A grown man, 100 tins of baked beans or three ceramic frogs... How much weight can a waterlily take?

Picture a beautiful sight of a small frog or dragonfly sitting on a waterlily pad on a tranquil pond.

Now replace that with more than 100 cans of baked beans... well, the annual Waterlily Weigh-Off is perhaps the only time you will see a sight like that!

The quirky competition was created by the Denver Botanic Gardens in the US, who challenged other public gardens and zoos around the world to see how much weight their waterlilies could bear.

The exotic plants have a special structure on the underside of their leaves which creates a very rigid surface and even have air pockets to help them remain on top of the water.

Remember, never try to stand on a waterlily. These are plant experts doing a controlled experiment with safety precautions in place. Always be careful around water at home or when you are out and about.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London have submitted their impressive entry this year, with one of their Victoria waterlily's managing to hold the weight of one of their own staff.

Another managed to hold 81 kilograms of tinned baked beans - that's about 100 cans worth!

Martin Silnevs, one of the Gardens' botanical horticulturists, said he was amazed by the strength of the plant and that stepping onto the pad "felt so surreal".

"It was a real leap of faith!" he added.

The two-meter-wide waterlily pad managed to bear his weight, including his hefty wading outfit, which meant he weighed 102 kilograms in total.

"The experience made me appreciate the ingenuity, resilience and beauty of nature even more.

"Fun exercises like the Waterlily Weigh-Off just go to prove that nature has a way of defying our expectations and reminding us just how extraordinary the world around us truly is."

Many gardens around the world have enjoyed getting creative with the weigh-off, submitting cheeky parody entries.

In 2025, the Cleveland Botanical Garden in Ohio claimed their lily pad managed to hold over "400,000 lb" held up by a tiny Playmobil botanist character.

Meanwhile the Conservatory of Flowers in California managed a group of ceramic frogs having a tea party on their waterlily - and what a lovely time they looked like they had!

We will find out who wins when the contest closes for entries on the 28 August.

It is hotting up to be an exciting competition as an anticipated 72 entries representing eight countries will take part.

And it's not just about the heaviest lilies, there will also be a special "feather weight" champion for the little ones!