The Wacky, Wonderful Waterlily Weigh-Off 2026
What do you get when you combine waterlilies, whimsy and a willingness to fail? You get the Waterlily Weigh-Off, an annual event that challenges public gardens and zoos across the globe to a bit of friendly competition to see whose Victoria waterlily can carry the most weight. This year’s competition takes place August 17-28. The heavyweight champion of waterlilies will be announced on August 28. The competition takes place across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Humble Beginnings
Denver Botanic Gardens started the competition in 2023, and the viral social media campaign was initially just an opportunity to have fun and try something new.
Rachel Small-Brooks, assistant manager of social media and communications at the Gardens, says no one really remembers who had the idea: “We wanted to do a collaborative post with a few gardens where we had contacts. They all said no, but we posted anyway and called them out in a bit of a cheeky way. That led to a few of them posting their entries, albeit maybe a bit reluctantly.”
Young waterlilies growing. Will one of them be crowned champion?
How It Works
The premise of the competition is simple:
- Grow the biggest, strongest Victoria waterlily you can (Victoria waterlilies can grow up to a diameter of 10 feet!).
- See how much weight it can hold.
- Post your entry on social media.
The competition gets more intense every year:
- In 2023, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew won with a weight of 96 lb. / 41.73 kg.
- 2024’s winner, Missouri Botanical Garden, won with a lily pad that held a whopping 142.1 lb. / 64.45 kg.
- Last year, Bok Tower Gardens’ lily pad held an astonishing 183 lb. / 83 kg, narrowly defeating Missouri Botanical Garden, who nearly snagged first place again with a lily pad that held 182 lb. / 82.6 kg.
Adding weight to Denver Botanic Gardens' entry. Something tells us we'll beat our record this year.
How does the Gardens stack up? We peaked at 65 lb. / 29.48 kg (in 2024). “We joke that we started a competition we had no chance of winning,” Rachel says. “But that’s ok. The competition gives us the opportunity to reach more people and educate about the role aquatic plants play in our ecosystems.”
This year, though, we hope to offer stiffer competition.
Strong Competition
This year’s competition is expected to include over 50 participants representing eight countries. This year also welcomes for the first time home gardeners and nurseries with a category of their own. To be inclusive, a feather weight champion will also be awarded this year.
Stay tuned for the competition. To the victor go the spoils.
Comments
Home growers category
We want to compete in the home growers category. What are the rules we need to follow?
Thanks
@twoferalgardeners Australia 🇦🇺
Hello! Please reach out to…
Hello! Please reach out to Chalily Ponds & Gardens at 636-527-2001 or email jrechtien@chalily.com. You can also message them on Instagram @chalily_stl.
To enter the competition, you must post to Instagram and tag @chalily_stl
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