2004 International Tropical Garden Contest

Thanks for participating and voting! Congratulations to winners!

Many of you have nice gardens - small or large, but for sure outstanding, whether you are proud of a tremendous conservatory that you've been creating over the years, or just a tiny dwarf plant that thrives on your windowsill. Some of you are lucky to live in Tropics and grow those plants outdoors, others have greenhouses and amaze friends and neighbors with exotics growing year 'round in Chicago or New York... Other tropical plants enthusiasts just grow unusual plants indoors right on a sunny windowsill. And yes, all of you deserve to become famous with your accomplishments! So many people have no idea how wonderful and fascinating a tropical garden may be, and now here is your chance to tell them! And yet you'll get an opportunity to meet new friends, too!

We will design the pages for you! Become famous and win desirable AWARDS from TopTropicals!

Contest categories:

1. My Secret Garden - general category, stories/pictures of any tropical/subtropical plants in your collection
• Stories with pictures about your beautiful garden that you grow either outside, in a greenhouse or indoors. Size of your garden doesn't matter.
  
  
2. Flowers from TopTropicals - TopTropicals Category
• It's not about how good our plants are, it's about how green your thumb is. We are not a florist shop and don't deliver fancy flower arrangements. Your happy thriving plant is your achievement. Tell us how you made it. The story doesn't have to tell how beautiful plant you received from us, it may tell how you got a wilted and stressed-out plant into bloom and happiness!
  
  
3. Jungle on A Windowsill - Special Contest of Articles. Every article will we awarded!
• Your success of growing exotics indoors is a great proof of your green thumb and special experience that you can share with others - experts and dummies. This may be any story from your experience about growing tropical and subtropical plants in non-tropicals climates - in general or in particular (about certain plant). Photos are welcomed, but not required.
  
  
4. Demonstration category
   • If you live too far away from us (Antarctica?) so that we can't send you a plant, or just have no room left in your garden for new arrivals and plants awards - well, you may still participate and win our Online Honor Thank-You Award! Gift certificate is you option, too.

Artabotrys hexapetallus

Michelia Champaca

Terms of contest and Voting Info

Electronic independent voting will be held within 3 days:

September 17-18 (Friday-Saturday)
Voting buttons (script) will be posted on participants' pages during these days.
Deadline for sending materials - September 4.

Each person can vote only once. Online program won't allow you to vote more than once.

What you need for participating

• All the plants described in your story must be YOURS. Although you may write about your neighbor gardener, too, but in this case he/she must be the one who wins the award (he might share it with you as with a great writer).
  
  
• Pictures of your plants. High resolution originals preferred, we'll optimize them for the web-page. Send as *.jpg file attachment, one attachment per message, please (if big size). You may send as many pictures as you want.
  
  
• Pictures must be accompanied with at least some descriptions. This is not just a photo contest, or not a Photo Gallery. It must be an illustrated story.
  
  
• A story (short or long, no size limitation). In MS Word format (*.doc), or just an e-mail message. You may use spell check if possible to make your story well-readable.
  
  
• The text must be in English. If you can't write in English yourself, ask your friends to help you to translate. We still accept stories in other languages, but those participants will greatly reduce their chances to be appreciated by wider audience.
  
  
• A picture of yourself (not required, but always welcomed)
  
  
• Important:
  • Do not send HTML text. We will design those pages for you!
  • Do not use font formatting (size, color, etc.). We only need plain text, design will be created later.
  • File names must contain Latin characters only (no Cyrillic or Japanese fonts, etc.).
  • Do not archive your files (RAR, Zip, etc.)
  • Do not insert pictures inside Word document. Pictures must be sent as attachments only.
    
    
• Deadline for sending materials - September 4.

No, we won't give you any of these.

You will receive a wonderful tropical award from our best exotic plants selection.

1. Awards for general category - "My Secret Garden":

1. Fragrant Trees Collection or any set of plants up to $160 + free shipping within the US
2. Fagraea ceilanica or any set of plants up to $70 + free shipping within the US
3. Golden Gardenia Kula or any set of plants up to $40 + free shipping within the US

2. Awards for TopTropicals category - "Flowers from TopTropicals"

1. Artabotrys hexapetallus or any set of plants up to $80 + free shipping within the US
2. Michelia Champaca or any set of plants up to $50 + free shipping within the US
3. Jasminum Sambac Collection or any set of plants up to $30 + free shipping within the US

3. Special contest of Articles for "Jungle on A Windowsill"

Author of every article published on our website will get a 50% discount coupon for his/her order with us.

4. Demonstration category

A special Thank-You Award from TopTropicals - Honor Page!
Gift certificate is your option (up to $50)