Design the SGLD Stand at RHS Chelsea 2026

THE DETAILS

The competition is only open to MSGLD’s / FSGLD’s and Registered Practices – including those on council, but not the chair or vice chair.
Entries will be anonymous and the winning design will be selected by 3 members of the SGLD Council.

You will work alongside Andy Barringer who has 15 years’ experience of trade stands at RHS shows. Andy will oversee all paperwork, build, logistics, passes, vehicle movements and passes, risk assessments, show week volunteers and breakdown etc.

This is an ideal opportunity to gain experience of designing and building at an RHS show, particularly useful experience on your CV if you are looking to apply for a garden in the foreseeable future.
The stand will be judged during show week by the RHS Trade Stand assessment team. For both 2024 and 2025 we were awarded 4 out of 5 stars, being only a few points shy of the 5^th star – the highest award possible for a trade stand.

The Shell scheme comprises of a rear and side walls, floor and canvas roof - nothing can be attached to these – everything needs to be free standing.
Although 6m long x 3m deep, the internal dimensions are 5940 wide x 2950 deep x 3100 high (at the front) less 600mm header board = 2500mm visible height at front with a sloping canvas roof dropping to 2700mm at the back.

We have a system of lightboxes which form the back and side walls of the stand – these could be a printed image of a garden – or be used to showcase a wide range of members' work and the many different types of gardens and projects our members are involved in.  There is a very short build and de-rig window - so prefabrication of as much of the stand as possible is required. There is also little space in front of the stand during build – so good critical path management is essential as we are working in a very small space.
Entries need to comprise a scaled presentation plan, front elevation and planting plan.

The budget is very limited – do take a look at the Affiliate Business Partner directory and Awards Sponsors - all on the SGLD website for suppliers of furniture, flooring, plants and planters. Our affiliates and awards sponsors are always happy to further support the SGLD by donating products and services for show week.

There is a small budget to cover expenses during build and de-rig days. You will also receive a press day pass and coverage across the SGLD social media and in the Garden Design 

2024 RHS Chelsea Stand design by Rosemary Coldstream MSGLD