The Categories -  we have agreed 3 categories with Kitchen Garden magazine. 

Best Allotment Site - entrants will be asked to fill in an entry form self marking their site.  Judges will be looking at all aspects of the site including the general maintenance of the area, cleanliness, evidence of individual and/or communal composting, provision of waste disposal for non-compostable items and so on.  They will look at the access roads, are they adequate and well maintained?  Is the perimeter fence or hedge well tended, and are there clear divisions between individual plots.  General tidiness on individual plots, and the quality of the produce will also be taken into consideration.  Well maintained communal buildings will also gain points, as will evidence that wildlife is
catered for with the provision of such things as small areas of nettles for butterflies, log piles for small mammals, frogs and toads.  Sites which show a strong community spirit and co-operation between plot-holders will certainly gain marks with the judges.

All entries will be closely scrutinised by our judges, and they will draw up a shortlist of
finalists who receive a visit and a certificate.

Best Community Project - this is the second category, and the judges will be looking at the many sites across the country which serve the interests of the community as well as the community of allotment holders who tend to them.  For examples, some sites have
areas set aside for the growing of shared produce by groups of  gardeners to grow crops in a co-operative way.  Other examples may be providing a place for local school
children, or those with special needs to learn about the joys of gardening or for growing crops to supply local protected housing, or the elderly.  Do you have a community
orchard perhaps?  Maybe your site have set aside an area for wildlife, and encourage the local population to come along and enjoy the delights of your wildlife pond or sanctuary.  If your site runs such schemes, then enter, you may well have a chance of winning this category.  It is essential that any project is run in conjunction with the allotmenteers themselves, and not by a third party, the local authority etc.

Best Shed - finally we have a new category which allows everyone; whether they grow their veggies on an allotment site or in their own back gardens, to enter. This is for Britain's best allotment shed or building. Here we are not looking for the best community building, although many smaller sheds certainly do act as a meeting point for members, but for buildings owned, maintained and possibly built by the plot holder, for the plot holder and primarily serving one plot or patch.

This is designed as a fun category that anyone can enter so if your shed doubles as a hideout from your partner or bolthole from the world at large, an office, a pub or a place where you can express your artistic leanings by painting the walls with murals, then this is the category for you.

If you have or know of someone with such a treasure, then we would love to hear from you.