Tour of Britain | Land Art Competition

The Tour of Britain’s National Land Art competition is a fantastic way to get involved and show your support for Britain’s biggest professional cycle race every September.

Communities, schools, clubs, businesses, land owners and farmers came together to install eye-catching creations in support of Britain’s most prestigious international cycle race that always proves popular with the worldwide television audience.

WHAT IS LAND ART?

The tradition of creating land art masterpieces along the route has long been the practice at the Tour of Britain, as well as other cycle races around the world, but 2018 was the first time that we held a competition to find the best piece of land art.

There’s no better way of displaying local pride, as well as fostering community spirit mixed with the themes of teamwork and togetherness, than by creating land art for the race.

ROLL OF HONOUR

2022: Wild Things Keyworth, Keyworth Abundance and Liz Waddell

Nottinghamshire creation Spike on a Bike has today been revealed as the winner of the Tour of Britain Land Art Competition for 2022.

Giant hedgehog Spike, who was made from recycled objects including wood, plant pots and bin lids, was spotted riding his bike across the recreation grounds in Keyworth, near the start of the stage five route. The installation also featured in the race’s live TV broadcast, which is available in over 150 countries worldwide.

Ecological education collective Wild Things Keyworth and local community non-profit group Keyworth Abundance worked with local artist Liz Waddell to design Spike over a cup of coffee.

Their inspiration was to raise awareness of their ongoing project to protect hedgehogs, of which there are less than one million left in the country. Volunteers for local initiative Keyworth Hedgehog Highway have successfully drilled 110 gaps in local fences, walls and gates in the last year to help hedgehogs pass into gardens.

2021: Craskins Farm, Queen’s View, Aberdeenshire

Craskins Farm near Tarland, which was passed during the race’s final stage between Stonehaven and Aberdeen, installed an imaginative mini peloton to celebrate the Tour’s arrival in the North East. The display was made using straw bales and recycled materials that were gathered from around the farm and roadside verges.

The work was the brainchild of Dr Jenna Ross, whose parents, Brian and Alison, farm in partnership with her older brother, Stewart. The judging panel, which included AJ Bell Tour of Britain race director Mick Bennett, chose the display for its novelty factor as well as its environmental credentials.

Dr Ross previously created a straw bale display in support of NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her peloton was repurposed six weeks after the race’s visit into a Halloween-inspired display for local children. Additionally, all of the farm’s displays raise money for North East Sensory Service (NESS), a local charity that supports people in the area who have hearing and/or sight loss.

2019: Egerton Park and Walmsley Primary School, Greater Manchester

A community collaboration in Bolton was announced as the winner of the Tour of Britain’s National Land Art Competition for 2019.

Egerton Park teamed up with Walmsley Primary School to create the winning cyclist installation, one that was shown around the world as part of the race’s live TV coverage. Their land art exhibit pipped nearest challenger Crossmichael Primary School in Scotland to the top prize after a month-long public vote.

2018: South Molton Farmers, South Molton, Devon

A group of North Devon farmers from South Molton were crowned our inaugural winners in 2018. Stretching more than 45 metres in width, their creation featured alongside the route of stage two in Devon and comprised 19 tractors, 16 all-terrain vehicles, a 13-tonne excavator and one slurry tanker wrapped in plastic.

Over 50 entries from across the eight stages were received for the 2018 competition but judges, including Tour of Britain race director Mick Bennett, were struck by both the size and complexity of the South Molton installation, which featured moving wheels, pedals and a chain.

LAND ART HINTS AND TIPS

1. Entries to the land art competition should be adjacent to the route (within 100 metres) or close to the start or finish location of the stage.

2. Don’t worry if you are still waiting for the route of your stage to be announced – there is still plenty of time to tell us of your plans! The entry form for the competition will remain open until the week before the Tour of Britain.

3. Ahead of the race we will contact everybody who has submitted an entry with more information about the competition and the race and to confirm your plans.

4. The Tour of Britain is a live sporting event so submission of the form is not a guarantee that an entry will be shown on television on the day of the stage so we always recommend getting your own photographs and/or videos just in case.