2026 Schools’ Competition
What is the competition?
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) in partnership with the Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend (BOIOFW) initiative and competition sponsor Asda, are challenging pupils across Northern Ireland (NI) to put their creative and artistic flare to the test in this year’s competition.
This year’s theme, ‘Grow it, know it, eat it!’, will enable pupils to learn how farmers work hard to produce the high-quality food we eat, and understand that for generations, farming has shaped our NI landscape creating different environments that support our economy. Too many children are unaware that the food their family buys in store comes from farms. It is vital that we change this, helping pupils to understand food origin, and the hard work and dedication that farmers put into producing the high-quality produce that they consume daily.
What is Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend?
BOIOFW is taking place on Friday 12, Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June 2026. This free educational event aimed at schools and families promotes the ‘farm to fork’ message. The message is delivered exclusively to pupils through a FREE interactive on-farm experience on Friday 12 June 2026. The school’s day in 2025 saw over 1700 pupils learn about local food production in NI. Farms will be announced from April 2026 onwards at www.openfarmweekend.com, where schools can check which farm is in their vicinity and request a school visit by completing a pro forma (Please note, slots are limited). If you cannot visit a participating farm, you can still take part in our schools’ competition which will give you a flavour of local farming.
What does the competition entail?
The competition is split into five sections:
- Foundation level (Nursery, pre-school and playgroups): Pupils should decorate the picture “Grow it, know it, eat it!”. Download Here
- Foundation (Primary 1 and Primary 2): Pupils should decorate the picture of “Grow it, know it, eat it!” template and what products we produce in NI. Download Here
- Key stage 1 (Primary 3 and 4): Pupils should decorate their farm shop front, including a name and explain what products/food they would sell in the shop to help NI farmers promote their high-quality produce. Download Here
- Key stage 2 (Primary 5, 6 and 7): Pupils are asked to design a mascot that could be created for the Ulster Farmers’ Union and Open Farm Weekend initiative to promote the theme “Grow it, know it, eat it!”. To help keep entries aligned with the theme “Grow it, know it, eat it!”. we encourage pupils to base their mascot designs around farm animals, crops or food produce commonly associated with farming. Pupils are asked to include a tagline / slogan and 150-200 word reasoning for design. Download Here
- Special schools: Can enter any section of the competition.
Competition rules:
Entries are non-returnable: The winning entries will be used by BOIOFW and the UFU, and copyright will not apply. There is no limit to the number of entries and schools can photocopy the poster as many times as required. Originality and neatness will be taken into consideration during judging. The judges’ decision is final.
Please note: Entries will be showcased on social media and on farms throughout the weekend where children’s names are visible. If a pupil wishes not to have their name on display, please write their name on the back and the Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend schools coordinator will blank this out.
Prizes
Prizes sponsored by Asda include:
- £200 for the winning school in each section plus transport for a class to nearest participating open farm.
- £40 for the winning pupil in each section.
- £100 for the runner-up school in each section plus a Bramley apple tree.
- £20 for the runner-up pupil in each section.
- Planting set for third place pupil in each section.
- Highly commended certificates.
Do a little digging and find out more:
- Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend: www.openfarmweekend.com
- Ulster Farmers’ Union website: www.ufuni.org/education
We hope you will encourage pupils and teachers to participate in what should be a competitive and worthwhile competition. Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact:
Rebecca McClenaghan at UFU HQ (028) 9037 0222 or rmcclenaghan@ufuhq.com.
Send Entries to:
BOIOFW Schools Competition
Ulster Farmers’ Union,
475 Antrim Road,
Belfast,
BT15 3DA
CLOSING DATE Friday 27 March 2026
(Please ensure correct postage payment is made to ensure delivery of entries.)
Remember to keep an eye on the Open Farm Weekend website for participating farms and think about organising a visit for Friday 12 June 2026.
Yours faithfully,
John McLenaghan
BOIOFW steering group chairman