The competition will run for six years, from June 1, 2024 until June 1, 2030.
Each participant should start their own thread including the (very catchy) acronym “[SYANBS]” in the subject heading.
For example:
Rules:[SYANBS] Promethius’ 6-year native competition entry
1. Australian native flora only!
2. No seed sowing or stratification (if you plan to do so) until the competition begins. Use this time to plan and prepare.
3. Post a photo of your ungerminated or just-sown seeds when you start, then post at least an annual update photo of the stock you’re developing, either individually or en masse. Whatever tree you choose in the end should have had its progress documented - no mysterious trees with no backstory popping up at the 11th hour will be accepted. Please share genus / species if known.
4. Please share what you do: where you get your seeds, how you got them to germinate, and how you manage and develop your trees. This allows others to learn from our successes and setbacks.
5. There are no restrictions on how you choose to develop your trees. In the ground? Great! On your balcony? Sweet! In an abandoned bathtub, fertilised weekly with a cup of chilli con carne? A bit weird, but okay. The point is to collectively learn how we can develop a great native tree in a short timeframe.
6. One final entry per participant. There’s no restriction on how many trees you can grow for the comp, but you have to choose a single final contender.
7. Late entries are welcome, but the final submission date will be the same (i.e. less growing time if you join later). Late entries must still start at the germination phase - don’t try to start your thread in 2029 and post development progression in retrospect.
Your final entry should be appropriately presented. This means in a suitable pot (ideally), free of weeds and clearly photographed. Ensure the chosen front is clearly indicated and ideally include a perspective from at least one other angle. Kusamono / accent plants or similar are welcome but not required.
Judging
There will be a poll held in 2030 to select the winner by popular vote. I hope to have a separate prize judged by an expert panel but will see how much activity the comp generates before committing to this.
There is no plan for sub-categories (shohin, species-specific etc), but there’s nothing stopping someone else running a separate comp!
Awards
At minimum, a custom pot to suit the winning tree chosen by popular vote, from a professional Australian bonsai pot producer. There may be a richer prize for the winner, 2nd/3rd place prizes or an expert panel award as above - plenty of time for me to figure that out. The focus, though, is to learn and hopefully to come out of this with some great trees.
Keep an eye on this thread for pertinent updates.
Go!
