Open Farm Sunday turns 20 with national sticker competition for young creatives
Young artists across the UK are being given the chance to showcase their work nationwide as Open Farm Sunday marks its 20th anniversary.
LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) has launched a sticker contest for under-18s, inviting them to get creative around the theme of “farming with nature”, with winning designs set to be displayed at events on 7 June.
The competition marks a major milestone for Open Farm Sunday, which has spent two decades opening farm gates and connecting the public with how food is produced.
The national event, which takes place on 7 June, sees farms across the UK open their gates to thousands of visitors, giving the public the chance to learn more about how food is produced and how farmers care for the countryside.
Each year, the initiative attracts more than 200,000 visitors, offering a rare opportunity to experience life on a working farm and learn about sustainable agriculture.
Entrants are urged to interpret the theme in their own way, capturing the relationship between farming and the natural world — from buzzing pollinators and wildlife-rich habitats to grazing livestock and healthy soils.
Annabel Shackleton, Open Farm Sunday manager at LEAF, said the event gives families a “unique opportunity to discover how their food is produced and learn more about sustainable farming”, adding that this year young designers can become “part of this nationwide celebration”.
The competition is open to UK residents under 18, with one entry per person. Designs must be created using the official template and be suitable for printing as flat stickers, using materials such as pens, paints or collage.
Entries must be submitted by 11:59pm on 6 April, with a panel of judges selecting up to eight winners later in the month.
Winning designs will be turned into official stickers and seen by thousands of visitors at farms nationwide during the anniversary celebrations, with winners also receiving a personalised notebook featuring their artwork.
More information, including how to enter and download the template, is available on the Open Farm Sunday website.
