Competitions & offers

We're supporting International Garden Photographer of the Year with new 'Breathing Spaces' award.

International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) is the most prestigious flower and garden photography competition in the world, attracting over 18,000 entries each year, with and overall prize fund of more than £20,000, and a first prize of £5,000 cash.  

The competition – which is open to all photographers, amateur and professional - culminates in a unique outdoor exhibition of weatherproof fine art prints, within the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. A touring exhibition can also be enjoyed at our properties including Lacock Abbey and Wakehurst Place, as well as other venues throughout the year. In addition, each year an inspirational hard back book is produced, showcasing around 200 of the best images from the competition.

Thousands of photographers from all over the world enter the awards which include a broad range of categories. There is also a prize for the best ‘International Young Garden Photographer of the Year’ (aged 16 years and younger). Categories include:

• The beauty of plants
• Beautiful gardens
• Wildlife Havens
• Bountiful Earth
• Trees, Woods, Forest
• Fragile Landscapes
• Greening the City
• 4 seasons

New award category

For the 2011 competition, we've teamed up with IGPOTY to create a brand new award category – 'Breathing Spaces'

Judges will be looking for photographs which capture the spirit of outdoor places – whether those are gardens or countryside landscapes. The category will be a celebration of the natural world as a place for people to relax, have fun and find inspiration.

In conjunction with IGPOTY, we are welcoming photographers into our gardens and estates – and all images, whether shot within our grounds and properties or anywhere else in the world, are eligible for the competition.

Chris Lacey, our Photographic Manager, said:

'International Garden Photographer of the Year is a great success story and the National Trust is delighted to be working together with the organisers. We are always trying to encourage our visitors to enjoy what our gardens and landscapes can offer and photography can be a huge part of that for most people. I hope that everyone who takes part has a truly inspired experience and I very much look forward to seeing the resulting imagery"

Philip Smith, managing director at IGPOTY said:

'We feel it’s a huge achievement for our competition to be recognised by the National Trust and are proud to be launching the new category together.'

'The opportunity to shoot within National Trust properties as well as other open spaces gives photographers total creative freedom, while being able to shoot in some outstanding locations throughout England and Wales. We really hope this new category will really inspire photographers to be creative about their own ‘Breathing Space’ be that an epic landscape, a formal garden or a roof-top sanctuary in the middle of town.'

IGPOTY is also unique, in that it offers feedback to all photographers who enter the competition. Education and improvement is a key theme throughout the awards and photographers can contact IGPOTY for a personal critique of their entries, with encouragement and tips on how to improve their photography.

Looking for inspiration?

There are also seasonal competitions throughout the year, to get your photographic juices flowing. Just launched is the ‘New Mornings’ competition, so set your alarm early and enjoy a Spring sunrise or early morning dew somewhere glorious with your camera.

For more information about the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition visit www.igpoty.com