The best-kept villages in Wiltshire have been named at the culmination of the CPRE Wiltshire Best Kept Village Competition.
On Sunday (September 20) seven winning villages were presented with their prizes.
Rushall, between Pewsey and Devizes, was named the Best Kept Small Village.
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The award for the Best Kept Medium Village was awarded to Easterton, near Devizes, which beat Edington - between Devizes and Westbury - by just one point.
And Alderbury & Whaddon, a single parish of two villages near Salisbury, won the award for Best Kept Large Village - beating rival Holt, near Trowbridge, by a single point.
Great Bedwyn, in the Savernake Forest near Marlborough, won the Best Newcomer Award after entering the competition for the first time.
Judges said the village made a strong impression during its debut year.
There were also prizes for the 'best of the best' villages - the Laurence Kitching Competition - which pitted the winners of the 2024 and 2025 competition against each other.
Villages that win the competition are not allowed to enter the following year.
Prizes went to Swallowcliffe near Salisbury (Small Village), All Cannings near Devizes (Medium Village), and Ashton Keynes near the Gloucestershire border (Large Village).
The 2026 competition coincided with CPRE's centenary year, marking 100 years since the organisation was founded to champion the countryside and rural communities.
Winners' plaques were mounted on specially-designed CPRE 100 stakes.
The prizes were awarded by Cllr Laura Mayes, chair of Wiltshire Council, Dr Alexander Goodwin, high sheriff of Wiltshire, Anne Henshaw, chair of CPRE Wiltshire.
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The annual competition is organised by CPRE Wiltshire (Campaign to Protect Rural England) and celebrates villages that demonstrate community pride, environmental stewardship, good maintenance and attractive public spaces. Villages are judged on factors including:
- Cleanliness and litter management
- Appearance of streets, paths, churchyards and green spaces
- Community involvement
- Biodiversity and environmental improvements
- Overall presentation and care of the village
Wiltshire Council and landscape contractor Idverde sponsored the 2026 event.
The council said the competition was "a celebration of community pride and the work residents do to keep villages attractive and environmentally sustainable."
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