Britain’s Fittest Farmer 2026 opens for entries
© Telling Photography Britain’s Fittest Farmer is back for 2026 and has opened for entries.
Qualifying heats are scheduled for June at the Lincolnshire Show and the Cereals event (being held this year at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm), highlighting the growing focus on physical and mental health in agriculture.
Launched by Farmers Weekly in 2018, Britain’s Fittest Farmer is an annual initiative created to encourage conversations about physical fitness and mental resilience across the farming industry.
See also: Britain’s Fittest Farmer 2025: Winners revealed
The competition combines demanding physical challenges with an assessment of competitors’ ability to act as ambassadors for health and wellbeing in the agricultural sector.
At a time when many in the industry are experiencing sustained pressure, looking after mental health and supporting others who may be feeling the strain is increasingly important.
The initiative is designed to get farmers thinking and talking about both their physical and mental wellbeing, ensuring they are in the best possible condition to run their farm businesses effectively.
As farming practices have become more mechanised and office-based, the physical demands of everyday work have changed.
With fewer manual tasks and more time spent operating machinery or managing administration, it has become more important for farmers to make a conscious effort to maintain regular exercise in order to stay fit and healthy.
Farming can also be an isolating profession.
Maintaining good mental health is essential not only for personal wellbeing but also for sustaining resilient, productive businesses.
The four-stage competition begins with an online application and culminates in a final physical test.
Throughout the process, entrants are assessed not only on athletic performance but also on their awareness of mental health issues and their suitability to represent positive wellbeing within the industry.
Head judge
Will Arden © Nathan Stirk
Will Arden, a Lincolnshire arable farmer and owner of the Farmyard Gym, won the men’s under-40s category in 2024.
A regular competitor, 2024 was Will’s fifth year entering the competition and his first victory. He returned in 2025 as head judge and is serving in the same role again this year.
For Will, maintaining fitness is both practical preparation for farm work and a means of strengthening mental resilience.
Training provides an opportunity to switch off from the pressures and unpredictability of agriculture, enabling him to return to work better equipped to face challenges.
He exercises five to six times a week while managing the Farmyard Gym.
Applications for the 2026 competition are now open.
How the competition works
Round one: Online application
There are four categories: men under 40, women under 40, men over 40 and women over 40.
The aim is to crown individuals who can demonstrate that they are strong ambassadors for health and wellbeing in farming.
Applicants are required to submit a photograph or short video of themselves taking part in a fitness activity, explain how they maintain their mental and physical fitness, and outline their connection to agriculture.
All submissions are reviewed before selected entrants are invited to progress to the next stage.
Round two: Qualifying heats
Qualifying events will take place in June at the Lincolnshire Show and at Cereals.
Competitors who meet the judging criteria will take part in a series of physical challenges designed to test speed, strength and stamina.
From these heats, 10 men and 10 women under 40, and up to 10 men and 10 women over 40, will progress to the final stages.
Participants will receive a show ticket for themselves and one guest at their chosen qualifier event.
Round three: Interviews
Finalists will be interviewed by a judge from Farmers Weekly and a representative from the competition’s charity partner, the Farming Community Network.
The panel will assess each competitor’s understanding of mental health and their suitability to serve as an ambassador for wellbeing within the agricultural sector.
Round four: The final
The remaining finalists will face a physical assault course designed to test speed, power and endurance.
Points accumulated from each stage are combined with interview scores to determine the winners.
One man and one woman under 40, and one man and one woman over 40, will be named Britain’s Fittest Farmers 2026, continuing the initiative’s focus on promoting fitness and mental resilience throughout the industry.
