DeepSouth
Mame
2026 Native Collected Broadleaf Challenge
This five-year competition celebrates native broadleaf trees. Participants will collect locally sourced material and transform it through thoughtful design and horticultural skill. By focusing on progression rather than completion, this competition aims to cultivate appreciation for regional tree species, encourage sustainable collecting practices, and showcase the artistic journey of developing raw material into bonsai.
Competition Rules
Because this competition only lasts for 5 years from collection, it is not expected that participants will have "finished" bonsai at the end. Apart from smaller trees, most will only be partially developed and quality should be judged based on the tree's progression and the artist's decision making in the design from collection to its current state. The choice of pot should not be a consideration in the vote, as many trees may still be in training pots at the end of the competition.
Frequently Asked Questions
This five-year competition celebrates native broadleaf trees. Participants will collect locally sourced material and transform it through thoughtful design and horticultural skill. By focusing on progression rather than completion, this competition aims to cultivate appreciation for regional tree species, encourage sustainable collecting practices, and showcase the artistic journey of developing raw material into bonsai.
Competition Rules
- Participants are allowed a maximum of 2 entries.
- A minimum of three photos of each tree should be posted each year:
- one in the Fall before leaf drop (or equivalent seasonal photo for evergreen species)
- one in Winter silhouette (or equivalent seasonal photo for evergreen species)
- one in the Spring after leaves emerge (or equivalent seasonal photo for evergreen species)
- Trees that do not survive can be replaced with a different tree, but a photo of the dead tree should be posted.
- Each tree must:
- be native and collected in the participant's region, identified to at least the genus level. Collection from wild areas and urban environments are both acceptable, but all collections should be legal and ethical.
- have been collected between November 1, 2025 and January 1, 2027.
- be a broad-leafed tree (no conifers), deciduous or evergreen
- be raw material not originally planted for bonsai
- trees planted from seed and trained in bonsai grow beds do not count; exceptions will be made for grow bed trees that do not have any clear or obvious advantages over one you might traditionally collect.
- Entry into the contest is open from now until May 1, 2027. The May deadline is to accommodate any collections near the end of the collection window, allowing people to confirm that their trees survived initial collection.
- Entry must include a photo of the tree, its scientific name, and approximate date of collection.
- The competition will last for 5 years, ending on May 15, 2031, upon which participants will vote for the best tree progression (cannot vote for one's own tree)
- The top three winners will win prizes (TBD)
Because this competition only lasts for 5 years from collection, it is not expected that participants will have "finished" bonsai at the end. Apart from smaller trees, most will only be partially developed and quality should be judged based on the tree's progression and the artist's decision making in the design from collection to its current state. The choice of pot should not be a consideration in the vote, as many trees may still be in training pots at the end of the competition.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a broadleaf tree? --> A broad-leafed tree is a tree that has wide, flat leaves instead of needles, and it usually has branching veins that form a net-like pattern. It can be either deciduous or evergreen.
- What does collected mean? --> It means collected from the ground. The idea is to develop a tree from a stump.
- Why use the term "collected" and not "yamadori"? --> When forming this contest, it was discussed that yamadori is a specific term primarily referring to the collection of trees from the mountains that already look like bonsai. This competition is more about development from raw collected material.
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