The prestigious International Garden Photographer of the Year competition has today revealed the winners of its 16th edition and the resulting images are astounding! The title of Overall Winner has been awarded to Tony North from Manchester, UK, with his image titled Blue Tajinaste.
Each year, the competition aims to celebrate genres surrounding garden, plant, flower, and botanical photography and is run in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London. The competition as a whole attracts thousands of individual entries annually, from photographers across the world.
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Now in its 17th edition, the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) is a world-class competition that has seen some stunning entries from both professional and amateur photographers for over a decade.
Tony North mesmerized the judging panel with his moonlit image captured in La Palma, the Canary Islands, that beautifully blends together nature with what appears to be a fantastic example of astrophotography! Taking the top spot in the Breathing Spaces category, head competition judge, Tyrone McGlinchey, felt that North's image elevated the category to new heights:
"Tony has literally elevated the Breathing Spaces category to new heights, by photographing endemic mountain-top flora with a breathtaking landscape view – well framed to include many points of interest. This photograph excels in highlighting plant life on our planet." Shared McGlinchey.
North himself has expressed, "I am incredibly thrilled and honoured to be chosen as the overall winner of IGPOTY. This is a dream come true for me. I enter a lot of competitions, but IGPOTY is my favourite; I feel a special connection to it."
Aside from being the overall winner, North's photo was also awarded the Threatened Plants Photographic Award in association with the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), making it a pretty big deal and an exciting image for a competition of this nature (pun intended).
"In particular the image you [the judges] chose has a special meaning for me. It took an enormous amount of effort to be in that place at the right time - on top of the caldera in La Palma in the middle of the night last May - and yet more to capture and process the shots" Explains North.
The multiple unique categories comprising this year's competition included the 7IM Abstract Views, Beautiful Gardens, Breathing Spaces, MPB Plants & Planet, The Beauty of Plants, The World of Fungi, Trees, Woods & Forests, Wildflower Landscapes, and Wildlife in the Garden.
There's also a Portfolios category connected to the competition which is run as a stand-alone competition, in association with The Royal Photographic Society (RPS). Congratulations are in order for Barry Webb who won the 'Portfolios' competition with his series of six images titled Slime Mould Biodiversity.
This series is amazing to look at, especially when sequenced together, and displays a whole new side to micro subjects. Webb has been awarded a cash prize and RPS Gold Medal.
The selected winners from each category and high-placing images will be showcased in a flagship touring exhibition beginning at the Kew Gardens, expected to open to the public on February 04, 2023, and will run for one month until March 05, 2023.
There will also be a selection of Captured at Kew winning photos on display taken solely at the Kew Botanical gardens in London.
Stay tuned for details on when the 17th edition of the IGPOTY competition will be open and accepting entries.
• You may also be interested in the best cameras for macro photography, as well as the best trail cameras, and not forgetting the best extension tubes for close-up images.
• Discover How to shoot macro water droplets in your garden, and here are some tips from Pro garden photographer, Andrea Jones.
• While you're at it, take a look at last year's International Garden Photographer of the Year overall winner.
