Botanic Gardens Week 2026

Bring a touch of whimsy to the gardens and let your creativity shine in this year’s Gnome Making Competition. Open to all ages, this much-loved event, usually scarecrow making has transformed this year into Gnome making. 

We invites individuals, families, schools, businesses and community groups to design and create their very own garden gnome.

Whether traditional, quirky or completely outside the box, this is your chance to craft something unique and see it displayed among the beauty of the Botanic Gardens during Botanic Gardens Day.

Competition Guidelines:

• Free to enter – no cost, just creativity!

• Open to all – prizes for kids category and adults category.

• Your gnome must be self-supporting and freestanding, with a maximum height of 1 metre.

• Suitable for ourdoor display and able to withstand wind and weather conditions. 

• All materials are welcome, as long as they’re securely attached and can withstand the famous Cooktown wind.

• Entires must be family-friendly and in good taste. Designs to deliberately offend will be disqualified.

Judging Criteria

Our judges will be looking for gnomes that capture the spirit of the garden while showcasing creativity and craftsmanship. Entries will be assessed on:

• Creativity and orginality

• Design and contrustion quality

• Use of materials

• Overall presentation and visual impact

• Connection to the theme of a tradtional garden gnome

• All entries must display the name of their gnome and what category they are entering – kids or adults

Key Dates & Details:

• Delivery: Bring your completed scarecrow to the Cooktown Botanic Gardens between 7:30am – 9:30am on Sunday, 24 May 2025.

• Display Period: Gnomes will be on show in the Gardens for up to two weeks.

• Pick-up: Gnomes must be collected by Sunday, 7 June 2026. Uncollected entries will be disposed of after this date.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded for best overall gnome, along with runner-up entries.

We can’t wait to see what you create!