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FOR UK POTTERS!
- Here you will find all the information about the UK National Bonsai Ceramics Contest - including how to enter. 7th Expo Bonsai UK Sponsored by UKBA
Sun, 12th Apr 2026 at the: K2 Leisure Centre, Pease Pottage Hill, Crawley, West Sussex. RH11 9BQ The U.K.'s annual bonsai ceramics contest and display (UKBCC), is organised by the EBPC and hosted at the ExpoBonsai UK Exhibition. In conjunction with U.K. Bonsai Association.
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CONTENTS
1 - ABOUT THE UKBCC
This prestigious annual exhibition celebrates and nurtures the talent of our cherished U.K. bonsai potters and provides a platform to display their latest designs and greatest works, to be enjoyed and appreciated by the broader bonsai community.
Join us and be part of the largest and most prestigious bonsai pottery exhibition in the U.K.
Join us and be part of the largest and most prestigious bonsai pottery exhibition in the U.K.
2 - SCHEDULE
Find out when: * event details will be announced * registration opens and closes * pots must be at the event by * successful participants will be notified * judging will occur * winners will be announced * and more.
3 - CATEGORIES
As you cannot compare apples and oranges! Pots will be assessed in categories. Find out which here.
4 - HOW TO REGISTER
Details on when, where & how to register for submission.
5 - WHAT TO SUBMIT
Information on the space available for each display, and what is and isn't accepted in an exhibit.
6 - JUDGING & CRITERIA
Explains the judging stages, process and timings.
7 - RULES
Explains the terms and conditions of the event.
8 - CONTACT
Contact details for the EVENT ORGANISERS.
Please see each section below for details.
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A new annual exhibition to celebrate U.K. bonsai pottery and to showcase the latest designs and greatest works, to be enjoyed and appreciated by the broader bonsai community.
U.K. bonsai pottery is recognised as some of the greatest outside of Asia - admired by enthusiasts and collectors from the Americas and throughout Europe and Australia.
The aim of this prestigious annual exhibition is to nurture that talent and give our cherished UK potters a platform to exhibit their latest designs and finest works to the world. To educate enthusiasts and to cultivate the ever-increasing popularity of UK bonsai and its ceramics.
If you are a potter – either amateur or professional, your participation will help support and promote UK bonsai pottery. This is not about prizes, but about the passion of European bonsai ceramics, both traditional and those that push the boundaries.
Andrew Pearson, Stone Monkey Ceramics. (1968 - 2024) Trophy 2025 Honorary Display
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THE RUN-UP.
Event Announced 1st May 2025
Registration opens 4th November 2025
Registration closes 30th January 2026
Participants notified 15th February 2026
EXHIBITION TIME!
Display set up 11th April 2026 14.00 -17.00
Latest pots to arrive at venue 12th April 2026 08.30
Exhibition open to the public 12th April 2026 10.00
Final Judging 12th April 2026 12.00
Winners announced 12th April 2026 14.30
Earliest pots may be removed 12th April 2026 16.00
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When judging between a painted porcelain pot and an unglazed stoneware pot, it is impossible to fairly compare either the technical proficiency or aesthetic attributes, therefore the judging of the pot display will be in categories.
This year there are just 2 categories – ‘Glaze’ and ‘Unglazed’. The theme is very open; however, the 2 categories mean painted pots are not included this year.
This year there are just 2 categories – ‘Glaze’ and ‘Unglazed’. The theme is very open; however, the 2 categories mean painted pots are not included this year.
GLAZED
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Pots that have a glazed finish covering 30% or more of the body of the pot will be included and judged in this category. This does not include oxide finishes. |
UNGLAZED
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Pots that are mostly unglazed, with very minor decoration, or very limited glaze (e.g. natural ash from wood firing) will be judged in this category. |
Please ensure all of the pots in your exhibit fall into one of these two categories:
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Thank you for entering the U.K. BONSAI CERAMICS CONTEST
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Bonsai related ceramics
Handmade ceramics relating to the following may be submitted:
All display elements must have been made and/or decorated by yourself.
All entries must have been made within the past 24 months. Each entry must only contain ceramics from ONE ‘category’ - Unglazed or Glazed.
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Accents & additions
The contest focuses on your bonsai ceramics, and the ceramic skills displayed– and does not focus on display. Displays may consist only of ceramics.
Display furniture is not required, but may be used if within the available space.
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Sizes
The MAXIMUM space available per multi-piece display is 70cm.
If small, a maximum of 7 pieces may be included. The MAXIMUM individual pot/ceramic size is 60cm. |
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6. JUDGING & CRITERIA
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JUDGES
The judges for the
2026 UK BONSAI CERAMICS CONTEST will be:
2026 UK BONSAI CERAMICS CONTEST will be:
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Peter Warren - Saruyama Bonsai .Tom Armstrong - Pot Collector . Alex Rudd - EBPC . |
We thank the judges for assisting us with their knowledge and expertise.
CRITERIA
The judges will assess the ceramics in each display based on the following criteria:
- WOW FACTOR
Kairagi yu glazed shohin pot by EBPC member Roy Minarai, USA
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How captivating, attractive and impressive the pottery looks to a novice or expert. How long do people want to view and admire this pot? |
- TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY
Winner - Trophy 2024 Contest, by Patrik Lüthi - Fukurou, Switzerland.
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How difficult to make, and how well made the ceramics are. With this criteria, ceramics that involve more advanced, or harder techniques will be scored higher - if of course, they are well implemented. The quality of the pot form, details and finish will be assessed here. |
- FUNCTIONALITY
Buckwheat glazed rectangle by Bryan Albright, U.K.
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How suitable are the ceramics for their bonsai related use?
As bonsai pots are both a piece of ceramic art, and also a functional item, in addition to how attractive and how well made the ceramics are, judges will also assess how suitable they are for use with bonsai. If a entry is beautiful and well made, but completely unsuitable for its purpose as a container for bonsai (or kusamono, suiseki etc), it will not score well in this section. |
7. RULES
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ENTRIES
MAIL-IN ENTRIES
ENTRY COSTS
Thank you, it is your participation and support that allow me to organise this event.
By applying, applicants agree to participate and ensure that their entries will be delivered to the event on time if accepted. Only those pieces selected through the initial selection stage will be included in the exhibit, and substitutions are not permitted. We encourage all applicants to carefully consider their ability to deliver their entries before submitting.
By participating, you agree to the above terms and allow the organisers and visitors of the event to photograph their work while on display for personal, educational and publicity purposes. Images and information of displayed works will be retained by BAB and the EBPC for promotional purposes, catalogue and book production, posting on the EBPC website and sharing with media related publications.
- Entry is open to all ceramic artists, 18 years and older, who are residents of the U.K.
- Residents outside of the U.K. are not eligible to enter.
- All entries must have been made and/or decorated by yourself within the past 24 months.
- Displays may consist only of your ceramic entry.
- No accents of any kind, companion plants or stones.
- Each entry may only contain pots from one of the ‘categories’
- ‘Mixed category’ entries will be dismissed.
- Participants may submit multiple submissions.
- By submitting an entry, participants agree to abide by the schedule as laid out above.
- Pots may not be removed from the display until 16.00 on the day of the exhibition
MAIL-IN ENTRIES
- All entries must be physically delivered to the event by the times stated in ‘Schedule’.
- If you are unable to attend, consider asking a trusted friend to bring your entry.
- There will be no shipping or delivery service provided.
- If you are unable to attend, consider asking a trusted friend to bring your entry.
ENTRY COSTS
- There is no charge for either registering a submission for the pot exhibition or displaying.
- The event organisation takes considerable time and work however, so if you would like to support this, a small donation of £20 would be greatly appreciated and can be made here.
Thank you, it is your participation and support that allow me to organise this event.
By applying, applicants agree to participate and ensure that their entries will be delivered to the event on time if accepted. Only those pieces selected through the initial selection stage will be included in the exhibit, and substitutions are not permitted. We encourage all applicants to carefully consider their ability to deliver their entries before submitting.
By participating, you agree to the above terms and allow the organisers and visitors of the event to photograph their work while on display for personal, educational and publicity purposes. Images and information of displayed works will be retained by BAB and the EBPC for promotional purposes, catalogue and book production, posting on the EBPC website and sharing with media related publications.
Thank you for entering for The U.K. BONSAI CERAMICS CONTEST
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With any queries regarding the pot display, please e-mail: Alex Rudd - EBPC.
Expo UK organisers, Steve, Mark and Mingchen can be contacted through the Expo Bonsai UK Webiste.
- Where you can also find more general information about the exhibition.
UKBA can be contacted through the website here.
- Be sure you are registered as a member for all the latest information in UK bonsai, and more - and it's free!
Expo UK organisers, Steve, Mark and Mingchen can be contacted through the Expo Bonsai UK Webiste.
- Where you can also find more general information about the exhibition.
UKBA can be contacted through the website here.
- Be sure you are registered as a member for all the latest information in UK bonsai, and more - and it's free!
Steve Hale, organiser of Expo Bonsai U.K, along with Mark & Mingchen Moreland.
Thank you
For participating in this exciting display. We look forward to seeing you at Bonsai Expo U.K.!
Alex, European Bonsai Potter Collective.
Organiser of the U.K. BONSAI CERAMICS CONTEST.
Alex, European Bonsai Potter Collective.
Organiser of the U.K. BONSAI CERAMICS CONTEST.
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The U.K. Bonsai Ceramics Contest, is organised by the EBPC and hosted annually at the Expo UK Bonsai Exhibition,
in association with the U.K. Bonsai Association..