Renowned Toowoomba Chronicle Garden Competition has one of largest prize pools in Australia, with thousands given back to community

An annual showpiece for the region has been revealed as one of the richest of its kind in the country, with residents encouraged to enter before it’s too late. Find out more here.

For more than seven decades, a Toowoomba garden competition has inspired and celebrated residents with its annual burst of colour and spirited rivalry.

The Chronicle Garden Competition has been recognised as having one of the largest prize pools of its kind in the nation, with last year gifting more than $31,000 in total to its winners.

“(The prize pool) illustrates how invested we are to our local gardeners and to driving tourism for our region,” Toowoomba Chronicle general manager Erika Brayshaw said.

“It also shows the respect we have for the event and appreciation of legacy agreements.”

An integral part of the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, it is estimated the Garden Competition helps to bring in millions of dollars to the region each year.

“Carnival of Flowers only started because of The Chronicle Garden Competition. Tourists only came to our region to visit the beautiful award-winning home gardens,” Ms Brayshaw said.

“Prior to Covid-19, some gardeners were recording over 66,000 visitors to their home gardens over one weekend.

The Chronicle general manager Erika Brayshaw. Chronicle Garden competition launch at Cobb+Co Museum. Picture: Nev Madsen

“More than 200,000 visitors come to Toowoomba for Carnival of Flowers, the majority of these tourists are here for the private gardens.”

The Carnival of Flowers generated $22.61m for the region in 2022, with the festival expected to expand its appeal in the years to come.

Crowd numbers increased by 28 per cent in 2022, with more than 364,700 people visiting the Garden City across the 30-day festival.

“Visitors and residents in the tens of thousands are drawn to the stunning home garden competition entrants each year,” Toowoomba Regional Council mayor Geoff McDonald said.

“Council appreciates the creativity and dedication of the home garden competition entrants who toil across most of the year to plan and prepare their displays for public viewing.”

Ms Brayshaw said The Chronicle and its sponsors were dedicated to supporting their competition participants and winners, with more than 80 prizes up for grabs.

“Being an award-winning Chronicle Garden Competition winner requires planning and dedication,” she said.

“Our gardeners normally start purchasing their plants/bulbs/seeds between February and April.

“The prize money allows the gardeners to reinvest again the next year for plants,

fertiliser, and water rates/fees.

“We know and appreciate how expensive it can be to manage the upkeep of an award-

winning garden. The prize money is part of us showing our appreciation to the gardeners.”

Applications close on August 11, with the judging period to take place between September 1

and 7.