This competition is part of the Australian Garden History Society’s 46th annual conference, taking place in Orange from 24 to 27 September 2026, and is only open to Year 6 students living in Orange, Millthorpe and Molong and surrounding areas. They are invited to submit a short story of no more than 500 words about a real or imaginary garden of an older person (grandparent, great aunt or uncle, neighbour, family friend, in other words a grandfriend) with whom they have a relationship through gardening.
Deadline: 10 July 2026 (it’s free to enter)
Winners will be announced in September 2026.
First prize
A plant for the winner’s school with a plaque, plus $200 for the writer and AGHS membership to the grandfriend.
Runners up
Three runners up will receive a $75 nursery voucher and AGHS digital membership for the grandfriend.
The Australian Garden History Society will publish the four winning stories, with authors invited to submit an illustration/photograph to accompany the story.
To find out more about how to enter and the competition rules, download this flyer: AGHS short story competition Orange 2026