Press Centre
2009 Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition gets underway
Over 1500 horticultural students from all parts of Britain and Ireland will be battling it out over the next few months for the coveted crown of Young Horticulturist of the Year. They will be looking to repeat the success of Patrick Wiltshire, who won the 2008 National Final at The Eden Project last May. He is now planning to spend the travel bursary he won travelling North America in search of both native and cultivated American plants.
The 2009 competition promises to be bigger and better than ever with more than £10,000 worth of prizes on offer from a wide variety of sponsors, the competition is set to attract the highest calibre of horticultural students.
The Institute of Horticulture, as the organistion representing all professional horticulturists, sees encouraging the highest standards in those entering the profession as a key part of its role in the industry: "Today's students are tomorrow's nursery managers, chief groundsmen, head gardeners, supermarket fresh produce managers and as a professional institute we want to encourage and reward the most able," said Institute president Dr Heather Barrett-Mold
Sponsors for the 2009 competition include the major sponsor, The Shropshire Horticultural Society, who through the Percy Thrower Trust provide the £2,000 Travel Bursary, much sought after by competing students. The Institute also welcomes the support of the Horticultural Development Company (HDC) which is providing £1,000 worth of prize money for the National Final and MorePeople, who provide sponsorship for the scores of heats run as the first stage of the competition in colleges and other institutions and organisations. Bord Bia, the Irish food board, is a major sponsor of the Irish heats of the competition.
The 2009 National Final will be held at the National Botanical Gardens of Wales, near Carmarthen on May 9th 2009. Visit the website at www.gardenofwales.org.uk for details of the gardens and their location.
The competition is open to any horticulturist who is below the age of 30 on July 31st in the year of the competition. The competition is run in three phases: local heats, available this year on-line for those not able to get to local and regional colleges, Regional Finals and National Final.
Local heats are based on multiple choice questions on a wide range of horticultural topics, through an MS PowerPoint presentation and on-line. The heats are organised by eight IOH Regional YHoY Organisers and take place at colleges, garden centres and anywhere else where competitors may gather. These will be getting underway from early January 2009 onwards. For contact details of the Organising Committee and Regional Organisers, contact Graham Porter (07711704152).
Heat winners go forward to one of eight local Branch Finals, usually run in February and March, in which a Question Master asks a wide range of horticultural questions, some on a buzzer, some directed to individual contestants.
The winner of each Branch Final then goes forward to the YHoY National Final, usually run in late April or early May. The format is the same as for the Branch Finals and the questions are drawn from all branches of horticulture.
The overall winner collects the Percy Thrower Travel Bursary, worth £2,000, provided by the Shropshire Horticultural Society. This funds a horticultural tour anywhere in the world. Previous YHoY winners have visited New Zealand, the Himalayas, the United States, South America and various parts of Europe. There are plenty of prizes at Branch Final and local heat level as well. The value of prizes in the 2008 competition topped £10,000, thanks to the generosity of a wide range of sponsors.
The Institute of Horticulture is interested to hear from companies who would be willing to offer financial or other sponsorship at all levels of the competition for 2009. In the first instance, please contact the IoH Administration Manager on tel: 01992 707025 or email: info@horticulture.org.uk.