The winners of the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) competition were recently revealed with a number of stunning submissions.
The competition was started in 2007 and specializes in garden, plant and botanical photography. Both professional and amateur photographers are encouraged to enter from around the world and the competition receives up to 20,000 individual entries annually.
It is supported by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. The winners are announced at the opening of the launch exhibition at RBG Kew in February. Entries for the next competition are accepted later that month and the main competition closes on Oct. 31st every year.
There are nine regular categories: The Beauty of Plants, Beautiful Gardens, Wildflower Landscapes, Wildlife in the Garden, Greening the City, Bountiful Earth, Breathing Space, Abstract Views, Plants & Planet and Trees, Woods and Forests.
The Plants & Planet category is new for IGPOTY 13.
“By running this category, IGPOTY entrants helped to plant 78 new trees via WeForest in the Brazil project, which focuses on reconnecting remaining patches of the Atlantic forest through forest corridors so that wildlife can continue to reproduce and thrive,” says Tyrone McGlinchey, head judge for IGPOTY.
A submission to ‘Plants & Planet’ also ended up being the overall winner for Competition 13.
‘The Vaia Storm’ taken by Albert Ceolan, captured the aftermath of the storm Vaia caused in Italian forests. The wind knocked down about eight million cubic meters of wood.
“Albert has documented a scene which is simultaneously shocking as it is well composed,” McGlinchey says. “The photo cleverly shows both the destruction and the remaining trees symbolizing hope. IGPOTY introduced the new category ‘Plants & Planet’ for this very reason to stimulate discussion and arouse awareness of changing global weather and our current climate emergency.”
Below are the first-place winners for the main categories. Click here to view more of the notable submissions for Competition 13.
The overall winner of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition and first place winner of the Plants & Planet category. It was taken at The Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy. Image by Albert Ceolan. Go to www.igpoty.com for more information about International Garden Photographer of the Year.
This picture won first place for the Beautiful Gardens category and was taken at New Forest Lavender Farm in Wiltshire, England. Image by Jacky Parker. Go to www.igpoty.com for more information about International Garden Photographer of the Year.
This picture won first place for the Greening the City category and was taken in Seattle, Washington. Image by Brandon Yoshizawa. Go to www.igpoty.com for more information about International Garden Photographer of the Year.
This picture won first place for the Wildflower Landscapes category and was taken at Napahai Wetland Nature Reserve in Yunnan, China. Image by Zhigang Li. Go to www.igpoty.com for more information about International Garden Photographer of the Year.
This picture won first place for the Beauty of Plants category and was taken at New Forest Lavender Farm in Wiltshire, England. Image by Jacky Parker. Go to www.igpoty.com for more information about International Garden Photographer of the Year.
This picture won first place for the Breathing Spaces category and was taken at North Cascades National Park in Washington. Image by Thorsten Scheuermann. Go to www.igpoty.com for more information about International Garden Photographer of the Year.
This picture of pollen-covered sweat bee won first place for the Wildlife in the Garden category and was taken at Brookside Gardens in Maryland. Image by Jim Turner. Go to www.igpoty.com for more information about International Garden Photographer of the Year.
This picture won first place for the Trees, Woods & Forests category and was taken in Louisiana. Image by Thorsten Scheuermann. Go to www.igpoty.com for more information about International Garden Photographer of the Year.
This picture won first place for the Abstract Views category and was taken at the Scarborough Art Gallery in North Yorkshire, England. Image by Maggie Lambert. Go to www.igpoty.com for more information about International Garden Photographer of the Year.
