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Annual show

Ness is hosting its annual show on Sunday 17 August 2025, so be sure to mark this date in your diary!

It’s set to be a day filled with a variety of displays and friendly competition. Below, you’ll find the schedule for the day and the categories and classes for this year’s show.

Get ready to be inspired or maybe even enter your own masterpiece. There are some brilliant prizes so don’t miss your chance to compete.

Times

  • 8.30am-10am - Arrival, registration and displaying of item(s)
  • 10am-11am - Judging
  • 11am-3.30pm - Show open to the public
  • 3.30pm-4pm - Presentations
  • 4pm-4.30pm - Collection of exhibits.

Categories and classes

Category A: Fruit and vegetables

Classes 1-10

  1. Tomatoes
  2. Chillies
  3. Runner beans
  4. Lettuce
  5. Onions - bonus points if you make the judge cry! 
  6. Beetroot
  7. Carrots
  8. Raspberries
  9. Wonkiest vegetable - because sometimes the most perfectly imperfect vegetables deserve their moment in the spotlight
  10. Longest runner bean – no sticking beans together!
Category B: Flowers

Classes 11-19

  1. Dahlia
  2. Sunflower
  3. Cosmos
  4. Lavender
  5. Sweet peas
  6. Alpines
  7. Flowering shrub
  8. Cactus or succulent
  9. Jar of flowers from your garden - put together the best bouquet, but no cheating with store-bought blooms – we can tell!
Category C: Children’s entries

Classes 20-24

  1. Nature picture frame with painting of drawing of a plant or flower
  2. Hand-made paper flower
  3. A piece of art inspired by Ness Botanic Gardens
  4. Best home-grown vegetable
  5. Home-grown flowers arranged in a vase.

Open to children up to 16 years of age.

The items should be made solely by the child. Please write the child's age on the back of the piece.

You can enter as many classes as you like, only one entry per class.

Category D: Photography

Classes 25-27

  1. Wildlife - got a photo of a squirrel making an awkward face? Or a bird pulling off its best runway walk? We want to see it!
  2. Flowers, plants and trees - get close and personal with nature. Who’s got the best plant selfie?
  3. Favourite part of your garden.

 Items should be no larger than A4 in size and should be unframed.

Category E: Crafts

Classes 28-30

  1. Textiles - we want to see those needle skills! Bonus points for making something wearable that doesn’t look like you tried to sew with your eyes closed
  2. Pottery or ceramic - show us your best “pottery masterpiece.” Bonus points if it’s functional and doesn’t look like a mushy blob!
  3. Piece of artwork made from seeds and/or shells (both if you’ve got the patience).

Items should be no larger than A3 in size, or 30cm x 30cm. 

Category F: Baking and preserves

Classes 31-36

  1. Lemon drizzle cake - 2lb loaf tin, single tier, no icing or decoration
  2. Victoria sandwich cake - 30cm round, two tiers, no icing or decoration
  3. Carrot cake - Make it as unhealthy as you like!
  4. Homemade jam - is it jam? Is it just syrup? No one really knows, but we love it either way!
  5. Homemade chutney - 50-250g
  6. Homemade honey - 50-250g.

Register your entry

To register your entry please email ngevents@liverpool.ac.uk. Please provide your name and let us know the item(s) you're bringing.