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Now is the Time to Enter the 60-Second Garden Video Challenge

The Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards (CEGA) presents the inaugural 60-Second Garden Video Challenge. Due to COVID-19 restrictions sidelining onsite garden judging this year, CEGA is offering a different kind of gardening competition in 2020.

Gardeners are invited to create one-minute videos of their gardens and upload to the CEGA website. The CEGA team will review for social standard considerations and post the videos on their YouTube channel. Viewers then can use the “thumbs up” to vote for their favorite videos as a people’s choice-style judging. Videos that receive the most votes will be posted on the CEGA website and social media pages. Winning gardeners will receive a certificate, and more prizes may be announced.

The competition is free and open to anyone that has a garden or is part of a community, church, business or similar garden. Videos can be straightforward, clever, artistic or funny. Entry is not limited to Chicago residents; gardens can be from anywhere in the world. Since 2017, the nonprofit Chicago Excellence in Gardening Alliance has presented CEGA, Chicago’s only citywide gardening honors.

Videos will be accepted through Sep. 30, with monthly top vote-getters being announced on the CEGA website. All rules can be found at ChicagoGardeningAwards.org.