The Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition

Regionals for the 2026 competition are now complete, good luck to this year’s Grand Finalists. 

 The Young Horticulturist of the Year competition is a fantastic opportunity to test your knowledge and get the opportunity to meet with fellow horticulturists from all over the UK and Ireland.

The competition is free to enter and open to anyone working or studying in horticulture, anywhere in the UK or Ireland, who will be below the age of 30 on 31st July in the year of entering.

The competition is run across 3 stages. The first of these is online, opening the 1^st February each year, and running for 4 weeks. After this, 8 in-person Regional Finals are held across the UK and Ireland, with the winner from each getting an expenses paid trip to the Grand Final, held at a prestige venue in one of the 8 institute regions.

With a prize fund of £10,000, there are opportunities to win prizes at the Regional Final, and there are cash and other prizes for every finalist at the Grand Final.

The overall winner of the competition wins the £2,500 Percy Thrower Travel Bursary to fund horticultural related travel anywhere in the world!

If you wish to enter the competition but have accessibility requirements, please email yhoy@horticulture.org.uk before entering Round 1, and one of our YHOY Team will contact you directly to discuss reasonable adjustments.

Find out more about the competition

Regional Final Dates:

YHOY Grand Final 2026

Meet this year’s Grand Finalists

Eastern – Rhys Green

Representing the Eastern district, Rhys Green is a first-year horticultural student at Writtle with 5 years of industry experience.

Rhys has a special interest in studying pests and diseases as this is the career choice he would like to go into when he graduates.

West Midlands & South Wales – Sam Finch

Introducing the West Midlands & South Wales representative for this year’s Young Horticulturist of the Year competition Grand Final – Sam Finch.

Sam is a passionate horticulturist with over a decade of experience in the industry. He began his career as a jobbing gardener, working alongside a wide range of horticulturalists and developing a strong practical foundation.

Having recently taken on the role of Head Gardener at Allt y Bela, Sam is focused on driving the garden forward and developing it as a vibrant hub for horticultural networking, learning, and engagement.

Northern – Lauren Moore

Lauren Moore is the Northern Finalist at this year’s Young Horticulturist of the Year competition Grand Final. Lauren is currently working as a horticulture tutor at Askham Bryan College where she supports and inspires the next generation of horticulturists.

“I trained with the Royal Horticultural Society for over three years, gaining broad experience across diverse garden areas before specialising in alpine and streamside plants, with a particular interest in their cultivation and conservation.

I am passionate about sharing knowledge, encouraging others to pursue careers in horticulture and supporting the future of the industry through education, engagement and plant advocacy.”

North West & North Wales – Ruby Goodwin

Representing the North West and North Wales, Ruby Goodwin is studying horticulture at Myerscough College. She is currently on a college work placement with Levens Hall garden, having previously volunteered at the National Trust’s Sizergh Castle, spending time learning about their national collection of ferns and helping to grow plants for the kitchen garden.

Ruby has an interest in plant biodiversity and hopes to work in conservation horticulture or with plant collections in the future. She particularly enjoys learning about how plants have adapted to their differing environments and their place in the local ecosystem.

South East – Adam Lilley

Adam Lilley is the South East region finalist at this year’s Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition Grand Final. Adam is currently studying for his second year of the Wisley diploma.

Adam’s main interests in horticulture are Perennial vegetables, Agroforestry, and ecological gardening.

Ireland – Chélirs Brecq

Introducing the Ireland representative for this year’s Young Horticulturist of the Year competition Grand Final – Chélirs Brecq.

Chélirs is currently completing a Bachelors of Science in Horticulture with South East Technological University at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin. He has been studying horticulture for the past four years but his passion for all things garden-related stretches back to his early teens with a particular interest in organic market gardening, landscaping, and garden design.

Chélirs has worked in a couple of different horticultural settings, including work in Ballynahinch Castle, and a 3-month period working in Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This summer he is going to complete a 4 week-long programme working in Claude Monet’s Garden in Giverny, in France.

“I would like to travel more to further my knowledge and gain experience working in the horticultural sector in other countries. My dream is to one day run my own organic market gardening business. There is so much in horticulture that I find it really hard to pin my interests down to one or two things, but I find it comforting to know that there will always be something new to learn or discover in the world of horticulture!”

South West – Oscar Mercer

Representing the South West region for this year’s Young Horticulturist of the Year competition Grand Final is Oscar Mercer. Following an apprenticeship with his local council, Oscar has recently moved into a role working on a private estate in order to both further develop his knowledge and skills as well as gain new ones, all within a prestigious setting.

“My aims further down the line are to progress into leadership roles ultimately being a head gardener either for a private estate or renowned garden. My intentions for entering YHOY was to gauge where my knowledge currently stands, so i am both surprised and pleased to have made it up to this point.

I’m looking forward to using this opportunity to meet with other young individuals with a keen interest in horticulture, collaborating and consolidating our different knowledge and experiences to better ourselves.”

Scotland – Frank Cooke

Frank Cooke is Scotland’s representative for this year’s YHoY Grand Final. He is a 2^ND year Horticulture (Plantsmanship) student at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Scotland’s Rural College.

Frank has a strong interest in plant diversity, ecology, and evolutionary biology in tropical regions. His passion for plants began at a young age, growing fruit and vegetables at home, and quickly developed into an interest in unusual species such as carnivorous plants and carrion-mimicking succulents.

Through his undergraduate studies, Frank has developed skills in plant identification, collection management, and the relationship between horticulture and taxonomy, with a particular interest in the role of ex-situ collections in research and conservation. He looks forward to continuing to build his knowledge through opportunities such as the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition and competing in the grand final.

Please note, the Grand Final is by invitation only. Should you wish to attend, please contact the Secretariat by Friday 24th April 2026 to check for available spaces. Please note, we aim to record this year’s final and make the recording available after the event.