Flower and produce show entry helper
Type your entries and print a card for each one, sorted in class order, with a checklist for the night before and the morning of the show. Running the show? Print your class schedule and blank judging cards.
Get your show entries ready
Your show's own schedule has the rules. This helps you get the paperwork right. If the show gives out its own cards, use those.
3 entry cards on 1 sheet
Small, 90 × 60 mm (8 to a sheet). In class order:
- 4 Vase of sweet peas
- 12 Three onions
- 27 Victoria sponge
Add your exhibitor number to put it on every card. The show secretary gives you one when you enter.
Print at actual size (100%). Cut along the dashed lines.
Night-before and morning checklist
The night before
- Read your show schedule again: class numbers, how many items each class wants, and the latest time for staging (setting out your entries).
- Pick a few spares of everything, so you can choose the best on the day.
- Cut flowers in the cool of the evening and stand them in deep water somewhere cool.
- Fill in your entry cards with your exhibitor number. Leave your name off unless the schedule asks for it.
- Pack plates, vases, a little water, scissors, a soft brush, kitchen paper and a pencil.
- Bake the day before only if the schedule allows it, and keep cakes covered.
On the morning
- Get there early. Staging always takes longer than you think.
- Check in with the show secretary and collect anything they hand out.
- Set each entry out with its card, exactly as many items as the class asks for.
- Make a last check for soil, damaged leaves and pests, and wipe plates clean.
- Leave the hall when the stewards ask, and come back when judging is over.
How to use it
If you are entering, type each entry on its own line: the class number, then its name as the schedule gives it, such as 12 Three onions. Add your exhibitor number, the number the show secretary gives you when you enter. We sort the cards into class order and warn you if a class is missing a number or appears twice, because many shows allow only one entry per class for each exhibitor.
If you are running the show, choose Running the show and type your classes, one a line, each starting with its number. A line with no number, such as Vegetables, becomes a section heading. Print the schedule to hand out, and a judging card for each class.
Your show's rules come first
Every show writes its own schedule, and it is the only rulebook that counts on the day. It says how many items each class wants, how they should be shown, and when staging (setting out your entries) closes. Read it twice. If your show hands out its own entry cards, use those instead of ours.
The cards
There are two sizes. Small cards are 90 by 60 mm, eight to a sheet, which suits most tables. Large cards are 180 by 90 mm, three to a sheet, for vases and big displays or for anyone who wants bigger writing. The sizes are our choice, not a standard. Entry cards carry your exhibitor number rather than your name, so the judges cannot tell whose entry is whose. Judging cards have boxes for first, second, third and highly commended, and the large ones add commended and room for comments.
Before and after the show
Growing for next year? The dahlia growing guide and the vegetable planting calendar will help you time it. A winning plot deserves a picture: our guide to photographing your garden shows how to get a good one.
Garden art prints to go with it
Questions people ask
What goes on a flower show entry card?
Usually the class number, the class name and your exhibitor number. Your show schedule says if it wants anything else. Many shows keep names off the table until judging is over.
What is staging at a flower show?
Staging is setting out your entries on the show bench before judging. The schedule gives the time it closes, and stewards usually ask entrants to leave the hall once it does.
Can I enter the same class twice?
At many shows, no: one entry per class for each exhibitor is common. Check your own schedule. The helper warns you if a class number appears twice.
Do the cards print at the right size?
Yes, if you print at actual size (100%) on A4 instead of fit to page. Cut along the dashed lines.