Just like last year's Royal Wedding, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee is a fabulous excuse to get the bunting out, dress up, make some weird-looking red, white and blue food and generally have a right old laugh. And with the bonus of two Bank Holidays too - heaven!
For those of you who don't shy away from a bit of effort, this is a selection of quirky, fun and creative competitions - and your entry doesn't always need to be meticulously created and lovingly photographed, as many of the winners are picked at random too! There are a few of the dreaded voting competitions in here but a polite word in the promoter's ear (via Facebook message is the best) should warn them of the dangers and maybe encourage them to think again - or at least to include some additional Terms and Conditions which will help to make the competition fairer.
I'm not a fan of Like & Share comps, but as this is a caption comp and a great photo of Her Madge, I'll be giving it a go (there's also only one entry so far!) - win a £150 Ocado voucher from Give a Grad a Go by leaving your best caption for this photo. No closing date stated so be quick!
My Cake Decorating have sussed the way to keep the cheats out of their cake competition - you need to upload a photo of your creation NEXT to a piece of paper with your name written on! Sadly though - the most votes wins...and top spot already has almost 200! The winner gets a Jubilee hamper of Lakeland goodies worth £100. Enter on their Facebook App before 25 May 2012.
Here's a Jubilee recipe one - you could win a cookery class worth £250. A shortlist of 3 or 5(!) will be chosen and then voting is involved I'm afraid - read more on the Blink website and enter before 27 May 2012.
Now I'd love to win this one, because I would officially be Lady Di! Design a coat-of-arms and you could win a title of Lord, Lady or Laird - plus an iPad. The top 20 most popular get judged, but there are only 92 entries and the vote counts are low so you've just about got time to do it! Upload to the Don't Panic site before 27 May 2012.
Win a £100 Bar Tab at Apples and Pears Bar in London - upload your (original) Jubilee Cocktail recipe to their Facebook App to enter! Closes 30 May 2012.
If you live near Sidmouth, you could win £100 of Little Joules vouchers. Take a photo of your under-8 in a King or Queen outfit and email to marketing@fieldsofsidmouth.co.uk - six finalists will need to go to Monday's Child in Sidmouth on 5 June to be judged, and one boy and one girl will win the prizes (how upset will the others be - I wouldn't like to see that!). Read more details here and enter by 31 May 2012.
Mumsnet are giving away a Kitchenaid mixer in their Jubilee recipe competition for members - your recipe must involve Lyle's Golden Syrup and the winner will be chosen at random! Enter here before 31 May 2012.
Create a Jubilee Pinterest board (see this post if you're new to Pinterest) and you could win a Jubilee girl's dress plus a copy of 'The Queen's Knickers' book. Check out the I Love Gorgeous Pinterest page for more details - and Repin this image to get started! Closes 31 May 2012.
The Happy Egg Co want photos of your cakes inspired by Great Britain. The winner will get a Kitchenaid mixer, a cookery course and a year's supply of eggs. Read more here and send your photos to competitions@jamiemagazine.com by 1 June 2012.
This is a fab one from the Loughborough Echo - for their Jubilee Competition, you need to create a local landmark out of food! You would win a family ticket to the Eden Project including overnight accommodation and travel. Enter by emailing your photo to echofoodartcomp@golleyslater.co.uk - full details are on the Loughborough Echo website and the winning entry will be judged on creativity, artistic skill and community spirit. Closes 1 June 2012.
School age kids can design a Jubilee Party poster and win a £50 book token - read more at the Radiowaves site. I can't find any Terms and Conditions so not sure exactly what the age restrictions are! Enter by 1 June 2012.
Rewrite the first verse of the National Anthem using the word wine and you could win some 'patriotic goodies' from WineGifts4U on Facebook by 1 June 2012.
Upload a photo of your kids throwing their most regal pose on the Asda website, and you could bag £500 of Asda vouchers. They've even installed 70 thrones in Asda stores if you really want to put the effort in (although the winner is chosen at random!). Closes 3 June 2012.
Are you a jewellery designer? Upload a photo of a piece on the theme 'Best of British' and you could win a £50 Love2Shop voucher. Unfortunately, the most votes wins - but I imagine it will get limited entries so might be worth a go if that's where your talent lies! Read more at the Guild of Jewellery Designers website and enter before 5 June 2012.
Now, I know of at least one regular reader who's a motorbike nut! This is a great prize from London Bikers - a Union Jack helmet worth £640! To enter, email a photo of you, your bike, or something bike-related that shows national pride to jamie@bestbritishbloggers.co.uk - they will be judging on humour, originality and Jubilee-ness! Read more here - closes 5 June 2012.
Have you got a photo taken at a Toby Carvery? Well if you do, you have a GREAT chance of winning one of the 150 commemorative aprons they're giving away on their Facebook page! Upload your photo before 5 June 2012.
Crabbies are offering five winners a chance to get their face on a plate! Simply upload a photo here and add a bit of text and their five favourites will win - you can't upload a photo of anyone who looks under 25 though, so that's me out (ahem). Enter by 6 June 2012.
Tesco are giving away prizes weekly for Summer Street Party recipes. The grand prize is a Pastry & Puddings weekend course at Ashurton Cookery School plus B&B accommodation for Friday and Saturday night at Ashburton Court for two adults, and you can see the weekly prizes here. The prizes are awarded at random - upload your entry here. Final closing date is 6 June 2012.
Here's another Queenie caption comp from the Bentall Centre - win a £250 SWAG voucher! Enter on their Facebook App by 6 June 2012.
365 Electrical are giving away three Limited Edition Belling Centenary Built-in or free standing ovens - to enter, upload a photo of you with your royal-themed food to their Facebook App before 7 June 2012.
Win a cute Wedgwood tea set worth £665 if you happen to be in a London Park Plaza Hotel between 1-8 June 2012. Get someone to take a 'royal' photo of you and post it on their Facebook page or Tweet it to @ParkPlazaHotels. Read the full details here. If the prize is your cup of tea (groan), I definitely think it's worth going out of your way to enter this one - remember though, sometimes photos uploaded from Smartphones aren't set to 'Public' on Facebook so it might be safer to Tweet your entry!
Do you own a pair of Monster Slippers? If so, you could win a 3 course meal for four at Harry Ramsden's! Upload a photo of you wearing a pair of Monster Slippers to their Facebook page and the best will win - on the blog they suggest you could be doing something 'quintessentially British!' - if you're at a Jubilee party I reckon that would be a great photo opp! Enter by 11 June 2012.
Bart Spices want your Jubilee inspired creations! If yours is the best, you could win a baking master class with Edd Kimber (winner of the Great British Bake Off). He will choose his favourite and also award two runners up a hamper of Bart goodies. Upload a recipe and photo at www.bartoffers.com/jubilee before 12 June 2012.
Radley are giving away a fab prize of a stay at the Ritz, with Afternoon Tea and £200 to spend at the Radley store! To enter you need to take a photo of you enjoying a tea party with the Radley at Home range - as you can imagine this one will be VERY low entry (only 4 entries so far, just one of which is eligible to win!) so it might be worth you splashing out on a Jubilee treat! Enter here - closes 17 June 2012.
Upload your photos of the 1977 Silver Jubilee and one winner picked at random will win a year's subscription to Great British Life magazine - enter here by 1 July 2012.
Thomas Pink have an amazing prize up for grabs in their voting competition - BUT it doesn't close until 9 August 2012 so perhaps they'll change their mind and judge it. The T&Cs refer throughout to a prize draw with no reference to voting, but they do state clearly on the App that "entrants must own the copy rights to any images entered in the competition", which should hopefully discourage some cheats. To enter, upload a photo that captures the spirit of British Entertainment to their Facebook App. You can win tickets to A Midsummer Night's Dream in regents Park, a £1000 Thomas Pink gift card, a picnic hamper and limited edition British Entertainment book.
Keep an eye out for competitions in your local newspapers and on local websites too, especially kids ones - entry numbers are usually low! And remember to take lots of photos of your celebrations too, there's bound to be lots of Facebook photo comps that pop up in the week before the big event.
And finally, if you live near LETCHWORTH or BEDWORTH, pop down to Baker Brothers Diamonds - they have a champagne flute full of diamond in store. Guess how many are in there and win a night's stay at Hanbury Manor, plus other prizes.
I'll be adding a linky to this post so that more creative Jubilee comps can be added - feel free to add to it if you'd like to!
For those of you who don't shy away from a bit of effort, this is a selection of quirky, fun and creative competitions - and your entry doesn't always need to be meticulously created and lovingly photographed, as many of the winners are picked at random too! There are a few of the dreaded voting competitions in here but a polite word in the promoter's ear (via Facebook message is the best) should warn them of the dangers and maybe encourage them to think again - or at least to include some additional Terms and Conditions which will help to make the competition fairer.
I'm not a fan of Like & Share comps, but as this is a caption comp and a great photo of Her Madge, I'll be giving it a go (there's also only one entry so far!) - win a £150 Ocado voucher from Give a Grad a Go by leaving your best caption for this photo. No closing date stated so be quick!
My Cake Decorating have sussed the way to keep the cheats out of their cake competition - you need to upload a photo of your creation NEXT to a piece of paper with your name written on! Sadly though - the most votes wins...and top spot already has almost 200! The winner gets a Jubilee hamper of Lakeland goodies worth £100. Enter on their Facebook App before 25 May 2012.
Here's a Jubilee recipe one - you could win a cookery class worth £250. A shortlist of 3 or 5(!) will be chosen and then voting is involved I'm afraid - read more on the Blink website and enter before 27 May 2012.
Now I'd love to win this one, because I would officially be Lady Di! Design a coat-of-arms and you could win a title of Lord, Lady or Laird - plus an iPad. The top 20 most popular get judged, but there are only 92 entries and the vote counts are low so you've just about got time to do it! Upload to the Don't Panic site before 27 May 2012.
Win a £100 Bar Tab at Apples and Pears Bar in London - upload your (original) Jubilee Cocktail recipe to their Facebook App to enter! Closes 30 May 2012.
If you live near Sidmouth, you could win £100 of Little Joules vouchers. Take a photo of your under-8 in a King or Queen outfit and email to marketing@fieldsofsidmouth.co.uk - six finalists will need to go to Monday's Child in Sidmouth on 5 June to be judged, and one boy and one girl will win the prizes (how upset will the others be - I wouldn't like to see that!). Read more details here and enter by 31 May 2012.
Mumsnet are giving away a Kitchenaid mixer in their Jubilee recipe competition for members - your recipe must involve Lyle's Golden Syrup and the winner will be chosen at random! Enter here before 31 May 2012.
Create a Jubilee Pinterest board (see this post if you're new to Pinterest) and you could win a Jubilee girl's dress plus a copy of 'The Queen's Knickers' book. Check out the I Love Gorgeous Pinterest page for more details - and Repin this image to get started! Closes 31 May 2012.
The Happy Egg Co want photos of your cakes inspired by Great Britain. The winner will get a Kitchenaid mixer, a cookery course and a year's supply of eggs. Read more here and send your photos to competitions@jamiemagazine.com by 1 June 2012.
This is a fab one from the Loughborough Echo - for their Jubilee Competition, you need to create a local landmark out of food! You would win a family ticket to the Eden Project including overnight accommodation and travel. Enter by emailing your photo to echofoodartcomp@golleyslater.co.uk - full details are on the Loughborough Echo website and the winning entry will be judged on creativity, artistic skill and community spirit. Closes 1 June 2012.
School age kids can design a Jubilee Party poster and win a £50 book token - read more at the Radiowaves site. I can't find any Terms and Conditions so not sure exactly what the age restrictions are! Enter by 1 June 2012.
Rewrite the first verse of the National Anthem using the word wine and you could win some 'patriotic goodies' from WineGifts4U on Facebook by 1 June 2012.
Upload a photo of your kids throwing their most regal pose on the Asda website, and you could bag £500 of Asda vouchers. They've even installed 70 thrones in Asda stores if you really want to put the effort in (although the winner is chosen at random!). Closes 3 June 2012.
Are you a jewellery designer? Upload a photo of a piece on the theme 'Best of British' and you could win a £50 Love2Shop voucher. Unfortunately, the most votes wins - but I imagine it will get limited entries so might be worth a go if that's where your talent lies! Read more at the Guild of Jewellery Designers website and enter before 5 June 2012.
Now, I know of at least one regular reader who's a motorbike nut! This is a great prize from London Bikers - a Union Jack helmet worth £640! To enter, email a photo of you, your bike, or something bike-related that shows national pride to jamie@bestbritishbloggers.co.uk - they will be judging on humour, originality and Jubilee-ness! Read more here - closes 5 June 2012.
Have you got a photo taken at a Toby Carvery? Well if you do, you have a GREAT chance of winning one of the 150 commemorative aprons they're giving away on their Facebook page! Upload your photo before 5 June 2012.
Crabbies are offering five winners a chance to get their face on a plate! Simply upload a photo here and add a bit of text and their five favourites will win - you can't upload a photo of anyone who looks under 25 though, so that's me out (ahem). Enter by 6 June 2012.
Tesco are giving away prizes weekly for Summer Street Party recipes. The grand prize is a Pastry & Puddings weekend course at Ashurton Cookery School plus B&B accommodation for Friday and Saturday night at Ashburton Court for two adults, and you can see the weekly prizes here. The prizes are awarded at random - upload your entry here. Final closing date is 6 June 2012.
Here's another Queenie caption comp from the Bentall Centre - win a £250 SWAG voucher! Enter on their Facebook App by 6 June 2012.
365 Electrical are giving away three Limited Edition Belling Centenary Built-in or free standing ovens - to enter, upload a photo of you with your royal-themed food to their Facebook App before 7 June 2012.
Win a cute Wedgwood tea set worth £665 if you happen to be in a London Park Plaza Hotel between 1-8 June 2012. Get someone to take a 'royal' photo of you and post it on their Facebook page or Tweet it to @ParkPlazaHotels. Read the full details here. If the prize is your cup of tea (groan), I definitely think it's worth going out of your way to enter this one - remember though, sometimes photos uploaded from Smartphones aren't set to 'Public' on Facebook so it might be safer to Tweet your entry!
Do you own a pair of Monster Slippers? If so, you could win a 3 course meal for four at Harry Ramsden's! Upload a photo of you wearing a pair of Monster Slippers to their Facebook page and the best will win - on the blog they suggest you could be doing something 'quintessentially British!' - if you're at a Jubilee party I reckon that would be a great photo opp! Enter by 11 June 2012.
Bart Spices want your Jubilee inspired creations! If yours is the best, you could win a baking master class with Edd Kimber (winner of the Great British Bake Off). He will choose his favourite and also award two runners up a hamper of Bart goodies. Upload a recipe and photo at www.bartoffers.com/jubilee before 12 June 2012.
Radley are giving away a fab prize of a stay at the Ritz, with Afternoon Tea and £200 to spend at the Radley store! To enter you need to take a photo of you enjoying a tea party with the Radley at Home range - as you can imagine this one will be VERY low entry (only 4 entries so far, just one of which is eligible to win!) so it might be worth you splashing out on a Jubilee treat! Enter here - closes 17 June 2012.
Upload your photos of the 1977 Silver Jubilee and one winner picked at random will win a year's subscription to Great British Life magazine - enter here by 1 July 2012.
Thomas Pink have an amazing prize up for grabs in their voting competition - BUT it doesn't close until 9 August 2012 so perhaps they'll change their mind and judge it. The T&Cs refer throughout to a prize draw with no reference to voting, but they do state clearly on the App that "entrants must own the copy rights to any images entered in the competition", which should hopefully discourage some cheats. To enter, upload a photo that captures the spirit of British Entertainment to their Facebook App. You can win tickets to A Midsummer Night's Dream in regents Park, a £1000 Thomas Pink gift card, a picnic hamper and limited edition British Entertainment book.
Keep an eye out for competitions in your local newspapers and on local websites too, especially kids ones - entry numbers are usually low! And remember to take lots of photos of your celebrations too, there's bound to be lots of Facebook photo comps that pop up in the week before the big event.
And finally, if you live near LETCHWORTH or BEDWORTH, pop down to Baker Brothers Diamonds - they have a champagne flute full of diamond in store. Guess how many are in there and win a night's stay at Hanbury Manor, plus other prizes.
I'll be adding a linky to this post so that more creative Jubilee comps can be added - feel free to add to it if you'd like to!
