The Garden Media Guild Journalism Awards 2011

The Garden Media Guild Awards celebrate the best in garden writing - including books, newspapers and magazines - photography, broadcasting - TV and radio - and new media - including gardening websites and gardening blogs. They are the garden media 'Oscars'.

 

Journalism Awards

 

News Story of the Year

Winner Veronica Peerless for What’s in a name? in Which? Gardening.

Judges' comments This article stood out for its strong informative content and great relevance that the information had to an extremely wide gardening audience.

Finalists

Kevin Smith for He’s back! King of Gardening Alan Titchmarsh returns to his roots to host a new ITV show ‘Love Your Garden’ in Amateur Gardening

Veronica Peerless for How to recycle plastic pots in Which? Gardening.

Rebecca Jane for Going down the pan in Garden News.

Marc Rosenberg for Greenacres goes to grass in Amateur Gardening.

 

Trade Journalist of the Year

Winner Emma Reuss for The ideas man, A natural balance, Plain speaking in Garden Design Journal.

Judges comments The winner has an engaging, clear and lively style. She showed a real ability to tell a good story and hold the audience’s interest from the outset. But she also demonstrated a genuine appreciation of the demands of her specialist readership by delving deeper, to draw out valuable insights and ideas from interviewees, so adding real substance to the features. The consistency of her work, lively tone and rewarding content made this writer the clear winner in a competitive category

Finalists

Mike Wyatt for Generation Games series – Pioneers of Preston, Poplars, a phoenix rises, Standards of perfection in Garden Trade News.

Matthew Appleby for Producers split over road to peat-free future, Impatiens worries grow over downy mildew in Horticulture Week and Top 100 Garden Centres 2011 in Garden Retail.

Gavin McEwan for The zoological gardens, Local enterprise, A slice of greenery in the city in Horticulture Week.

Jonathan Tilley for FERA aims to recover, Plant Trust trials, Restoration innovator in Horticulture Week.

 

Practical Journalist of the Year

Winner Anne Swithinbank for Veg Plot in Grow Your Own.

Judges’ comments Judging from the number of entries for this category, there's masses of practical advice being offered to gardeners. The writers who really stood out not only set out their instructions clearly, but wrote with enthusiasm for and first-hand knowledge of their given subjects. As a result the judges felt that readers would be much more likely to have a go - and to succeed - with the featured task.

From the shortlisted entries, three were strong contenders for the award and the judges had to put themselves in the shoes of the beginner gardener to see if the pieces submitted provided all the information needed to grow the suggested plants - all three wrote about edible plants.

The winner's monthly articles on vegetable growing are packed full of detailed explanation that gives the reader every single ounce of information they could possibly need to get up, go out and grow the crops that she has written about. They are written in a clear, encouraging style that makes readers feel reassuringly confident in the advice they are being given.

Finalists

Mark Diacono for Buried treasure, Christmas crackers, The fixer, in The English Garden and The Edible Garden.

Alys Fowler for Broad beans, Brassicas, Pumpkins, courgettes & winter squashes in Gardens Illustrated.

Sue Stickland for Crops for shade, Stout sprouts, Chicory explained in Gardeners' World Magazine, The Garden and The Organic Garden Way.

Adam Pasco for What to do now in Gardeners’ World Magazine.

 

Journalist of the Year

Winner Mark Diacono for The fruits of my labour, We need to talk about peat, Plot at the palace in The Observer and The Telegraph.

Judges’ comments Articles were assessed for writing quality, clarity, flair, imagination and technical/practical aspects. The judges were also looking for writers taking account of current issues and writing persuasively about them, and a number of entrants impressed the judges in this way.

We felt that Mark Diacono’s writing stood out. Whatever he writes about, his voice is distinctive, authoritative, and he has the ability to immediately bring the reader in, and involve him or her in the article.

Finalists

John Walker for Compost Crisis in Kitchen Garden, The peat 'debate' does us all harm in Garden News and Bring me sunshine: the power behind renewable gardening at www.hartleybotanic.co.uk.

Geoff Stebbings for Plants that bite back, To the rescue, Gardens to the rescue in Garden Answers.

Philip Turvil for Veg versus flowers, Garden survival depends on volunteers, Organic guide to biological control on bbc.co.uk/blog, www.hortweek.com/blogs, www.growfruitandveg.co.uk

Lia Leendertz for Meals in the midst, When the growing gets tough, How we nearly lost the plot in The Guardian.