Peony Festival

The Peony Festival art contest has officially come to a close, showcasing the incredible talent and creativity inspired by the beauty of peonies. Participants of all ages and skill levels shared unique artistic interpretations through a variety of mediums, creating a vibrant and inspiring collection of work. Thank you to everyone who entered, supported the artists, and helped make this year’s contest a wonderful celebration of art, nature, and community.

Winners of the contest will be posted shortly!

Contest open until July 12 at 11:59 p.m.

Enter today!

Terms and conditions

The Oshawa Peony Festival Photo Contest (the “Contest”) begins on June 6, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. and closes on July 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time).

How to enter:

To enter the Contest, please submit photographs of peonies taken in the City of Oshawa, Ontario during the Oshawa 2026 peony season, using The Corporation of the City of Oshawa’s (the “City”) submission form. The form will be available between June 6, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. and July 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

Criteria and requirements:

• The Contest is open to all ages. No purchase is required to enter the Contest.
• All entries for youth under 18 years of age must include the name and contact information of the youth’s legal guardian, and the legal guardian must agree to and accept these Contest Terms and Conditions.
• No more than one (1) photograph may be submitted per Contest entrant.
• Photographs must be submitted in digital format not exceeding five (5) MB in size, per image.
• Photographs must be submitted in JPEG format using the following file name template: Photographer’s Name_Title.jpg (e.g.JohnDoe_PeonyGarden.jpg). Photographs submitted that do not comply with the above file name template will be deemed ineligible to win a prize.
• Photographs must not contain close-ups of any individual(s) and/or not 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 artwork or likeness.
• All photographs submitted must have been taken during the 2026 peony season. If a photograph was not taken during this time, it will not be eligible to win a prize in the Contest.
• Only one (1) Grand Prize, one (1) Second Place Prize and one (1) Third Place Prize will be awarded.
• The three (3) winning photographs will be selected for their artistic and technical merits as assessed by a juried committee of the City's choosing.
• Entrants may only win one (1) prize in the Contest, as no person is eligible to receive more than one (1) prize.
• Employees of the City are not eligible to win the Contest.

Notification and claiming a prize:

• Potential winners of the prizes will be contacted by the City via email or telephone.
• By submitting a photograph, 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.

Contest prizes:

• The Grand Prize to be awarded for the best photograph is a gift card for Henry’s for one hundred and fifty dollar ($150).
• The Second Place Prize to be awarded for the second best photograph is a gift card for Henry’s for one-hundred dollar ($100).
• The Third Place Prize to be awarded for the third best photograph is a gift card for Henry’s for fifty dollars ($50).

Participant Consent:

• By participating in the Contest, the entrant acknowledges and agrees that City staff may screen all photographs and the City reserves the sole and absolute 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 photographs 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 X under hashtags #OshEvents and #OurOshawa.
• Potential winners of the prizes will be contacted by the City via email or telephone. By submitting a photograph, the entrant consents to the City contacting the entrant by email and/or telephone.
• 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, royalty-free license 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 juried committee 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.

Privacy Statement

This submission will collect personal information as defined under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56, as amended. This information is collected under the legal authority of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001 c.25, as amended. This information will be used and maintained by the City solely for the administration of the Peony Photo Contest. Questions regarding this collection may be directed to City’s Information, Access and Privacy Officer at 905-436-3311.

Drop-off Times

• Friday, June 5 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  The main parking lot is open, and entrants may enter at the back of the arena on the north side of the facility. The main arena doors will close at 4 p.m. on June 5 and will remain closed until June 6 at 11 a.m.
• Saturday, June 6 from 7 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
  The main parking lot is closed, and entrants may enter at the back of the arena on the north side of the facility. Entrants are to find on-street parking if required.

The judging of exhibitions will take place on June 6 from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.

• June 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• June 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Entrants must register with the Show Committee in the curtained set-up area at the back of the arena upon arrival.

• The Show is open to those who have grown peonies they intend to enter.
• Entrants may be an individual, a commercial grower, or a botanical garden.
• All entries must be placed by June 6 at 8:45 a.m.
• C.P.S. will provide containers for specimen entries.
• Entrants may place any number of different cultivars in each class.
• Each entry must have an entry tag attached, including the class number, cultivar name and exhibitor name. C.P.S. will provide entry tags at registration.
• Enter peonies with stems 12 to 14 inches long with top leaves only.
• The decision of the judges shall be final.
• The judges may withhold an award if, in their opinion, the exhibit is not worthy.
• C.P.S. will award ribbons for first, second and third place in all divisions, "Best in Show" ribbons, and one "Grand Champion" ribbon.
• C.P.S., the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens, and the City of Oshawa assume no responsibility for loss or damage to entries.

Single

1. Peony, single, red, 1 bloom
2. Peony, single, medium red, 1 bloom
3. Peony, single, dark red, 1 bloom
4. Peony, single, white, 1 bloom
5. Peony, single, off-white, 1 bloom
6. Peony, single, light pink, 1 bloom
7. Peony, single, medium pink, 1 bloom
8. Peony, single, dark pink, 1 bloom
9. Peony, single, coral, 1 bloom
10. Peony, single, dark coral, 1 bloom
11. Peony, single, any other colour, 1 bloom
12. Peony, single, any colour, same variety, one container, 3 blooms

Semi-Double

13. Peony, SD, red, 1 bloom
14. Peony, SD, dark red, 1 bloom
15. Peony, SD, rosy red, 1 bloom
16. Peony, SD, white, 1 bloom
17. Peony, SD, light pink, 1 bloom
18. Peony, SD, medium pink, 1 bloom
19. Peony, SD, dark pink, 1 bloom
20. Peony, SD, dark coral, 1 bloom
21. Peony, SD, any other colour, 1 bloom
22. Peony, SD, any colour, same variety, one container, 3 blooms

Double

23. Peony, D, red, 1 bloom
24. Peony, D, dark red, 1 bloom
25. Peony, D, rosy red, 1 bloom
26. Peony, D, white, 1 bloom
27. Peony, D, light pink, 1 bloom
28. Peony, D, medium pink, 1 bloom
29. Peony, D, dark pink, 1 bloom
30. Peony, D, coral, 1 bloom
31. Peony, D, any other colour, 1 bloom
32. Peony, D, any colour, same variety, one container, 3 blooms

Japanese / Anemone

33. Peony, J/A, red, 1 bloom
34. Peony, J/A, dark red, 1 bloom
35. Peony, J/A, white, 1 bloom
36. Peony, J/A, pink, 1 bloom
37. Peony, J/A, light pink, 1 bloom
38. Peony, J/A, dark pink, 1 bloom
39. Peony, J/A, any other colour, 1 bloom
40. Peony, J/A, any colour, same variety, one container, 3 blooms

Intersectional (Itoh Hybrid)

41. Peony, Itoh, “Bartzella”, 1 bloom
42. Peony, Itoh, “Garden Treasure”, 1 bloom
43. Peony, Itoh, any other yellow, 1 bloom
44. Peony, Itoh, pink tones, 1 bloom
45. Peony, Itoh, bronze tones, 1 bloom
46. Peony, Itoh, any other colour, 1 bloom
47. Peony, Itoh, any colour, same variety, one container, 3 blooms

Tree Peony

48. Tree Peony, Single, any colour, 1 bloom
49. Tree Peony, S/D, any colour, 1 bloom
50. Tree Peony, D, any colour, 1 bloom

Seedling

51. Seeding, any type, any colour, 1 bloom

Additional Information

Design Classes
Foliage and other flowers may be included in the design, but peonies must dominate the overall design.

Please do not use floral foam.

Class

1. All By Myself: A design of choice incorporating a single peony.
2. Breakfast at Tiffany's: A tray design (pg. 154 O.J.E.S. 2019)
3. Still Waters Run Deep: A design with visible use of water. (pg. 156 O.J.E.S. 2019)
4. A Tisket, a Tasket: A design of choice in a basket.
5. Dancing in the Moonlight: A crescent design. (pg. 136 O.J.E.S. 2019)
6. Sunrise, Sunset: A design of choice.
7. School's Out for the Summer: A design of choice.
8. Tapestry: A pavé design, at a maximum of 30.48 cm. (12") in any direction. (pg. 147 O.J.E.S. 2019)

Ontario Judging and Exhibiting Standards 2019 (OJES 2019) Definitions

Crescent Design - A Traditional Line Mass design in the shape of a partial circle.

Pavé - In floral design, pavé is a technique of placing groups of plant material that have been cut short, close together to form undulating mounds of colour, textures, shapes and sizes.  Any plant material may be used (e.g. flowers, foliage, cut stems, vegetables, moss, etc.).

Tray - A functional table intended for the service of food for one.  Components are chosen and organized for function, scale and good proportion to the limited space.  Everything must be stable as a tray is meant to be carried.  Place mat, napkin, plate(s), cup/glass and decorative unit (floral design) are required.

Visible Use of Water - A design that must include water that is clearly visible.  Any design in which water is an important component.  May be a waterviewing, underwater etc.

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

Check out these virtual tours from the comfort of your home.

Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens

• June 1
• June 8
• June 15
• June 22
• Rain in the garden

Canadian Peony Society Garden Tours

Members of the Canadian Peony Society share a glimpse inside their private peony gardens.

• Ken's Garden
• Marvin's Garden
• Judi's Garden
• Ingrid's Garden

Oshawa Garden Club Garden Tours

Oshawa Garden Club member are proud to showcase their talents, especially when it comes to landscaping with peonies.

• Jill's Garden 2021
• Toni's Garden
• Jill's Garden
• Greg's Garden

The City of Oshawa hosts open, free public events. Photographers will be present taking photos and video footage at these events. These images may be used without further notification on City-owned and non-City-owned property, print media, digital media, the Internet, social media sites, media releases and broadcasts. By attending, you consent to such use.