Schools Competition details

Please have a look at the information below and then click a 'Ready to register' link.

Competition timetable
Who can enter?
After registering, what do I need to do to enter the competition?
What is meant by “expanding an existing food growing project”?
What if your school does not qualify?
How will your project be judged?
Publicity
Terms and conditions

Click on a title or scroll down to find out more...

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1. Competition timetable

From 21st January 2010 the Schools Competition opens, and entries can be submitted from this date.
Closing date for competition entries: 18th June 2010
Visits to short listed schools: 23rd – 30th June 2010
Announcement of category winners: July 2010, when collection of the prizes will be arranged.

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2. Who can enter?

The competition is open to schools that have been growing food since January 2009, want to expand an existing growing space and / or schools that are looking to start food growing projects.
You need to be registered with Capital growth. To register click here.
You can enter on behalf of the school if you are the person developing the food growing project, for example a parent, govenor, or community gardener, as long as you have permission from the school to do so.
You don’t have to have a big outdoor space or garden to become a Capital Growth space, your project can also be in containers or grow bags.
Each school can enter only one category.
Each school can submit only one application.

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3. After registering, what do I need to do to enter?

The closing date for the competition is 18 June 2010, so you have until then to prepare your entry.

To enter all you have to do is upload a document with your answers to the six questions below, and upload up to six photos of your food growing project. It will only take you a few minutes!

Please write no more than 200 words per question. (Total maximum 1200 words)

How is the Capital Growth plot linked to your chosen category?
What has the school achieved over the past year in the growing site?
How has the project involved the school/local community?
How did the school use the vegetables, or plan to use them?
What are the schools plans for the next growing season?
How has the garden improved school life?

Uploading your competition entry

When you register you will receive an email explaining where, and how to upload your entry. You will also receive your unique 'access code' - you cannot enter the competition without this!

Upload your answers to the six questions above as a single Word or PDF document. The file types allowed are .doc, .docx and .pdf.
And upload up to 6 photos of your project in .jpeg, .jpg or .gif file format.

Entering the Schools Competition by post

If you would like to send in your competition entry by post you should send them to:

Capital Growth Schools Competition
Sustain; the alliance for better food and farming
94 White Lion Street
London N1 9PF

Please contact Capital Growth before sending a postal entry as we may need additional information.

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4. What is meant by “expanding an existing food growing project”?

This refers to those schools with an established food growing plot, started before January 2009. The competition is open to schools who wish to expand their growing plot, creating new growing spaces to benefit more people. For example:

Your school wants convert more of your grounds into several new growing plots because you would like to start an after school gardening club to get parents and the the local community involved,
You want to develop your history lessons and would like to grow different eras of vegetables i.e. wartime or Victorian.
You now want each class to have their own plot, because you want to make food growing part of the curriculum for all of the school .
You would like to support children with special needs and would like to develop new growing plots as a therapeutic element.
You have decided to plant fruit trees and bushes, to create a fruit garden or community orchard.

If you are unsure, please contact schools@capitalgrowth.org

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5. What if your school does not qualify?

We are really sorry, if you are a school which already has a successful food growing project which commenced before January 2009 and aren’t able to enter the competition or become a Capital Growth space. Capital Growth is about getting new community food growing spaces.

There are some great schemes you may already know about who can support you, and who also run regular competitions and reward schemes, such as RHS, Garden Organic, Food For Life and London in Bloom. See the links page.

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6. How will your project be judged?

A judging panel from London in Bloom and Capital Growth will short list schools from all submitted entries.

Each short listed school will be visited and judged by a panel of judges which will consist of representatives from either London in Bloom, Capital Growth and / or the Greater London Authority.

The judges will be looking for evidence of:

Pupil and community involvement – the extent to which the pupils are involved, linking gardening with the curriculum
Effectiveness – the extent to which the project / activity makes a positive difference to the schools environment
Sustainability - planning for the future, degree at which the garden is part of school ethos / use of garden i.e. for school kitchens
Communication and level of community involvement - how the garden benefits the wider community and whether the wider community is involved

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7. Publicity

All winners will be required to participate in the promotion of their prize. Photographs may be used for this, however permission will be asked first
Results will be announced in July 2010
Case studies of the winning Capital Growth plots will be publicised on the Greater London Authority, Capital Growth and London in Bloom websites

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8. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Terms and Conditions for Capital Growth Schools Competition

Entry to the Capital Growth Schools Competition (the “Competition”) is free.
The Competition is open to everyone except those persons who work for Competition Partners* and their immediate family members.
Entries must be submitted on or before the Competition closing date of 18th June 2010.
Capital Growth reserves the right to reject any art work that does not comply with the Capital Growth Terms and Conditions.
The Capital Growth judging panel’s decision is final. No correspondence or discussion will be entered into.
Subject to the provisions on publicity below, the personal details of all individuals involved in a school’s entry shall be kept confidential.
Parents / guardians of the winners / runners up will be contacted where individuals involved in the school’s entry are under 18.
By entering the competition, each participating school agrees that, if it wins or is a runner up, it shall procure express permission from parents or guardians of individuals under 18 involved in the entry that they agree to the [first name] and photograph of that individual being used in any press or publicity. This includes, though is not limited to, the Capital Growth website, leaflets, newspaper advertising, exhibition stands, displays, flyers and any similar subsequent competitions produced by Capital Growth and / or any competitions held by the Greater London Authority
The Competition Partners* shall be entitled to take further colour photographs of the winning and runner up gardens.

* COMPETITION PARTNERS:

Greater London Authority http://www.london.gov.uk/

Capital Growth www.capitalgrowth.org

London in Bloom http://www.londoninbloom.com/

The London Seed Company http://www.thelondonseedcompany.com

Rocket Gardens http://www.rocketgardens.co.uk/

Wiggly Wigglers http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/

Duchy Originals http://www.duchyoriginals.com/

Fiskars http://www.fiskarsgarden.co.uk/

Seed Pantry http://www.seedpantry.co.uk/

Gardening Express http://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/

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