Young Horticulturist Competition Underway

Last year over 1,800 young horticulturists from around the UK and Ireland competed for the title

The Young Horticulturist of the Year competition is underway for 2016

Horticulture

23 February 2016

The Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH) launched the 2016 Young Horticulturist of the Year competition (YHoY) in early January and the competition is now well underway. The competition is open to young horticulturists who will be under the age of 30 by July 31 2016. The Irish heat of the competition takes place this Thursday in Ardgillen Castle.

The winner of the competition will receive a £2,500 travel bursary from The Percy Thrower Trust, provided by the Shropshire Horticultural Society, to undertake a trip, anywhere in the world, to study a subject related to their chosen field of horticulture.

With prizes at every stage of the competition, competitors have a number of chances to get cash rewards for their efforts, plus there are lots of opportunities to meet and network with other young horticulturists along the way. The competition is run in three phases: local heats, regional finals and the Grand Final, each with questions covering a wide range of horticultural subjects. Heat winners go forward to one of eight regional finals, and the winner of each regional final progresses to the Grand Final which will be held on 7 May 2016 at the fabulous Glasnevin Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

Andrew Gill C Hort FCIHort, President of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture said “As ever, I am excited about the launch of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture Young Horticulturist of the Year competition which just gets better each year and I am hugely looking forward to the Grand Final in Dublin. Last year over 1,800 young horticulturists from around the UK and Ireland competed for the title. Since the competition started in 1990 an incredible estimated 25,000 people have participated in this prestigious annual competition which attracts more positive coverage for the profession each year.”

The 2015 YHoY winner Jessica Evans, Senior Gardener at National Trust, Tintinhull Gardens in Somerset said “I am delighted to have won the Young Horticulturist of the Year 2015 competition and look forward to using the travel bursary to further my training in horticulture. Having finished second in the competition last year, my over-whelming emotion when the final scores were announced was relief, especially as this was the last year I would be eligible to enter.”