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Still time to enter the 2010 Institute of Horticulture Young Horticulturist of the Year competition

This year’s Institute of Horticulture Young Horticulturist of the Year competition is well under way with heats taking place across Great Britain and Ireland, but there’s still time for anyone who hasn’t yet entered to take part in one of the heats which will continue throughout February and March.

The competition is open to horticulturists below the age of 30 on July 31 2010 who are studying horticulture or working in the horticulture industry. Entry is free and the winner gets a Percy Thrower travel bursary of £2000 sponsored by the Shropshire Horticultural Society, but there are lots of other prizes to be won at the heats, regional finals and the Grand Final. Together they’re valued at more than £10,000. Past winners have also found it a great boost for their CV and career prospects.

Whilst most of the heats are held at horticultural colleges for student entrants, the Institute is keen to encourage young people working in all sectors the industry to enter. Special open heats are being held for them in each region. Anyone interested in the open heats, or making a late entry to the competition, should contact the IoH office on 01992 707025 or email info@horticulture.org.uk . Entries for the open heats will not be accepted after February 28.

Once all the heats are completed, regional finals will follow in March, and The Grand Final will be held at Kew Gardens (Jodrell Lecture Theatre) on Saturday 15 May. With the world famous gardens as the backdrop, this culmination of the 2010 competition promises to be an event not to be missed. The winner at Kew will be looking to emulate the success of Alex Summers, who won the 2009 Institute of Horticulture Young Horticulturist of the Year and used his bursary for a trip of a lifetime to Borneo to study the native flora of the region.

Sponsors for the 2010 competition, in addition to the Shropshire Horticultural Society, include the recruitment company MorePeople, the R&D levy body the Horticultural Development Company (HDC) and tool company Bulldog Tools.

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