Penningtons Manches Cooper announced as headline sponsor of International Garden Photographer of the Year 2025 as latest winners celebrate at Kew Gardens

Posted: 14/02/2025

Leading law firm Penningtons Manches Cooper has been named as the 2025 headline sponsor of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition (IGPOTY). 

The partnership was announced at an event to honour the winners of the 2024 competition at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

IGPOTY seeks to celebrate the planet’s green spaces, flora, fauna, and fungi through some of the world’s finest photography.  

Competition 18's overall winner – chosen from the first place winners across nine main categories – is Max Rush, from London, England. His entry, 'Spectacle of the Painted Storm', was taken in Brockwell Park, Lambeth, London.

Reflecting its commitment to the natural environment, Penningtons Manches Cooper also sponsored the ‘Plants and Planet’ category in the Exhibition Eighteen competition. The winning image is 'Contrasts' by Justin Minns, featuring a saltmarsh in Felixstowe, Suffolk, England.

The firm’s involvement in this category demonstrates the importance of flora and fauna, and human impact, in biodiversity – an area of increasing focus in the firm’s approach to responsible business. Since it was launched in 2019, half of all the entry fees for the category each year have been donated to the WeForest ‘Wildlife Corridors’ tree planting programme in Brazil and Argentina.

Commenting on Penningtons Manches Cooper’s sponsorship, Tyrone McGlinchey FLS FRSA said:

"IGPOTY is thrilled to welcome Penningtons Manches Cooper as our new headline sponsor for 2025. We thank them for being a patron of the IGPOTY project, so that garden photography in all its genres can continue to flourish and raise awareness of our environment, and encourage a love of our green planet."

Helen Drayton, CEO of Penningtons Manches Cooper, commented:

"We're proud to be the headline sponsor of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition, now in its 19th year, which showcases the talent of photographers who capture the beauty and diversity of gardens and the natural environment. The IGPOTY ethos reflects our own commitment to care for the environment and the importance of this to the well-being of human life; values close to our heart as a business. We're pleased to support this initiative, and to help bring this latest series of incredible images to a wide audience when the exhibition tours locations across the UK and Europe."

Following four weeks at Kew, Exhibition Eighteen will tour several other venues, giving Penningtons Manches Cooper’s colleagues and clients opportunities to view the fantastic collection at destinations including Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, and Blenheim Palace near Oxford.  

IGPOTY, now in its 19th year, is open to all photographers – amateur, semi-pro, and professional – and attracts entries from across the world. Commenting on the overall winner, Tyrone McGlinchey FLS FRSA said: 

“This winning photograph has managed to capture that rare, magical moment between stormy weather when the sun and clouds blend to create painterly light. This, combined with Max’s unique camera setup has produced an image of outstanding artistic merit. It's clear that Max's artistic vision and the dramatic natural elements aligned perfectly in this composition. It's always a wonderful experience when the photographer's intention is realised in the final result. I am delighted to once again award a beautiful garden shot as the IGPOTY Overall Winner, many congratulations to Max."

The Competition 18 main category winners were:

• 7IM Abstract Views (Sponsor: 7IM) – Honey J Walker: Gardens of Jaipur
• Beautiful Gardens – Max Rush: Spectacle of the Painted Storm
• Breathing Spaces – Tamara Al Bahri: Seiser Alm October Sunrise
• PMC Plants & Planet (Sponsor: Penningtons Manches Cooper) – Justin Minns: Contrasts
• The Beauty of Plants (Sponsor: Floramedia UK) – Amy Duffy: Amethyst Tears
• The World of Fungi – Barry Webb: Porcelain Mushroom from Below
• Trees, Woods & Forests – Pawel Zygmunt: The Alley
• Wildflower Landscapes – Scott Macintyre: The Purple Hour
• Wildlife in the Garden – Amy Marques: Great Horned Owlet in Paradise

All of the winners can be viewed on the IGPOTY website, here.

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