Once again MorePeople are delighted to be one of the key sponsors of the Institute of Horticulture’s Young Horticulturist of the Year competition.  Over the next few weeks scores of young horticulturist’s up and down the country will take part in the numerous local heats that lead to the 8 regional finals and eventually on to the national final.  This year’s Grand Final will take place at Kew Gardens May 15th.

The competition is open to anyone involved in horticulture who is under the age of 30 on July 31st 2010.  At MorePeople we regard a key part of our role in YHOY as, not just providing financial support through sponsorship, but also helping the IoH widen the appeal of the competition and hopefully ensure that the event becomes more widely recognised in the context of the horticultural profession as a whole - and not just something that is focused on students and their colleges.

2009 saw the introduction of the facility to access the competition via the Internet.  This allows people who can’t physically get to one of the heats, say due to distance or work commitments, to take part. Around 30 people took advantage of this option last year and indeed one of those went all the way to the grand final and finished in 3rd place overall!  YHOY is a competition that continues to evolve and going forward the IoH are very much committed to further innovations aimed at enhancing its reputation and the status of those who take part.

As usual there is a great range of prizes on offer.  The total prize pot is worth £10,000 with the overall YHOY 2010 receiving the top award of a £2,000 travel bursary, donated by the Percy Thrower Trust. 

So are you a budding YHOY or do you know someone in your organisation that you think should take part?  Wouldn’t you like the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of previous winners and head of to New Zealand or venture into deepest Borneo in search of the exotic?

And don’t forget the IoH’s Young Horticulturist of the Year competition doesn't just provide a great opportunity for the individuals that take part, it can also be a great way for employers to motivate their staff whilst at the same time helping them to promote their businesses!

If you would like to enter this year’s YHOY then follow the link below to the IoH website where you will find the competition rules and all the entry details.

http://www.horticulture.org.uk

For anyone wanting to know more about the competition you can also contact the IoH admin team at Capel Manor College on 01992 707025 or e-mail them ioh@horticulture.org.uk.