About RHS Awards and Medals

Find out more about the show categories and the RHS judging process

Best in Show

Ula Maria won Best Show Garden at RHS Chelsea 2024, seen here with Director General Clare Matterson

Best in Show awards are given to one garden in each judged category.
There are also Best Construction awards for the larger garden categories.
Exhibitors can be awarded Best Exhibit in the Floral Marquee, Best Plant Village Exhibit and Best Tradestand.

RHS Medals

With the exception of Feature Gardens, all gardens at the show are judged, as are the exhibits in the Floral Marquee. The available awards are:

Gold
Silver-gilt
Silver
Bronze

Exhibits in the Plant Village are awarded a 2–5 grade (5 being the highest).

Learn about the judging process

Dave Green won a Gold medal at RHS Chelsea in 2025

Sustainability award

The Pathway Garden won the RHS Environmental Innovation award in 2025 at RHS Chelsea

RHS Environmental Innovation Award

The award was introduced in 2024 alongside the Green Audit to recognise Show Gardens which have created low-carbon footprint designs through the use of reclaimed materials and sustainable practices

See more about the award

Special awards

King Charles will present a new award at RHS Sandringham

The King’s Biodiversity Award and the Queen’s Choice of Upcycled Containers Award

The King will choose a design from three finalists that champions outstanding horticultural practice while helping visitors understand the importance of creating biodiverse spaces and adopting gardening approaches that welcome wildlife. It’s open to all judged gardens, non-RHS features, Community Cubes, Long Borders and Floral Marquee exhibits. The Queen will also choose a winner from the Upcycled Containers category.

Find out more about the award

RHS People’s Choice Award

After the official judging has taken place, show visitors have the opportunity to vote for their favourite gardens. The eligible categories at RHS Sandringham are:

People’s Choice Show Garden
People’s Choice Grow Forward Garden
People’s Choice Long Border

See more about the award

Kazuyuki Ishihara’s garden won the RHS Chelsea People’s Choice vote in 2025

Judging at RHS Shows

Ever wondered how the judges choose the medal-winning gardens at RHS Shows?

Find out more

Explore more from the show

Get involved

The RHS is the UK’s gardening charity, helping people and plants to grow - nurturing a healthier, happier world, one person and one plant at a time.