Some other garden contests in the world became well-known before but none of them had bet to convert a urban space in the main protagonist of its contest as Bilbao did. When we first conceived and started this project, we did it with the idea that this would be one more attraction that the city would offer. We were born with a clear future calling, turning this contest into a biennale with the perspective of being an international referent. And, seeing the results, we didn’t seem to do wrong: on the first edition of Bilbao Jardín 2007 there were 132 presented projects, on the second edition, on spring 2009, there were 138. Also consultations from several and different parts of the world, the acceptation of some celebrities of the culture and the architecture to the invitation to create, out of the running, its own garden… The final result has another great value: Bilbao citizens are delighted with this contest as it has become part of the cultural life of the city. BilbaoJardín is articulated around the exposed rules and with a common goal with its previous editions: the 20 projects that are going to be selected and exhibited may help us to rediscover, yet more if possible, our city. One more time the winner will be invited to create a new garden in the city or to reform one previously existing. That is the offer that BilbaoJardín wants to accomplish in 2011.
