Peony Festival

• The 2023 Oshawa Peony Festival Art Contest (the "Contest") voting will begin on June 10, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. and close on June 11, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).
• The Contest is open to adults aged 18 years of age or older. No purchase is required to enter the Contest.
• The first place prize for the Contest is a three-hundred and fifty dollar ($350.00) gift card for a local art supplier, which will be awarded to the artwork entry that receives the most number of eligible votes.
• The second place prize for the Contest is a one-hundred and fifty dollar ($150.00) gift card for local art supplier, which will be awarded to the artwork entry that receives the second most number of eligible votes. 
• Only two (2) prizes will be awarded for the Contest.
• The two winning artworks will be selected by a public vote taking place between June 10 -11, 2023. Members of the public may only vote once, and may only vote for one (1) entry. The City reserves the right to reject any votes which they suspect to be multiple votes.

To enter the Contest, bring your artistic interpretation of a Peony, in any medium (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.) to Children's Arena located at 155 Arena Street in Oshawa, on Friday June 9, 2023, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., with pick up to occur on June 11, 2023, between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

• Only one (1) entry may be submitted per Contest entrant. 
• The maximum size of an entry is 24" x 24" x 24".
• Bring your own display props as none will be provided.
• All artwork submitted must be the sole creation of the Contest entrant.  Accordingly, artworks shall not contain any content taken from the internet, copyrighted material and/or material which incorporate another person's work.
• By participating in the Contest, the entrant acknowledges and agrees that City staff may screen all entries and the City in their sole discretion reserves the right to reject an entry for any reason, including but not limited to, vulgarity, obscenity or any form of criminal activity, violation of these terms and conditions, and shall not be required to give any notification or reason to the entrant.   
• The City reserves the right to select which artwork(s) will appear on the City's Peony Festival Contest Page and/or the City's social media accounts on Facebook or Twitter #OurOshawa #OshEvents #OshawaPeonies.
• Potential winners will be contacted by the City via email or phone. By submitting artwork for the Contest, the entrant consents to the City contacting the entrant by email or phone.
• Prior to claiming a prize, potential winners must show proper photo identification and provide any other information required by City staff to confirm the winner's identity and eligibility for the Contest. 
• Employees of the City are not eligible to win a prize in the Contest.
• No person is eligible to receive more than one prize in the Contest.
• The City reserves the right to cancel the Contest for any reason whatsoever without further notice or compensation.
• By participating in the Contest, entrants hereby provide the City with an unlimited licence to use photograph(s) of their artwork submitted for the Contest, including but not limited to use in all City communications, City advertising, and publicity purposes, without any compensation whatsoever to the entrant.
• By participating in the Contest, entrants hereby permit the City to use the entrant's name, city of residence, and photograph of the artwork for advertising or publicity purposes without any compensation whatsoever to the entrant.
• By participating in the Contest, entrants hereby release and hold harmless the City from any and all actions, charges, claims, costs, damages, demands, liabilities, losses, suits, proceedings, costs and expenses pertaining to the entrant's participation in the Contest.
• By participating in the Contest, entrants agree that all decisions of the City and its employees in relation to the Contest are final and binding.  Entrants also agree that the selection of the prize winners by the City in accordance with the public vote is final and not subject to any right of appeal or review.
• By participating in the Contest, entrants represent and warrant that they have read and understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

The Oshawa Peony Festival Photo Contest (the “Contest”) begins on June 12, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. and closes on July 14, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time).

The Contest is open to those 18 years of age or older. No purchase is required to enter the Contest.

The Grand Prize awarded for the best photograph is a gift certificate from Henry’s for one hundred and fifty dollar ($150.00).

The Second Place Prize awarded for the second best photograph is a gift certificate from Henry’s for one-hundred dollar ($100.00).

The Third Place Prize awarded for the third best photograph is a gift certificate from Henry’s for fifty dollars ($50.00).

Only One (1) Grand Prize, One (1) Second Place Prize and One (1) Third Place prize will be awarded. Entrants may only win one (1) prize in the Contest, as no person is eligible to receive more than one (1) prize.

The three winning photographs will be selected for their artistic and technical merits as assessed by the Harmony Hill Retirement Community Garden Club.

To enter the Contest, please submit photographs of peonies taken in the City of Oshawa, Ontario during the 2023 Oshawa Peony Festival, using the City’s submission form available at the Peony Festival Contest Page, between June 12 to July 14, 2023.

No more than three (3) photographs may be submitted per Contest entrant. 

Photographs must be submitted in digital format not exceeding 5 MB in size.

Photographs must be submitted in JPEG format using the following file name template:  Photographer’s Name_Title.jpg (e.g.JohnDoe_PeonyGarden.jpg). Photographs which are submitted that do not comply with the above file name template is not eligible to win a prize.

Photographs must not contain close-ups of any individual(s) and/or contain any identifiable individual(s).

All photographs submitted must be the sole creation of the Contest entrant.  Accordingly, photographs shall not contain any content taken from the internet, stock photos, copyrighted material and/or which otherwise incorporate another person’s work.

All photographs submitted must have been taken during the 2023 peony season. If a photograph was not taken during this time period, it is not eligible to win a prize in the Contest.

By participating in the Contest, the entrant acknowledges and agrees that City staff may screen all photographs and the City reserves the sole right to reject a photograph from the Contest for any reason, including vulgarity, obscenity or any form of criminal activity, and/or non-compliance with these Terms and Conditions, without providing any notification or reasons to the entrant.  

The City reserves the right to select which photos will appear on the City’s online photo gallery contained on the Peony Festival Contest Page and/or the City's social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter #OurOshawa #OshEvents #OshPeony.

Potential winners of the prizes will be contacted by the City via email or telephone. By submitting a photo, the entrant consents to the City contacting the entrant by email and/or telephone.

Prior to claiming a prize, potential winners must show proper photo identification and any other information required by City staff to confirm the winner's identity and eligibility for the Contest. 

Employees of the City of Oshawa are not eligible to win the Contest.

The City reserves the right to cancel the Contest at any time for any reason whatsoever without further notice and without any compensation to any person(s).

By participating in the Contest, entrants hereby provide the City with an unlimited licence to use any photograph(s) submitted for the Contest in any and all City communications, including City advertising and publicity purposes, without any compensation whatsoever.

By participating in the Contest, entrants hereby permit the City to use the entrant's name, city of residence, photograph, video or other likeness for advertising or publicity purposes without any compensation whatsoever.

By participating in the Contest, entrants hereby release and hold harmless the City from any and all actions, charges, claims, costs, damages, demands, liabilities, losses, suits, proceedings, costs and expenses pertaining to the entrant’s participation in the Contest.

By participating in the Contest, entrants agree that all decisions of the City and its employees in relation to the Contest are final and binding.  Entrants also agree that the selection of the prize winning photographs by the Harmony Hill Retirement Community Garden Club is final and not subject to any right of appeal or review.

By participating in the Contest, entrants represent and warrant that they have read and understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

Peony Advice

Watch these how to videos on all types of peonies, planting, dividing and designing!

Tree Peonies

Herbaceous Peonies

Intersectional Peonies

Designing Peony Arrangements

Digging, Dividing and Planting in the Fall

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