This year's winners of the Garden Media Guild Awards have been announced, with a win for Gardens Illustrated in the Website of the Year Award category.
The horticultural equivalent of the Oscars, the Garden Media Guild Awards celebrate the work done by gardening writers, authors, magazines, bloggers, broadcasters, podcasters and photographers across the UK. Due to lockdown, this year's ceremony took place virtually, instead of at the usual venue of the Savoy Hotel in London.
Gardens Illustrated beat off stiff competition in the category, including Gardeners’ World, RHS Virtual Chelsea Flower Show, The English Garden and Great British Gardens. Other winners include Gardens Illustrated photographer Jason Ingram, who took home the Features Photographer of the Year Award and the Gordon Rae Photographer of the Year Award for his work on Gardens Illustrated and other gardening magazines.
Humaira Ikram won the Alan Titchmarsh New Talent Award, while Michael Perry, known as The Plant Geek, won Social Media Influencer of the Year. Anna Pavord was recognised with the Guild's most prestigious award, the Lifetime Achievement Award. Pavord said she was 'delighted' adding: "Gardening has boomed over the last 30 years…all of us have been lucky to discover we can make a living from what we love best."
Garden Publication of the Year Award went to the RHS's The Garden, edited by Chris Young, while Val Bourne won Journalist of the Year Award. Gardening Book of the Year Award went to Michael Holland's I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast.
Tamsin Westhorpe, co-chair of the Garden Media Guild, said: “As we come out of lockdown, and with Brexit just around the corner, we believe gardeners can help lead the way to a cleaner, greener and happier country. The horticulture industry is worth £24 billion and we have never been more aware of the importance of gardening in helping to keep us happy and healthy.”
The full list of winners are:
PRACTICAL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by Thompson & Morgan:
Lucy Chamberlain - Amateur Gardening
THE BETH CHATTO ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD sponsored by Beth Chatto Education Trust:
Jean Vernon for her article “Return of the bees always gives me a buzz” in the Daily Telegraph
THE ALAN TITCHMARSH NEW TALENT AWARD sponsored by Hayloft Plants:
Humaira Ikram
FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD sponsored by Roses UK:
Jason Ingram
PORTFOLIO PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD sponsored by Field Studies Council Publications:
Nicola Stocken
THE GORDON RAE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD sponsored by Candide:
Jason Ingram
COVER OF THE YEAR AWARD sponsored by Cobra:
RHS The Garden
JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR AWARD sponsored by Johnsons Lawn Seed:
Val Bourne
BLOG OR VLOG OF THE YEAR AWARD sponsored by Mr Fothergill’s:
Katy in the Garden – Katy Watson
WEBSITE OF THE YEAR AWARD sponsored by Honda:
Gardensillustrated.com
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER OF THE YEAR AWARD sponsored by STIHL:
Michael Perry
RADIO BROADCAST OR PODCAST OF THE YEAR AWARD sponsored by Evergreen Garden Care:
The Organic Gardening Podcast
THE ROY LANCASTER TV BROADCAST OF THE YEAR sponsored by the HTA:
Growing Vines by Penny Meadmore, broadcast online in August 2020 for the Virtual Shrewsbury Flower Show
THE PETER SEABROOK PRACTICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR sponsored by the Garden Press Event:
Heritage Apples by Caroline Ball
THE GARDEN BOOK OF THE YEAR sponsored by Briggs & Stratton:
I Ate Sunshine For Breakfast – Michael Holland
THE DR DAVID HESSAYON GARDEN COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by Marshalls:
Alan Titchmarsh
GARDEN PUBLICATION OR GARDEN SECTION OF THE YEAR sponsored by Westland:
The Garden – editor Chris Young
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD sponsored by Candide:
Anna Pavord
