© Tineke Dijkstra
On March 19th 2026, the yearly edition of the “Nationaal Kampioenschap Tegelwippen” competition in the Netherlands kicked off. Every year, this national championship, literally translated as flipping tiles, aims to encourage citizens and municipalities in the Netherlands to flip as many tiles as possible out of their gardens and public spaces, to greenify neighbourhoods and increase all associated benefits.
Running annually from spring through autumn, the the “Nationaal Kampioenschap Tegelwippen” competition mobilises citizens and municipalities to remove concrete paving slabs from gardens, streets, and other urban public areas, replacing them with vegetation such as grass, flowers, trees, and façade gardens. In this piece, we take a closer look at how the competition works and what it can teach us about getting citizens involved in improving soil health, particularly when it comes to engaging wider society as a key stakeholder group within PHISHES.
A closer look to the competition
The National Championship Flipping Tiles started in 2020 as a competition between two cities, but has since grown into a truly National Championship, with hundreds of municipalities participating every year. The campaign is organised by the creative office of Frank Lee, in cooperation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. An essential element of the campaign is the competition aspect.
Every tile removed is registered online, contributing a collective score for the municipality. They compete against each other for the price for most tiles overall, as well as the highest number of tiles per capita, and individuals can win monthly rewards for most beautifully greenified spaces. On their website the amount of tiles flipped is carefully managed and counted, and citizens can keep track of their municipalities’ standing, as well as get tips and tricks on how to best greenify their spaces, what kind of native species might be interesting to plant, and more. The tile flipping has obvious immediate benefits for local communities and residents. The Netherlands is a densely urbanised country: in some cities up to 70% of the soil is sealed[1].
The country is only increasingly experiencing heat stress and higher rainfall and flooding due to climate change impact. The simple act of removing a few tiles increases impermeable surfaces immediately thereby improving water filtration, easing pressure on drainage systems, and lowering temperatures in cities. In the long term, it improves spaces for urban biodiversity for insects and other species, improving air quality, as well as improving physical and mental wellbeing of citizens. Researchers found that in only 108m2 of front gardens in the Netherlands, an impressive 235 different plant species and 154 insect species were identified. Year after year, the competition participation has grown exponentially. Millions of tiles are now removed yearly, and especially in the closing days of the competition, communities put another foot forward to try and win.
The competition is a good example of successful citizen engagement with local soil health. It combines bottom up action of individuals, with some top-down support as the municipalities provide tile collection to support the action. By introducing gamification in sustainability initiatives, it motivates participation in a diverse group of citizens across the country.
What the competition can teach us
Naturally, the environmental success of this activity needs to be understood in light of current sealing rates but for projects such as PHISHES, which also aim to engage the stakeholder group of ‘wider society’ in soil health, the NK Tegelwippen offers several key lessons.
First, it shows the power of simplicity: asking citizens to take a tangible, local action lowers barriers to participation. Second, it highlights the effectiveness of framing environmental action as both fun and meaningful, rather than purely technical or regulatory. Lowering these barriers is something PHISHES should also consider in the building of its PDP, so that it may be used by local citizen scientists or communal garden associations across the EU for example. Third, it demonstrates how visible results, such as a transformed garden, can reinforce behavioural change and sustain engagement over time. Rather than the amount of tiles flipped reducing yearly, citizens and municipalities keep finding new places to greenify and transform even after 6 years of participation. Ultimately, the success of the Dutch tile-flipping competition illustrates how citizen participation can be scaled through creative design, institutional support, and clear environmental benefits.
By connecting individual actions to a municipality competition, it provides a compelling model for mobilising wider society in addressing challenges such as soil degradation and climate resilience. In just a few days since the opening of this year’s competition, 56.537 tiles have already been removed, and it will be exciting to see if a new record can be, once again, set this year.
[1] NOS, “Nederland heeft 82 voetbalvelden aan groen erbij na NK Tegelwippen,” (published 15 November 2023).