Fifth Annual IGPOTY Competition Raises the Bar
Posted in Photography on March 5 2012, by Matt Newman
As we get down to brass tacks in the Caribbean Garden photography contest, our partners across the pond are already stumping for their next round of entries. And with the caliber of winning participants recently unveiled, those looking to become the next International Garden Photographer of the Year find themselves up against stiff and startlingly talented competition.
2011’s IGPOTY proceedings pulled skillful nature photographers out of the woodwork. Be it through painstaking preparation or the luck of being in the right place at just the right moment, many of the images captured by the multinational list of participants are almost unconscionable in their beauty. Gritty, ethereal, preternaturally real–the winning selections call up these descriptors among others. It’s a smorgasbord of aesthetic eye candy reaching toward the peak of the artform.
Founder Philip Smith was also kind enough to send along a snapshot of the photos on display at Kew Gardens in London. Successful entrants put themselves in the running for prize money (in the area of $8000), broad exposure of their work, and the honor of being featured in photography exhibitions around the world. So while our home jury deliberates over the final selections for the Caribbean Garden contest, think about heading over to IGPOTY’s site and perusing the competition guidelines; entries will be accepted from March through November 30, 2012.
As the exclusive U.S. partner of the IGPOTY competition, The New York Botanical Garden will be sponsoring a prize of its own in 2012, as well as upcoming contests and events here at the Garden which highlight the talents of local and visiting photographers. This year’s successful Conservatory exhibition of past IGPOTY winners is only the beginning of our push to get people involved. So if you have the drive, the camera, and a keen eye for the intriguing and beautiful, you may already have the makings of the next International Garden Photographer of the Year. Keep an eye on Plant Talk for announcements on future events.
