May 2000
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#SpokesComp 2026:

Spokes @ 50 / Spokes & Me

In 2027 Spokes will be 50 years old! For our 2026 summer competition, we’d like to hear any way in which you have benefitted from Spokes being around – recently, ages ago, or through the years.

Maybe you just enjoy cycling, bought one of our super maps and used it to devise your commuter route, or for a weekend bike ride. Or maybe you are a dedicated campaigner who has been involved in loads of Spokes activities at some point in the past – or now. Whatever your connection, Spokes member or not, if you are reading this, we’d love you to enter!

In judging the competition, we are wanting to know how Spokes being around made your life that bit better, gave you enjoyment, opportunity, personal satisfaction, health improvement or whatever. It’s not about how much you have done for Spokes (if anything). And you definitely don’t have to be a Spokes member to enter – it won’t affect the judging.

Our top prize might go to a really great entry about a ride you planned using a spokes map. Or, it might go to someone reminiscing about the satisfaction or confidence they gained, and the memories they have, from a particular Spokes campaign years ago, or through a long period of involvement. Or, anything in between or outside!

Of course, there will be our usual amazing collection of prizes (see below) – and prizewinners get to choose, with top prizewinner getting first choice, and so on.

Hopefully, too, some of the entries will help in our 2027 birthday preparations.

To jog your memory, here are just a very few things Spokes has done over the years since 1977. You can find loads more on our website history page and, more recently, our blog.

  • Spokes maps – with well over 150,000 sold, just imagine all those people, all those bike trips – probably including you!
  • Bike routes – in 1977 there were none, either onroad or offroad; can you believe it? Our first major campaign (which took over 5 years) was to get the Meadows north-south bike route. Resulting in maybe tens of millions of bike trips? – probably including you!
  • Competitions – people love our annual summer competition, which are open to all, not just members. A thousand or so have entered over the years, discovering new things about cycling and about themselves, and maybe enjoying a great prize too – were you one of them?
  • CargoBikes – Spokes is proud to have helped many small businesses, voluntary groups, and some families, to get a cargo bike, since we launched our scheme in 2018 – all thanks to the generous donations of our members. – were you involved?
  • Spokes Stalls are great fun and a good way to spread info and ideas. Maybe you’ve picked up a map there? – or been a helper, chatting to the punters – this could make a good story!

PRIZES – Note that this is the 2025 prizelist. The new 2026 list, with a few differences, will be published soon

Top prizewinner gets first choice of prizes, and so on till all prizes allocated. Runner-up entries which don’t win a prize will get to choose a free Spokes map or buff

RULES

  • The competition is open to all, but members of Spokes Resources Group can’t win prizes
  • The competition closes on 6 September – entries will be judged soon after
  • Each person can submit either 1 or 2 entries
  • Your entry should hopefully inspire people to use a bike or to use it more often – but most important is to say why it’s been important to you that Spokes has been around
  • Pictures often help an entry, and you can include up to 4 photos and/or a sketch. Please if possible reduce any photos to around 1MB or less. If a location is identifiable it must be in Edinburgh or Lothian
  • Paper entries by post rather than email are ok, but we will not return them
  • So that we can easily compare entries, you must complete all the questions below, and judging will be on the basis of that
  • Spokes may use some or all entries on our website, in our Bulletin, in other publications or in other ways, including for our 50th birthday celebrations. We would of course credit your name, unless you ask us not to. By entering the competition you give Spokes permission to use your entry material in our ongoing campaigning and promotional work in these or other ways.
Meadows cycleway opening, 1983

HOW TO ENTER

Copy and paste the details and questions below into a document or email, then enter your answers.

Send your completed email or document (and, optionally, photos and/or sketch) to competition@spokes.org.uk. For paper entries, post to our office address: Spokes, St Martins Centre, 232 Dalry Road, Edinburgh EH11 2JG.

0. Your details

  • Your Name
  • Address
  • Postcode
  • Email
  • Phone number
  • Are you a Spokes member? Yes / No [but entry is open to all, and this will not affect judging]

1. A name for your entry (5 words or less if possible)

2. If you are not a member, what is your connection to Spokes? – for example / used a Spokes map / used a bike route you think Spokes helped obtain / follow Spokes on Bluesky or FB / seen press publicity / picked up a Spokes Bulletin / or whatever…

….

3. If you are enclosing pictures/ photos, what are they about?

…

4. Your story – how has Spokes being around made your life that bit better? (or a lot better!) … Can be just a sentence, or up to around 500 words. Note that this question is important in the judging

…

Thanks for entering!! Now, please…

  • encourage your friends to enter – give them the link to this post
  • repost our bluesky tweet about the comp
  • like our facebook entry about the comp
  • print copies of our downloadable competition info sheet and hand them out at events, give them to friends, take them to shops, libraries, etc
  • check out our amazing previous competitions here
May 29th, 2000 | Tags: , | Category: Spokes

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