Your garden, your creation, your colour. Choose an award to see what it recognises and what judges look for.
Choose the award that fits what you grow or make.
Each judged award has 100 available points. The points show how much each criterion contributes to the assessment. The highest-scoring eligible entry wins its category, including when there is only one eligible entry. Latrobe’s Favourite Garden is decided by public votes.
Garden Awards
Power of Colour Award
The best overall garden: a place where thoughtful design, healthy planting, care and character work together.
What judges look for 100 points
Design and visual effectArrange planting, paths and useful spaces so the garden works as a whole.25 points
Plant selection and plantingChoose plants suited to your conditions and combine form, texture and seasonal interest.20 points
Plant health and careShow healthy growth and thoughtful care of plants and garden features.25 points
Colour and characterUse colour and distinctive choices to give your garden a sense of place.15 points
Environmental stewardshipShow practical soil, water, habitat and resource care.15 points
A garden with more than 250 m² of cultivated garden area, shaped through thoughtful design, suitable planting and continuing care. Rural gardens are classified by cultivated garden area.
What judges look for 100 points
Design and landscape responseConnect garden areas, paths and views with the surrounding landscape.25 points
Plant selection and plantingCombine plants that suit local conditions across the garden.20 points
Plant health and careShow consistent, appropriate care of plants and garden features.25 points
Colour and seasonal effectUse planting and focal points to create visual interest at the garden’s scale.15 points
Environmental stewardshipShow water, soil, habitat and resource practices suited to a larger site.15 points
The garden with the most valid public votes wins. There is no judges’ score.
Each person may vote for one garden. Voters must provide their name and a unique email address and must be a real person whose identity can be verified. Duplicate or fabricated votes do not count.
A bouquet with at least 50% of its botanical stems grown by you, showing your own design choices and care.
What judges look for 100 points
CompositionCreate a balanced bouquet with thoughtful shape, proportion and placement.30 points
ColourCombine colours so they support your design.20 points
Idea and material selectionExpress your own idea through your choice of homegrown materials.20 points
Technique and conditionPrepare materials well and use secure assembly with a careful finish.30 points
Homegrown materials: Count each branched stem once. Material you personally cultivate in a shared or community garden counts as homegrown; material grown by someone else does not.
Botanical materials: Fresh, dried and preserved flowers, foliage and other botanical materials are permitted. Botanical materials must provide the main visual expression; containers and accessories may support the design. Artificial flowers do not count as botanical material.
An expressive arrangement using flowers, foliage or other botanical materials.
What judges look for 100 points
CompositionBalance form, proportion, line and space, including the relationship with your container.30 points
ColourPlace and combine colours to support the effect you want.20 points
Idea and interpretationCommunicate an individual idea through your selection and use of materials.20 points
Technique and conditionPresent well-prepared materials, secure construction and a careful finish.30 points
Botanical materials: Fresh, dried and preserved flowers, foliage and other botanical materials are permitted. Botanical materials must provide the main visual expression; containers and accessories may support the design. Artificial flowers do not count as botanical material.
A handcrafted wreath whose botanical materials carry the design.
What judges look for 100 points
Composition and formCreate a deliberate wreath shape with balance and visual movement.30 points
ColourUse purposeful colour relationships through the wreath.20 points
Idea and material selectionGive the wreath an individual interpretation through materials and textures.20 points
Technique and conditionAttach materials securely and finish all visible surfaces carefully.30 points
Botanical materials: Fresh, dried and preserved flowers, foliage and other botanical materials are permitted. Botanical materials must provide the main visual expression; containers and accessories may support the design. Artificial flowers do not count as botanical material.
A botanical centrepiece or tablescape that brings colour to a stated occasion.
What judges look for 100 points
Composition and proportionRelate your botanical materials and accessories to the available table space.30 points
ColourChoose a palette that supports your occasion and the whole table arrangement.20 points
Idea and suitabilityExpress a clear idea and allow appropriate sightlines and space for the stated use.20 points
Technique and conditionPrepare materials well and assemble them securely with attention to finish.30 points
Botanical materials: Fresh, dried and preserved flowers, foliage and other botanical materials are permitted. Botanical materials must provide the main visual expression; containers and accessories may support the design. Artificial flowers do not count as botanical material.
A floral or botanical creation showing a young participant’s own ideas and making. Entries are judged in two age categories: under 10, and 10–16 inclusive.
What judges look for 100 points
Idea and imaginationShow an individual idea through the materials you choose.30 points
ColourMake purposeful choices about colours and where you place them.20 points
CompositionArrange shapes and materials thoughtfully for your age division.25 points
Making and careHandle, assemble and finish your creation with care appropriate to your age division.25 points
Judges assess choices and making appropriate to the entrant’s age. The work must be the child’s own, with help declared. Assistance with transport, supervision, safety or necessary physical support may preserve the child’s choices; adults must not design or substantially make the creation.
Botanical materials: Fresh, dried and preserved flowers, foliage and other botanical materials are permitted. Botanical materials must provide the main visual expression; containers and accessories may support the design. Artificial flowers do not count as botanical material.
