By growing sunflowers on our windowsills, in our homes and in our gardens, we hope to bring the global University of Nottingham community together to have fun and share a sense of achievement.

Now is the ideal time of year to plant sunflower seeds, which can be grown inside on windowsills or outdoors. Watch a quick tutorial.

Share your progress

We’d love to see photos of your sunflowers, from seedlings to towering giants. Share them on social media with the hashtags #RayofSunshine and #WeAreUoN and tag @UniofNottingham on Instagram and Twitter.

You can also share them on the Biodiscovery Institute’s Social Hub Facebook page.

There will be awards for tallest indoor and outdoor sunflowers (judged separately) and for the best photo and best time-lapse video.

To take part, please enter your details by Wednesday 23 April.

If you don’t have any sunflower seeds, you can buy them online. Alternatively, if you have any bird feed, this usually contains sunflower seeds.

This competition is open to staff, students, family and friends across our UK, China and Malaysia campuses.