There will be up to five first-place winners (i.e. one for each category) and each will win a prize bundle comprising of the following items:

• STIHL gardening hamper worth £120
• £200 CJ Wildlife voucher for Wild About Wildlife category OR £200 gardening centre voucher for Cultivating Creativity, One Pot Power, Greener Ground Floors and Urban Farming categories
• National Trust prize day out which includes: free entry to one National Trust property of your choice (valid for up to 2 adults and up to 3 children, one visit only); a £25 food and beverage voucher; a £10 gift shop/retail voucher
• Handmade watering can trophy
• Winners certificate

There will be up to five runners-up (i.e. second place for each of the categories) and each will win the following:

• National Trust prize day out which includes: free entry to one National Trust property of your choice (valid for up to 2 adults and up to 3 children, one visit only); a £25 food and beverage voucher; a £10 gift shop/retail voucher
• £20 garden centre voucher
• Runners up certificate

There may be up to one highly commended award per category and if so, each would win the following:

• Mini bird feeder
• £10 garden centre voucher
• Highly commended certificate

National Trust's Sky Gardening Challenge 2025 Competition Terms and Conditions

The National Trust’s Sky Gardening Challenge competition aims to give people living in flats in Greater Manchester the chance to compete by sharing their gardening story. The competition involves greening a balcony, window box, or private area directly adjoining a flat/ apartment.

The opportunity to enter closes on Thursday 31 July. If shortlisted, our friendly judges will visit your balcony or ground-floor garden to meet you, talk about your experience, and judge your entry later in August / early September. Winners and runners up will win prizes and will be invited to a celebratory event with food and drink on the evening of Tuesday 30 September 2025.

The National Trust’s Sky Gardening Challenge competition is run by the National Trust. It aims to inspire people to get closer to nature, even in urban areas.

Eligibility

• The competition is not open to National Trust employees, or project partners’ employees who are directly involved in the project.

To enter you must

• Be aged 18 years old or over.

• Live in Greater Manchester. For the avoidance of doubt, those living in the following local authority areas are eligible for entry: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan. If you are unsure about which local authority area you live in, you can look this up here: Find your local council - GOV.UK.

• Live in a flat or apartment and have a private balcony or ground floor space.

There is a limit of one entry per household. You can enter on your own behalf, or as a named individual on behalf of your household.

Essential information

• If entering the competition, it is each entrants’ responsibility to check the terms of their lease regarding how they can use their balcony, window box, window sill, or private area adjoining their flat/apartment, and gain relevant permissions from the freeholder, landlord, or housing provider for any changes they want to make as part of the National Trust’s Sky Gardening Challenge. E.g. there may be restrictions on the amount of weight you can put onto your balcony, or what you can attach to the building. If you are unsure, you should speak to their management company or residents' association. It is your responsibility to check the impact of taking part on your buildings and contents insurance. Further essential information relating to National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge can be found here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cheshire-greater-manchester/castlefield-viaduct/sky-gardening-challenge#essential-information

How to enter the competition

Entrants can submit their competition entry between Thursday 12th June 2025 and Thursday 31st July 2025 23:59 (the closing date)

To enter the competition, you must submit your entry in one of the following formats:

• Photographs (up to 5) and written statement (500 words max)

• Video (five minutes max) (only available for online entries)

You can submit your entry either of the following ways:

• Online via the digital submission form which can be found here: SurveyMonkey Powered Online Survey

• By post via the printed submission form, accompanying printed photographs.

To request a paper entry form, please contact us on skygardeningchallenge@nationaltrust.org.uk or call us on 03448001895.
Compeleted forms must be posted to: National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge, National Trust, Heelis, Kemble Drive, Swindon, SN2 2NA.

Please note:

All submissions must be received by the closing date.
Postal submissions cannot be returned.
The National Trust cannot accept submissions made via USB.
The National Trust cannot take responsibility for entries that are corrupted, lost, delayed, mislaid or damaged in the post.
Any submissions received after the closing date will not be considered.

Categories

Please submit your entry to the category which best reflects your greening/garden. The category title is in bold with suggestions for inspiration following.

Entries from ground floor flats and apartments are only accepted in the “Greener Ground Floors” and “One Pot Power” categories.

Entries from flats and apartments on the 1st floor or above are eligible to enter all categories apart from “Greener Ground Floors”

We encourage entries focusing on one pot to enter the One Pot Power category.

• Cultivating Creativity – How have you expressed your creativity with your growing? How’s your balcony garden unique to you?

• One Pot Power – A small pot can make a big difference. Tell us about your one-pot growing story and the impact it’s made on you, and the environment.

• Wild about Wildlife – Has your high-rise hangout encouraged urban wildlife such as bees and birds to your balcony? Tell us who you’ve met at your window?

• Urban Farming – Whether it’s vertical veg, or high-rise herbs, edible gardens are lovely to look at and consume. Tell us your edible gardening story.

• Greener Ground Floors – What blooms have you cared for in your ground floor space? How have you greened your unique gardening space?

Judging

Up to 15 submissions will be shortlisted, and shortlisted entrants will be notified by 15th August by email or phone in accordance with preference specified in their competition entry form.

Judging will take place on Wednesday 27th August, Saturday 30th August, Sunday 31st August and Friday 5th September. Finalists will be allocated a short slot within one of these days where our friendly judges will visit their balcony or window box to judge their entry. The National Trust will contact shortlisted individuals to arrange a timeslot within one of these days.

The finalist must be present during the judging. If entrants do not wish for judges to visit their balcony or window box or are not able to be present during the judging, they cannot be considered for a prize. If the finalist is unavailable, the National Trust reserves the right to choose the next shortlisted entrant.

Entrants will be judged on the following criteria. Each of the three sections will receive a score, and the three scores will be added together to give a final score which will be used to inform who wins. Each section has an equal number of points available (i.e. each section is worth an equal percentage of your overall score), so it is important for entrants to consider all three sections when greening their space.

Practical considerations and sustainability

No matter the size or shape of your space, our judges will be looking at how you’ve used it. Does it feel welcoming? Have you created features or planted with your unique space in mind?
Which plants have you chosen and why? Some spaces are perfect for shade-loving plants, and others are more suited to plants that like to sunbathe.
Have you considered sustainability on your balcony and how has this informed how you care for your garden? This might include using peat-free compost and recycled pots, or how you water your garden.

Reflecting the category you’ve entered

Our judges will be looking at how well your entry reflects the theme you’ve entered and what the impact of garden is within your chosen theme.

Cultivating Creativity: we’re looking for creativity in design and usage of space, as well as overall impact.
One Pot Power: the judges will be looking at the strength of impact – on you and the environment.

Wild about Wildlife: the judges are looking at how wildlife friendly your space is, what you’ve already attracted and what you’re hoping to attract.

Urban Farming: the judges are looking at what edible growing you are doing and how much you hope to grow.

Greener ground floors: the judges are looking at the overall impact of your ground floor garden.

Your progression and story

Whether you’re a complete beginner or you’ve been a keen gardener for years, the judges want to hear your gardening story and how you’ve used the National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge to start or develop your greening journey. The judges want to know what has inspired your entry and how you’ve approached creating your garden. They’re keen to take into account your motivations, how you’ve overcome any challenges, and how greening has impacted you personally.

Judges

The competition will be judged by:
Jason Williams (Cloud Gardener), Cloud Gardener UK - Cloud Gardener UK, Balcony Garden
Victoria Holden, Northern Lily, Northern Lily | Connecting people to nature.
Ted Jones, Assistant Gardener at the National Trust’s Castlefield Viaduct, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cheshire-greater-manchester/castlefield-viaduct

For the purpose of the judging process, your personal data will be shared with the judging panel.

Timeline

12 June: Competition entry process open

31 July: Competition entry process closes

1 – 14 August: Shortlisting

By 15 August: Shortlisted entries contacted

Wednesday 27th August, Saturday 30th August, Sunday 31st August or Friday 5th September: Judges visit shortlisted balconies

W/C 8th September: Winners, runners up and any highly commended individuals will be contacted by email or phone (according to preferred method of communication stated upon entry).

30th September: Celebration event with food and drink will be held in Manchester City Centre where prize winners will discover which prize they have won (winner, runner-up or highly commended). Those unable to attend the celebration event will be contacted by 7th October 2025 to let them know which prize they have won and to arrange delivery of their prize by post.

Prizes:

The First Prize(s)

There will be up to five first-place winners (i.e. one for each category) and each will win a prize bundle comprising of the following items:

• Bespoke watering can trophy

• Winners certificate

• STIHL gardening hamper worth £120

• £200 CJ Wildlife voucher for Wild About Wildlife category OR £200 gardening centre voucher for Cultivating Creativity, One Pot Power, Greener Ground Floors and Urban Farming categories

• National Trust prize day out which includes: free entry to one National Trust property of your choice (valid for up to 2 adults and up to 3 children, one visit only); a £25 food and beverage voucher; a £10 gift shop/retail voucher.

The Runners-up Prizes

There will be up to five runners-up (i.e. second place for each of the categories) and each will win the following:

• National Trust prize day out which includes: free entry to one National Trust property of your choice (valid for up to 2 adults and up to 3 children, one visit only); a £25 food and beverage voucher; a £10 gift shop/retail voucher.

• £20 garden centre voucher

• Runners up certificate

Highly commended prizes

There may be up to one highly commended award per category and if so, each would win the following:

• Mini bird feeder

• £10 garden centre voucher

• Highly commended certificate

Prizes: additional information

Prizes do not include any extras apart from those listed below.

No cash alternative will be made. Prizes are non-transferable and will be awarded to the named individual on the entry. If an entry made on behalf of a household wins a prize, the prize will be awarded only to the named individual who made the entry.

All prizes must be claimed by Tuesday 14th October 2025. If winners, runners up, or highly commended individuals cannot be contacted by Tuesday 14th October 2025 to arrange delivery of their prize, they will forfeit their right to a prize.

Once the National Trust prize day out has been claimed, winners and runners up will have until 31st December 2026 to enjoy their day out. Please note there may be a small number of exclusions to the free pass, including event days and a small number of non-participating properties. The relevant terms and conditions can be found on the free pass.

Promotion

We must either publish or make available information that indicates that a valid award took place. Ordinarily this will be the surname and county of major prizewinners and, if applicable, their winning entries. If you object to your information being published or made available on request, or wish to reduce the amount of information to be published or made available, please email us at skygardeningchallenge@nationaltrust.org.uk. In such circumstances, we must still provide the information and winning entry to the Advertising Standards Authority if challenged.

As part of the contest, National Trust and project partners may ask for your consent to share your name and film or photograph you, your balcony, or window box; and publish it online or in print.

Your privacy is important to us. We will process your personal data to manage the National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge and send you relevant information about this and other National Trust associated activities. For further information on how we look after your personal information please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/our-policies/privacy. If you would like a printed copy of the Privacy Policy you can request it by post by contacting: The Data Protection Office, National Trust, Heelis, Kemble Drive, Swindon, SN2 2NA. 

"We "and "us" means the National Trust, charity number 205846, and National Trust (Enterprises) Limited

Other terms

Events may occur that may render the competition itself or the awarding of the prizes impossible due to reasons beyond our control and accordingly we may vary or amend the promotion. We will do everything we reasonably can to ensure that winners receive prizes of at least equal value.

By entering into the competition, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.

These terms and conditions are governed by English law, and the parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If you live in a flat and want to garden your balcony, window box or ground-floor space, it is important that you:

• Get permission from your housing provider. Many housing providers allow ‘managed use’, which means you may be able to use the space for gardening; there may be certain rules you need to follow, which could differ from housing provider to housing provider. Some housing providers may have a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to balcony usage or ‘sterile balcony’ policy, which would prevent you from using it for gardening. In this case, focus on houseplants you can grow in your flat!

• Check your Buildings and Contents Insurance policies to check if there are any restrictions.

If you get permission to garden your flat’s balcony, window box or ground-floor space, it is essential that you:

• Be aware that some plants can be hazardous to people or pets if touched or consumed. Check plant labels for toxicity warnings (sometimes stated on label) and take necessary precautions.

  • Do not use fire under any circumstance.

  • Keep all fire escape routes free of obstructions, such as plant pots. This could include common areas such as stairways, deck walkways/linking balconies, or roofs which form part of a fire escape route for yourself and/or others.

  • Don’t make material alterations (e.g. structural alterations) to your flat or balcony when gardening, without first getting consent from your housing provider and approval from building control.

  • Don’t do anything through gardening that would interfere with the fire protection measures for your flat or building (e.g. fire doors, signage), or impact on the compartmentation of your flat, i.e. cause fire to spread more easily from one flat to another or into an escape route.

  • Don’t use, or store, combustible materials for gardening on a balcony (e.g. wooden trellises, petrol gardening equipment, hazardous chemicals, gardening waste etc). Dry compost and dry plant material (e.g. dead plants) can be flammable, so it’s important to keep your plants healthy and well-watered; in the event of a fire, they could encourage fire to spread to a neighbour’s flat. Do not attempt to extinguish any flame or cigarette in plant pots as it will be at risk of igniting.

  • Check the weight restrictions for your balcony with your housing provider, and make sure you don’t exceed them. Lightweight containers and lightweight roof garden soil can help keep weight down.

  • Ensure plant pots and heavy items are kept away from the edge of the balcony and do not hang over the external side of the balcony due to risk of falling and causing injury to anyone below.

  • Avoid positioning pots, planters, or trellises in such a way that they form steps up the balcony rail/parapet, or create trip hazards

  • Ensure that any free-standing structures such as plant pots, stack planters and free-standing arches are robust and weighted down to avoid them becoming damaged or hazardous in high winds. Avoid placing planters or other items on the balcony parapets/rails. If railing planters/hanging baskets are permitted by your management company, keep them on the inside of your balcony.

  • Do not lean over or sit on balcony walls or railings in order to garden, or stand on balcony furniture, ladders or stepladders due to risk of falling over the balustrade.

  • Ensure any electrical equipment used for gardening (including fairy lights) is in good working order, suitable for outdoor use and not left unattended when switched on. Avoid wiring it directly into your flat or using extension leads.

  • Use drip trays, saucers or trays underneath plant pots to prevent water overflowing from plant pots and dropping onto balconies below or damaging the structure of your balcony. Make sure that drain outlets are not covered and water flow into them isn’t restricted.

  • Use only peat-free compost.

  • Follow instructions and warnings on gardening products and tools.

You must be living in Greater Manchester in a flat

You must have a balcony or window box

You must be over 18

1 entry per household

You can only enter 1 category.

You must be available for a judges visit on one of the dates mentioned in the T&Cs.

The National Trust have an insurance policy in place which will cover judges’ visits during the shortlisting period. If you require further information about this policy, please contact skygardeningchallenge@nationaltrust.org.uk . Please note that it is the entrants’ responsibility to check the impact of taking part on their own insurance policy and it is necessary for all entrants to read the essential information.