Chartered Institute of Horticulture Young Horticulturist of the Year 2016 competition is up and running!

The Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH) has launched the 2016 Young Horticulturist of the Year competition (YHoY) last December. The competition is run in three phases: Local Heats that run in the Colleges up and down the country in both the UK and Ireland, Regional Finals (with Ireland being one region of the CIH) and the Grand Final where the best young horticulturists of each region battle it out with each other to establish the Young Horticulturist of this year. Heat winners go forward to one of eight regional finals and the winner of each regional final progresses to the Grand Final.

The heats are open to all students of horticulture and young horticultural professionals working in the industry. Young horticulturists have entered the YHoY heats in Ireland and the UK in the last month in ever increasing numbers. In Ireland in excess of 200 students have entered the heats in 8 Colleges from Northern Ireland, the greater Dublin area to Kildalton and Clonakilty in the South.

The next event on the calendar is the Ireland Final which will take place in Ardgillen Castle on Thursday 15th of February. Here the best 8 heat winners will compete with each other and decide who will go on to the Grand Final in May. The event starts with a tour of the gardens at 11.00h followed by a light lunch. The quiz starts at 13.00h and anybody is welcome to attend this exciting event (free of charge).

With prizes at every stage of the competition, competitors have a number of chances to get cash rewards for their efforts, plus there are lots of opportunities to meet and network with other young horticulturists along the way. In Ireland the quiz has been generously sponsored by Bord Bia. The media coverage by Horticulture Connect as a media partner has helped to promote the quiz enormously. This year the Grand Final will be held in Ireland (it rotates between the CIH branches) and will be held in the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin on Saturday May 7th. The Director Matthew Jebb will be the quizmaster and it should be a great show.

The overall winner of the competition at the Grand Final will receive a £2,500 travel bursary from The Percy Thrower Trust, generously provided by the Shropshire Horticultural Society, to undertake a trip, anywhere in the world, to study a subject related to their chosen field of horticulture. Previous winners have visited Borneo, China, New Zealand, South Africa, the Himalayas, the Galapagos Islands, the United States, South America and Europe.

Andrew Gill C Hort FCIHort, President of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture said “As ever, I am excited about the launch of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture Young Horticulturist of the Year competition which just gets better each year and I am hugely looking forward to the Grand Final in Dublin. Last year over 1,800 young horticulturists from around the UK and Ireland competed for the title. Since the competition started in 1990 an incredible estimated 25,000 people have participated in this prestigious annual competition which attracts more positive coverage for the profession each year.

When I see the learning and intelligence of these young horticulturists it strengthens my resolve to ensure that the profession they have committed to attracts the status and respect it deserves from society. Now, fingers on buzzers….!”

The 2015 YHoY winner Jessica Evans, Senior Gardener at National Trust, Tintinhull Gardens in Somerset said “I am delighted to have won the Young Horticulturist of the Year 2015 competition and look forward to using the travel bursary to further my training in horticulture. Having finished second in the competition last year, my over-whelming emotion when the final scores were announced was relief, especially as this was the last year I would be eligible to enter. I would now really like to support the running of the competition, and to encourage others to take part, as it is vitally important to celebrate the quality and knowledge of young horticulturists. I’m not sure yet where the travel bursary will take me, but I will be looking to find best examples of horticultural standards to give myself something to work towards.”

The Institute of Horticulture was established in 1984 with the aim of fostering a close relationship between all sectors of professional horticulture (advisory and research, amenity, commercial and education and training) throughout the UK and Ireland. It is the only professional body representing those who work in all aspects of horticulture. It founded the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition shortly after it was established as a way of encouraging and rewarding excellence among those starting out in a career inhorticulture.

On 21 July 2014 the Institute was granted a Royal Charter by her Majesty the Queen and became the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH), with many new plans and initiatives to enhance its standing and that of its members.

The Chartered Institute of Horticulture is represented on, and works collaboratively with, other horticultural organisations throughout the industry to unite a growing profession.

The Chartered Institute of Horticulture also administers and supports the Grow Careers initiative set up in 2006 by some of the UK's leading horticulture organisations to promote horticulture as a challenging, dynamic, exciting and rewarding career: www.growcareers.infoo

The Chartered Institute of Horticulture has eight branches throughout the UK and Ireland, as well as overseas members. Members are linked to the branch where they live but are encouraged to attend meetings arranged in any other branch area.