GARDENA garden award 2021: These are the finalists

The spoga+gafa trade fair, the German trade association for DIY, building and gardening (BHB), the trade magazine diy and the living magazine “Schöner Wohnen” are once again partners in this competition. The German Garden Industry Association (IVG) is also represented in the jury of experts.

The series founder and investor Frank Thelen, who became known to a wide audience from the television format “Die Höhle der Löwen”, , Germany’s version of “Dragon’s Den”, complements the jury as a guest. He has a keen sense for successful ideas that have a real chance on the market.

“In the near future, technology will make many areas of our lives more efficient. In the garden, too, new robot and IoT solutions can make our everyday lives easier,” says Frank Thelen.

The role of the garden in "New Tomorrow"

This year, Gadena has called for innovative solutions for the garden that address its role in a "New Tomorrow".

“During the time of the coronavirus pandemic, many people discovered their gardens as a place of activity, creativity and relaxation and created their very own dream gardens. At the same time, our environment has changed due to working from home and mobile – here too the garden can definitely play a role – as a place to be, meet and work. We are curious to see how innovative minds see these new realities as an opportunity,” Gardena’s president Pär Åström explains the motivation of the award sponsor.

Four founding teams have been nominated for the final on September 2nd

The Gardena jury initially selected four candidates as finalists with regard to the degree of innovation and sustainability. The following four founding teams were nominated for the final round (in alphabetical order):

meine ernte (Germany) – Offers ready-planted vegetable gardens for rent throughout Germany. Water, gardening tools & advice are included – for many full harvest baskets. – https://www.meine-ernte.de

Nooka Space (Romania) – The world’s first network of smart proximity office spaces for daring creatives, digital nomads and ambitious entrepreneurs. – https://www.nookaspace.com

Spawnfoam (Portugal) – Spawnfoam is a company for the development of biocomposites, whose main application are totally organic and biodegradable pots and trays for planting. – https://www.spawnfoam.pt

Zwopr (Germany) – The platform promotes a sense of community in groups that naturally seek cohesion and help among themselves, for example GARDENA gardeners. – https://zwopr.com

“In the start-up scene in the gardening industry, a clear shift away from a focus on hardware towards new business models and services can be observed. This development was also evident in the large number of applications submitted. The quality of the applications was also extremely high this year with an international field of participants. We are therefore pleased to be able to present great finalists and are excited about their pitches in the final,” emphasizes Tobias Schlitzke, Business Development Manager at Gardena.

The finalists can now present themselves and their concepts to the jury. After consulting the jury, the placements will be announced immediately and the winner will be chosen.
The award ceremony will take place on Thursday, September 2, 2021, as a digital event. The live broadcast of the final begins at 11:00 a.m CET.


The prize is endowed with a total of 10,000 euros as well as prizes in kind, including a special prize, donated by spoga+gafa trade fair, for the most sustainable idea. In addition, the German Garden Industry Association (IVG) offers the winners the opportunity to present themselves to the specialist audience as part of the IVG Garden Market Forum. The first-placed winner will also be presented in detail in the trade magazine diy.