This year's competition closes on 30 November 2010 - get involved!
By: Philip Smith - 17/11/2010
It's your last chance to enter this year's International Garden Photographer of the Year competition. Find out more about the judging and the professional feedback on offer.
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Well not long to go now. Then we will be at the end of this year's International Garden Photographer of the Year competition.
The entries are flowing in from all over the world – Iran, Canada, Thailand, Brazil – as well as our main fanbase in the UK, USA and Australia. It’s a really exciting time for us - and busy too as we are flat out organising the entries 'behind the scenes' and preparing them for the judging in January.
Exhibition at Kew, summer 2009.
Dreaming of success
In this dark northern European November it's lovely to think forward to Kew Gardens in May 2011, with the next exhibition freshly minted, to the people and photographers all milling round, to the winning photographers proud as punch having their photographs taken next to their winning picture. Good times.
Yet then there are the people who will be disappointed not to have won anything. Having entered photo competitions myself and not won anything, I know exactly how that feels.
What if I haven't won anything?
- ‘I bet they didn’t even look at mine’
- ‘with so many entries I had no chance’
- or even ‘mine was better than some of the winners’.
Now, having been on the other side of the fence, we see things very differently. It seems to us that coping with failure is one of the most important things to learn. If you can use failure as a spur to move forward, to improve, to learn more about your art, to feel better about yourself, then you will be on an upward curve.
Professional feedback for every entry
That’s why we offer people feedback on their entries after the winners have been announced. We invite people to Kew to meet the judges and run workshops and courses. The hope is that these experiences can help to turn disappointment into a rich learning experience. They can change your view of the competition judges so that they can become people with something to offer you personally in the development of your photography.
At this late stage if you’re reading this you have probably already decided what you are entering this year. But if you don’t plan to enter anything – have a think – you just never know where the journey may end.
Enter your photo | Competition details
- Philip -
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About Philip Smith
Philip Smith is a professional photographer specialising in gardens and plants with 15 years’ experience. His photography has featured in many magazines and books including The English Garden, The Garden (RHS) , and Gardeners’ World. His work has also featured in exhibitions at Kew Gardens and the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley and London.
As co-founder and Managing Director of the International Garden Photographer of the Year Philip is responsible for the world’s premier competition in the field, which culminates in an annual exhibition at Kew Gardens and other venues. Philip is the author of Better Plant and Garden Photography.
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