One of our members got in touch with us recently to ask for a full list and description of all the competitions open to WI members in Cornwall, and we are happy to oblige!
Allsop Cup Competition
The Allsop Cup Competition is an environmental study, organised by the Environment & Public Affairs Sub-committee, which takes place every five years and runs for a full year. WI members working as a group can present their study results in all sorts of imaginative ways – from written reports including illustrations, charts and photographs; to craft items; to digital media. The sky is the limit. Recently the competition involved studying Cornish hedges over the course of a year, and the current competition is ‘Operation Hedgehog’. The closing date has now passed, but all of those WIs that entered have until the end of January 2022 to submit their work. You can read more about ‘Operation Hedgehog’ here, although please note that the dates are incorrect – this was written prior to the competition extension.
Baker Cup Competition
The Baker Cup Competition, organised by the Environment & Public Affairs Sub-committee, takes place every two years (alternating with the Greeves Cup below) and is open to all WIs in Cornwall. The topic for 2022 is: The Way Forward – Rediscovering Footpaths. WIs entering must produce a report comprising 4,000-6,000 words of text, and including illustrations, tables, maps, etc. The report must be the work of at least four WI members. The finished work should include acknowledgements, references and sources, but these are not included in the word count. Other recent Baker Cup Competition subjects have included the CFWI Centenary and ‘Women at War’. To enter the 2022 competition, please apply by the end of February 2022. Submissions are due by the end of May 2022. See your WI Secretary for an application form or download one here.
Blaikley Salver Competition
The Blaikley Salver Competition is an annual poetry competition, organised by the Environment & Public Affairs Sub-committee, open to individual WI members in Cornwall. Submitted poems can be any length, up to 32 lines. Recent themes have included ‘My Green Heart’ and ‘Women’s Roles in Wartime’. Most recently, a poem on the theme of ‘Trees for Life’ by Karrie Skaife of St Mary’s Isles of Scilly WI won the 2020 competition and was presented at our online ‘Not the Annual Council Meeting’ during lockdown. The closing date for the 2022 competition is Monday 4 July 2022, and the theme is ‘Enchanting Pathways’. See your WI Secretary for an application form or download one here.
The prize-winning Greeves Trophy photograph from Lisa Elsey (Crowlas & Ludgvan WI)
CFWI Photography Competition/Greeves Cup
Every two years (alternating with the Baker Cup above), our Arts & Leisure Sub-committee holds a photography competition for all WI members in Cornwall, with various classes and subjects available. There is always a novice category for beginners. The WI member who takes the photograph judged as the best overall is awarded the Greeves Cup. You can read about the 2020 competition winners here.
Press Competitions – Boslowick Cup and Whitecross Cup
These competitions, organised by the Board of Trustees, were not held in 2020 because of lockdown and the lack of WI news to report. In 2021, the competitions were extended to include WI newsletters as so many of our WIs were producing wonderful informative publications for their members while unable to meet in person. However, we plan to return to the traditional competition in 2022. The Boslowick Cup is awarded to WI Press Officers in their first year of office; the Whitecross Cup is for more experienced WI Press Officers. To enter, submit two press cuttings representing your best work. The 2022 competition entry form will be available in March 2022, so keep a look out for it.
Programme Competition – Lander Trophy, Andrews Rosebowl, Goldsworthy Cup and Bugle Cup
Each year, the Membership Support Sub-committee (your WI Advisers), holds a programme competition. The four trophies and cups available are awarded based on the size of the WI. As with many of our other competitions, this one had to suspend during lockdown, but we plan to bring it back soon.
Social Media Award
The Social Media Award, organised by the Board of Trustees, is presented each year to the WI which has made the best and most creative use of social media – whether to attract new members, to keep its own members informed, or for some other imaginative reason. WIs entering are required to write a brief paragraph explaining how their use of social media and technology has helped them and made them stand out.
St Kea Cup
The St Kea Cup is awarded each year by the Membership Support Sub-committee (your WI Advisers) to the WI with the greatest percentage increase in membership.
Western Morning News Rosebowl Trophy
The Western Morning News Rosebowl Trophy is presented to the winning team at the Arts & Leisure Sub-committee’s annual Rosebowl Quiz. The next quiz will be held on 23 February 2022.
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If that isn’t enough for you, our big annual event takes place in the WI marquee at the Royal Cornwall Show, where there are plenty of competitions available for you to enter. Next year’s Royal Cornwall Show will take place on 9-11 June 2022, and we already have your competitions in place:
Princess Alexandra presenting the RCS Cup to Diana Harry, Perranuthnoe & District WI President, in 2019
Royal Cornwall Show Cup Competition
The main competition is a group project for members of a WI on a particular theme, set each year by a different CFWI sub-committee. The theme for 2022 is ‘A Family Celebration’ and the competition has been organised by our Floral Art & Gardening Sub-committee. You can read all the details, see the full schedule and fill in an application form here, or see your WI Secretary. The deadline to apply is 31 March 2022.
Royal Cornwall Show Barbara Reed Trophy Competition
The Barbara Reed Trophy Competition, organised by the Home Economics & Craft Sub-committee, takes place each year at the Royal Cornwall Show. It is a competition for individual WI members on a craft theme – in 2022, the theme is ‘A Keepsake Box’. The schedule and application form can be downloaded here, or ask your WI Secretary for a copy. The deadline to apply is 31 March 2022.
Royal Cornwall Show Floral Arts Classes
Each year at the Royal Cornwall Show, our Floral Art & Gardening Sub-committee arranges a variety of floral arts classes, which always include a novice category. Download the schedules and application form here, or see your WI Secretary for a copy. The deadline to apply is 31 March 2022.
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As well as the Royal Cornwall Show, CFWI has a presence at the annual Cornish Winter Fair, also held on the Showgrounds. Keep a look out each autumn for details of our WI group competition, individual classes and floral art classes.
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We do, on occasion, create one-off competitions as well. In your next issue of County News, you’ll read all about the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Card Competition – your chance to create a celebratory work of art that will be sent to Her Majesty on behalf of all the WIs in Cornwall.
Keep following our ‘Competitions’ page on the CFWI website for details of any upcoming competitions.
Most CFWI competition winners are announced at our Annual Council Meeting held in October each year.
And don’t forget that there are plenty of NFWI competitions available throughout the year for WI members to enter. You can read about them on MyWI.