The 17th exhibition of the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) competition opens in CUBG on 20 March.
CUBG’s Director, Professor Beverley Glover says: “We are thrilled to host the International Garden Photographer of the Year exhibition once again here in the Garden. It’s always a pleasure to showcase such stunning images of the natural world, especially against the backdrop provided here by the Botanic Garden.”
A selection of winning images on display from this year's IGPOTY competition
The exhibition will also include winning images taken by our visitors for the ‘Discovery in Cambridge University Botanic Garden’ special award, run in partnership with IGPOTY across last summer and autumn.
James McGlinchey, Exhibitions Manager, IGPOTY says: “IGPOTY returning to Cambridge University Botanic Garden feels like returning home. It is the perfect ‘green oasis’ for the exhibition, and we thank CUBG for allowing its message to continue to flourish.”
“IGPOTY returning to Cambridge University Botanic Garden feels like returning home.”
‘Discovery in Cambridge University Botanic Garden’ 2023 winners
The Special Award entries were judged by a small panel comprised of IGPOTY and CUBG staff.
The three winning images, seen below, feature in the exhibition, alongside a selection of highly-placed photographs from across the competition’s main categories, such as: ‘Beautiful Gardens’; ‘Trees, Woods and Forests’; ‘Wildflower Landscapes’ and ‘The World of Fungi’.
1st Place 'Madagascar Palm' - Allan Hale
First place is awarded to Allan Hale for his ‘Madagascar Palm’ photograph. This image of Pachypodium sp. was taken in the Glasshouse Corridor opposite the entrance to the Arid Lands House. Allan wrote that ‘the thorns and texture of its trunk appealed to me, especially as they were enhanced by the quality of the light on this occasion, which immediately captured my attention.’
2nd Place 'Distortion' - Daniel Rollitt
Second place is awarded to Daniel Rollitt for his image ‘Distortion’, capturing a view into the Oceanic Islands Glasshouse. As both a glass artist and garden photographer, Daniel wrote alongside his entry that he was particularly drawn to the bubbles in the glass and how they distorted the view of the plants in one of the Glasshouses.’
3rd Place 'Space Invaders' - Elizabeth Fiddy
Third place is awarded to Elizabeth Fiddy for her photograph named ‘Space Invaders’. Taken in the Arid Lands House, Elizabeth enjoyed the variety of shapes and forms of the plants. She wrote alongside her image that when she saw the small, circular cacti in her post-processing work, she felt ‘they could be creatures from outer space’!
Discovery in Cambridge University Botanic Garden - finalists and highly commended winners:
We hope our visitors will enjoy exploring the selection of winning images, which will be shown outdoors and in large format near our Grass Maze, and perhaps be inspired themselves. As CUBG Director, Beverley explains:
“We hope our visitors will enjoy the display and perhaps feel inspired to participate in this year’s new photography competition, which we’ll be launching in June at the Festival of Plants. The theme this year will be ‘Weird and Wonderful,’ offering a unique perspective on our plant collection.”
Exhibition dates: 20 March to 7 May 2024. The exhibition is free – normal Garden admission applies.
