International Garden Photographer of the Year

What you will actually pay

Entry costs, explained.

Main categories: £10 first image in each category, then £5 each; portfolio £30; special awards £2/image.

Four entries in one main category cost £25; one in each of four categories costs £40. The reduced early-bird period ended on 15 June 2026. No free route is listed in the standard schedule. UK prices include VAT; prices are in pounds sterling. [2]

Separate routes serve different photographic intentions

The main title is selected from the winners of nine single-image categories. Photo projects have shorter, separate schedules; special awards usually focus on a particular location. The portfolio route requires exactly six photographs and has its own award. [3]

Choose the route by how the work communicates. A single image should hold attention without needing five companions to explain it. A portfolio needs relationships between its pictures, not merely six individually attractive photographs. Location-specific entries should be checked against the actual brief before choosing them for their lower fee. [3]

A real garden audience, with evidence of coverage

Kew’s official listing confirms that Competition 19’s selected work was shown opposite the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art in February and March 2026. The displayed subjects ranged from designed gardens and wildflower landscapes to fungi, garden wildlife and abstract work. This is useful evidence of a subject-relevant public venue, rather than an exposure promise without a named destination. [4]

Danni Murphy’s Cumbria Guide feature interviewed Mark Hetherington and Matthew Turner about their 2026 recognition. It discusses Hetherington’s winning heather-season photograph on Grange Fell and Turner’s experience of seeing local work exhibited alongside it. That independent regional coverage makes the publicity benefit concrete while leaving its eventual reach impossible to guarantee. [5]

For a photographer rooted in a particular landscape, that kind of recognition can be useful because it gives an editor or local audience a specific story to tell. It should not be confused with a promise of print sales, commissions or representation. The photographs still need a life beyond the award announcement. [5]

£4,000 means one overall main-category winner

The main single-image winner receives £4,000 and the title. It is paid in two instalments. Photo-project first prizes are £250. The portfolio page lists £1,000 but labels that prize section to be confirmed; the rules also describe £1,000 as its maximum. Do not regard it as an additional prize for a main-category entry. [3][1]

Certificates and selected exhibitions accompany recognition. The proposed Competition 20 book has not finalised its contents or publication date, and inclusion is selective. Nor is every awarded image guaranteed space in every touring exhibition. A shortlist is a judging stage, not an award in itself. [3]

This makes it sensible to value the opportunity in layers: the possibility of the main cash award, selection for a relevant exhibition, and the chance to present a coherent piece of work. A prize pool or a long list of possible venues should never be treated as an individual entrant’s guaranteed return. [3]

Adults, older images and declared processing

General entry is 18+, with organiser, judge, sponsor and partner exclusions. Main-category photographs have no maximum capture age; individual projects and special awards can impose their own limits. Previous awards or substantial stock-library exposure can lead to discretionary disqualification. [1]

Editing must be disclosed honestly. Generated images or added AI content are barred; enhancement of captured material is allowed. Live bait, captured animals and taxidermy are prohibited. Judging is blind as far as reasonably possible. [1]

An older favourite may therefore be suitable, but eligibility is not simply a question of when the shutter was pressed. Check its publication and licensing history as well as what was done to the file. Keep an original and a clear account of any processing. [1]

Award publicity includes some saleable printed products

Copyright stays with the photographer. The nonexclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free competition licence covers associated media and publications; only awarded images are publicised. Books, posters, cards and calendars can promote the event and defray costs. Media sublicensing is competition-related, credit is on an effort basis, and merchandise outside that scope needs separate permission. [1]

National Trust images cannot subsequently be sold or licensed to third parties under the entry terms. That is a significant limitation for photographers building a commercial location library. Decide whether the potential award is worth that constraint before using such an image. [1]

Check the category before paying

Use the current entry platform’s category briefing, which governs specific schedules and requirements. High-resolution JPEGs should reach at least 3,780 pixels on the long side. Main judging normally leads to February results in the following year; separate competitions run to their own timetables. [1]

For this programme, the main annual closing rule gives 31 October 2026 at noon GMT. Leave time to review each category allocation and the resulting charge. Reusing an image across routes is not a reason to assume the same eligibility, prize or deadline follows it everywhere. Preserve the relevant brief with the files you submit. [1][2]