The Portuguese project "Refúgio Vivo" (Living Refuge), by landscape architect Maria João Martins, won first place in the International Garden Festival, with 20.50% of visitor votes. The garden reinterprets refuge as a state of presence and balance.
Second place went to "Espacio Onírico" (Oneiric Space) from Colombia, designed by architect Julián Mauricio Castañeda Torres, securing 12.58% of the vote. Third place was awarded to "Fragments of Dreams" from Austria, a project by students from BOKU University – Vienna, with 12.14%.
In the 11th School Gardens Festival, the visitors' favorite garden was "O Sonho dos Abelhásticos" (The Dream of the Bee-tastics), by class P4C of Escola Básica de Ponte de Lima, with 19.09% of the votes. The project focuses on biodiversity and the role of bees in pollination.
"O Sonhário" (The Dreamer), by class F2B of Escola Básica da Feitosa, came in second with 13.33% of the vote, representing a collective project based on each child's individual dreams. Third place, with 10.77%, went to "Jardim dos Doces: Plantar, Colher e Saborear" (Sweet Garden: Plant, Harvest, and Taste), by class G2A of Escola Básica da Gandra, a sensory garden dedicated to growing food.
The winning gardens from both editions will be featured in the next iteration of the festivals.
