to celebrate our town’s floral heritage. The competition is designed to coincide with the BID's Floral Summer of Celebration.

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Judges awarded points for key aspects including innovation, how the floral display links to the business, quality of the floral features, cleanliness and the overall impression.

Just three businesses entered the competition this year - Oxfam, Piglet in Bed and Tennants Auctioneers.

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               The 2026 winner was Piglet in Bed on James Street.

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Allotment Competition 2026

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For 2026, Harrogate in Bloom are organising the judging of the eight Harrogate allotment sites - Claro Road, Harlow Hill, Oatlands, Pine Street, North Outfall, Stonefall, Unity Grove and St Andrews.

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Judges were looking for:

  • Range, quality and maintenance of planting

  • Evidence of encouraging biodiversity

  • Composting, Water-harvesting and recycling

  • Community participation

  • The overall impression 

   

Trophies were awarded to the site and the plot with the most points.

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The winner of the Edgar Scholey Shield for Best Site was Pine Street Allotments.

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The winner of the Harrogate Borough Council Trophy for Best Plot was Peter Walker of Pine Street Allotments.​​

                                               

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2026 Competition winners

Children's Art Competition

School Garden Award            

Shop Window Competition      

Hotels            

Guesthouses

Communal Grounds                 

Pubs and Restaurants             

Residential Communities 

Care Homes      

Best Allotment site                  

Discretionary Award                

Best Allotment Plot                

Discretionary   Award             

Discretionary Award                    

Christine Dean Cup

Hammond Mann Trophy                     

McCrindle Trophy                             

Crowther Trophy                               

HiB Hotels and Guesthouses Shield

Harrogate in Bloom Shield                 

Parks Dept. Rose Shield                   

Bettys Teapot

Hampden House Trophy                                    

Edgar Scholey Shield                       

Harrogate Chamber of Trade & Commerce Trophy  Harrogate Borough Council Trophy                        President’s Award                                              

Mayor’s Trophy                                                    

Ewan Astbury

Rossett Acre Primary School

Piglet in Bed

The Yorkshire Hotel

​Nama Stay

St Michael's Hospice

The Fat Badger

Swan Court

Hampden House

Pine Street Allotments

The Fat Badger

Peter Walker

The West Park Centre

Mary Mann

For a full list of award winners click on the pdf.

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