Garden enthusiasts, out-building aficionados and shed superstars are gearing up to enter one of the most iconic events in the UK – the 2019 Shed of the Year competition .
The much-loved national competition, sponsored by woodcare brand Cuprinol, returns for its 13th year with entries open until Monday 17th June 2019.
Last year’s winner featured a self-sufficient space in which ‘self-watering’ technology, designed and developed by winner George Smallwood, allowed vegetables, herb gardens, bugs and bees to thrive. Aptly named the ‘Bee Eco Shed’, the creation impressed the judges and took home the title.
Cuprinol has long supported a natural approach to the great outdoors, which this year has inspired an extra category in the competition – ‘Nature’s Haven’.
The new category addition represents a new opportunity for entrants to submit designs inspired by nature, demonstrating the shift towards an unlandscaped outdoors, as keen gardeners nationwide embrace a trend for garden maintenance that allows the natural to thrive.
Research from Cuprinol recently revealed that more than a third of Brits (35 per cent) will allow nature to take over part of the garden this summer, leaving a section unmaintained to embrace the wild outdoors.
Entries should be developed to work alongside and within a natural habitat – in much the same way as Cuprinol’s woodcare products, which are specifically designed to complement the natural environment, with colourful and protective formulations inspired by the great outdoors.
Entrants will be invited to submit their shed for one of nine categories, calling out for creations that celebrate the ‘unexpected’ to the ‘historic’ and everything in between, including the ‘#notashed’ category which launched in 2017.
Andrew Wilcox, Founder of the competition, says: “Since the competition started 13 years ago, we’ve seen some brilliantly creative uses of sheds across the UK.
“We’ve always had designs that highlight their natural surroundings, but creating a space that works seamlessly with the environment and supports the growth of the garden it’s in is an impressive achievement. That’s why we’ve introduced the ‘Nature’s Haven’ category into the mix.”
Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Cuprinol, comments: “There is so much more to our sheds and outbuildings than storage for DIY tools gathering dust – Shed of the Year is a celebration of great British creativity.
“The garden is an extension of the home and a place where people are increasingly looking to spend more time – it’s like adding another room to your house if you get it right. Using colour is a great way to enhance the natural environment and Cuprinol Garden Shades range is a simple way to inject new life into the garden, whether on a fence or shed.”
Entries, which need to include at least two photos of your dazzling designs along with an explanation of your inspiration and what makes your shed stand out, can be submitted via Readersheds.co.uk ?up until Monday 17th June 2019
Some of last years Finalists
