You don’t need a garden to make space for nature. From balconies to windowsills, tiny patios to community corners, every little patch can help wildlife thrive. And this year, your efforts could earn you a cash prize in the Ealing Biodiversity Awards 2026.
Whether you have a front garden, a balcony, a windowsill or a tiny outdoor nook, everyone can get involved. You may even help to look after a communal garden, or community space that provide valuable habitats for wildlife in and help contribute to a greener, more biodiverse borough.
Run by Cultivating Ealing, in partnership with Ealing Council and ActForEaling (a resident led group championing climate and nature-positive action), the competition is free to enter and offers cash prizes across multiple categories.
Boosting biodiversity
Entries will be assessed on how well the spaces encourage biodiversity. Judges will be looking for features such as native planting, wildflowers, trees, ponds and other natural elements that provide food and shelter for wildlife. By incorporating more pots, bug hotels, bird baths and plant varieties into your own green space you can create a haven for birds and wildlife, transforming your doorstep or outside space into an oasis of biodiversity and beauty.
This year’s categories:
• front gardens, terraces, micro gardens and balconies
• schools – primary, nursery and special schools
• allotments – sites and plots
• community spaces and streets, including alleyways
The borough has around 75,000 front gardens, although many of these have hard surfaces. There are also lots of community spaces, balconies and even more windowsills. Even the tiniest outdoor space can contribute to the borough’s biodiversity, so why not upcycle an old container and get planting? The Cultivating Ealing website has ideas for encouraging biodiversity into your front garden.
Cultivating Ealing chair, Debbie Fogarty, said: “2025 saw an increase in entries to the competition and it was particularly impressive to see the hard work young people had put in to improve their school grounds. There were more schools with Eco clubs and some excellent vegetable plots and tiny forest areas.”
Councillor Paul Driscoll, the council’s cabinet member for climate action, added: “Every window box, vegetable patch and front or community garden makes a difference. Not only do they brighten up the borough but every bit of planting helps to improve the environment and provide food and shelter for wildlife. Every year this competition gets bigger, and we’re looking forward to seeing what people have been growing.”
How to enter
Go to the Cultivating Ealing website for more information, entry forms, terms and conditions and information about last year’s competition including photographs of the winning entries.
School entries close at 11.59pm on 21 May 2026, the deadline for allotment entries is 5 June, and all other categories on 3 July. Judging will take place in late June and early July.
