all competitions

At the RHS we like to support and encourage great garden photography.

Whether you’re a photography enthusiast, a garden enthusiast or new to both, we’d love you to share your images with us in the RHS Photographic Competition.

Perhaps you would like to share a view of your own garden, a garden you’ve visited or a particular plant that catches your eye. There are also categories for people working in their gardens, the wildlife living in them and the seasons that affect them.

We want to celebrate the wonder and diversity of gardens through photography.

Enter the competition and win £1000

The competition is open to amateur and professional photographers with six categories for adults and two for children and young people. The top adult prize is £1000 and the title of RHS Photographer of the Year, while younger photographers can battle it out for a digital camera and the chance to be named RHS Young Photographer of the Year.

Closing date for receipt of all entries is 31st August 2011

Competition categories

We welcome a range of photography that reflects all aspects of gardens. It is from the categories below that the RHS Photographer of the Year will be chosen:

Plant portraits
Photos that show the plant, tree or shrub as a whole or near whole entity; for example a shot that includes the petals, stem and leaves of a flower giving a sense of the plant and its immediate environment.

Abstracts and details
This could be a close-up of a plant, a detail of a tree or a shadow on a lawn.

Gardens through the seasons
Photos of gardens illustrating the different seasons. This could be a view from a window, a sweeping panorama, one of the RHS gardens or a snow scene.

Wildlife in the garden
Photos of insects, birds and creatures found wild in the garden throughout the year.

Gardeners
Photos of gardeners or of people enjoying a garden.

Grow your own
This category covers fruit and vegetables which have been grown in a garden, allotment or even in a pot on a windowsill, from individual studies to panoramic views.
RHS Young Photographer of the Year

These categories are especially for children and young people aged under 18. It is from these submissions that the RHS Young Photographer of the Year will be chosen:

Young Photographer (age 11-17)
A maximum of five photos can be entered. They can be from any of the categories above.

Children’s Photograph (under 11)
A maximum of five photos can be entered on anything that interests you in your garden.

The Medici Cards Award

The Medici Cards Award will be decided from all competition entries, and will be presented to the photographer who submits the image best suited for reproduction as a greetings card.

Prizes of RHS Photo Contest

RHS Photographer of the Year: £1000
RHS Young Photographer of the Year: Digital camera

Adult (prizes awarded in each category)
First: £350
Second: £200
Third: £100

Children and young photographers (under 18)
First: Digital camera
Second: Photographic vouchers
Third: Photographic vouchers

The Medici Cards Award
The image will be published by Medici Cards as a greetings card. The photographer will be credited and will receive 200 copies of their card.

website: http://www.rhs.org.uk/competitions/photo-competition