International Garden Photographer of the Year competition 2024: Celebrating the Beauty of Gardens through Photography

June Sharpe's abstract photograph has been named the winner of this year's International Garden Photographer of the Year competition. According to Sharpe, the layered branches of a conifer in her photograph reminded her of dancing cranes often seen in Japanese woodcuts. She emphasized the importance of connecting with nature and drawing attention to the beauty and fragility of the planet's ecosystems. In post-processing, Sharpe enhanced the image to create a sense of the birds dancing in a fantasy woodland. Head judge Tyrone McGlinchey stated that the winning picture took viewers on a journey and evoked feelings of hope and compassion. The Portfolios category winner was Annaick Guitteny, who captured close-ups of plants covered in water droplets. Annie Green-Armytage's image of a private garden in Suffolk won the Beautiful Gardens category, while Andrea Graham's photo of a lone tree in Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) won the Breathing Spaces category. Leena Roy's picture of a mangrove tree in Bunaken National Marine Park, Indonesia, won the Plants and Planet category. Angi Wallace took home the prize for the Beauty of Plants category with an image of a Nigella flower. Barry Webb's photograph of a slime mould won the World of Fungi category. Drew Buckley captured a misty scene on the River Brathay in the Lake District, winning the Trees, Woods and Forests category. Albert Ceolan's photograph of a vast wildflower meadow in the Dolomites won the Wildflower Landscapes category, and Fernando Avanka's image of a squirrel in Sri Lanka won the Wildlife in the Garden category. These photos, along with others, will be showcased in an exhibition at Kew Gardens from 3 February until 10 March 2024.