2025 Native Plant Garden Video Contest

Send us your garden videos and the best six (three experienced and three novice) will earn their gardeners a cash prize (in Canadian Dollars) to be used towards their favourite native plant nursery. All 2025 contest prizes will be donated in memory of Deborah Chute.

Submissions accepted until September 1, 2025.

Categories:

• New Native Plant Gardener
• Established Native Plant Gardener

In each video, be sure to include:

• Species names
• History of the garden
• Garden theme/philosophy
• Geography, ecotype and how chosen species are relevant to that ecotype
• A garden story or memory
• BONUS POINTS for pollinators/wildlife 

Prizes:

In each category:

• First Place: $150 CAD
• Second Place $75 CAD
• Third Place $25

How it works:

1. Submit a short video of your native plant garden (Max 5 mins, MP4 format) to nanps@nanps.org. By submitting your video you confirm that you agree to the official contest terms and condtions. 
2. Email should indicate which category you’re entering: new native plant gardener or established native plant gardener
3. All videos submitted will be shared on our Instagram and Facebook accounts. A group of volunteers/board members will decide on a select number of semi-finalists. Factors determining selection include ecological integrity, storytelling, native plants, wildlife certification and usage of wildlife (butterflies, bees, bats, amphibians etc.).
4. Semi-finalist videos will be featured at our virtual AGM (a date in October tbd) and the top five finalists will be selected by AGM attendees in an online poll.

Get ready…. and GO create the most inspiring and amazing videos ever!

Full terms and conditions can be found here.

Looking for inspiration? View previous years’ winners on our YouTube channel.

Remembering Deborah Chute

Many of you will remember Deborah Chute. Deborah was an accomplished native plant photographer, with over hundreds of photos in her personal collection. She shared her photos with many organizations, such as NANPS, Toronto Regional Conservation Authority, City of Toronto, Faith & the Common Good, Beaux Arts and the Richmond Hill Naturalists.

Deborah was absolutely passionate about native plants! She introduced the idea of a Pollinator information table at NANPS annual plant sale, and for over a decade, she organized and manned it. Deb also grew native plants from seed, and donated these plants to the Richmond Hill Garden and Horticultural Annual Plant Sale.

Deb will be sorely missed by those of us who were lucky enough to know and love her. In order to commemorate Deb and keep her memory alive, her husband, Chungsen Leung, has generously gifted $500 a year to NANPS for the next 5 years. The Deborah Chute Fund will be used to provide prizes for the winners of NANPS annual Video Contest (2021-2026). NANPS is very grateful for this generous donation.