Expert panel assembled to judge 2020 AIPH International Grower of the Year Awards

To judge the 2020 International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) International Grower of the Year (IGOTY) Awards, a panel of prestigious growers and experts has been assembled to determine next year’s awards winners — including the coveted International Grower of the Year.

The panel is chaired by Tim Edwards, vice president of AIPH and chairman of Boningale Nurseries (UK). Jury members are Jan-Dieter Bruns, president of the European Nursery Stock Association (ENA) Germany; Mike Rimland, vice president of Costa Farms (USA); Andre van Kruijssen, general director of the Veiling Holambra Cooperative (Brazil); Dr. Zhao Shiwei, vice president of the World Federation of Rose Societies and Poul Graff, CEO of Graff Breeding A/S (Denmark).

All entries have been submitted and the judging process has commenced. The awards, supported by headline sponsor Royal FloraHolland, consist of five categories: Finished Plants and Trees, Young Plants, Cut Flowers and Bulbs, Inspiring Business and the Sustainability Award. For each category a gold, silver and bronze will be awarded. One overall winner will receive the ‘Gold Rose’ and will be named International Grower of the Year 2020. In 2019, the coveted Gold Rose was won by Gediflora, Belgium, a breeder and propagator of potted chrysanthemums.

All winners will be announced at the IGOTY Awards ceremony. The ceremony will take place on Tuesday evening, Jan. 28, at the AIPH trade show IPM ESSEN. It will be held at Messe Essen in Germany. IGOTY venue partner IPM ESSEN is an international horticultural trade show and ruby sponsor of the 2020 IGOTY Awards.

Early bird offers for individual tickets and corporate hospitality packages are available to book online here until Dec. 1. Additionally, IGOTY guests will receive a complementary ticket to IPM for their preferred day. IGOTY sponsorship packages are also available by contacting AIPH Senior International Relations Manager Treve Evans, at treve.evans@aiph.org.

For more information visit the AIPH website here. Attendees can follow the organization on Twitter here.