Poets and photographers have long been drawn to the beauty of a garden, inspired to pen a poem or shoot a photograph to capture its essence. Now the Shepton Snowdrop Festival is inviting poets and photographers, young and old, to do just that. The Festival’s Poetry and Photography Competitions have opened and each of the three age categories carries prize money for the winner.
This year the Festival has chosen to focus on the garden. It could be a cultivated space or a natural garden in the wild as long as the focus is on flora; flowers, plants, trees and other vegetation. Each year the Festival welcomes entries from all over the world and the judges hope people will be inspired wherever they are to capture the essence of their favourite plants and green spaces.
Jason Ingram returns to judge the 2026 Photography Competition. The competition is sponsored by Classic Cottages. In 2024 Jason was awarded the prestigious Garden Media Guild Features Photographer of the Year Award; the judges said his use of light and the skill of composition were ‘breathtaking’.
Speaking about what he’ll be looking out for, Jason said:
“I’ll be looking closely at how you use light. A glimpse of light through a tree creates an ethereal image, but I’ll also be looking for dramatic and eye-catching photos that use harmonious and contrasting colours or the texture of foliage. Look closely at lines, patterns, shapes, shadows and light. You’ll find that sepals, stamens or petals of a flower, veins of a leaf or the texture of tree bark all make compelling and powerful subjects. I’ll also be looking for exemplary technique, and creativity. Use your imagination; even with the extreme weather many of us have been experiencing there should be no shortage of subject matter. Above all, enjoy!”
Wendy Pratt, a published author and poet living on the North Yorkshire coast, will judge the Poetry Competition once again. Her latest poetry collection, Blackbird Singing at Dusk, was published in November 2024. She has won or been placed in many competitions, and her work is widely published in magazines and anthologies.
Wendy is encouraging poets entering the competition to be brave and bold in their writing:
“I want to see poems that explore more than the patch of grass at the front or back of your home. I want you to tell me how you connect through your own garden, or what the public gardens of your town or city say to you. I want you to explore the concept of the garden: is a garden a scaled down model of a wild space? Is a garden a place to feed a family? Is a garden a chance to take the ecological crisis into your own hands? Think about how you might surprise me. Can a garden be a metaphor? Can a garden be aware of itself, of you? If a garden spoke, what might its voice sound like? Come to the garden with your senses open. What does the garden sound like or smell like? What does the soil feel like under your fingernails? Enjoy and good luck!“
Closing dates for the competitions are:
Poetry – Sunday 4 January 2026
Photography – Sunday 18 January 2026
The photograph on this post is by Jason Ingram, one of a number he took over the season at the Piet Oudolf garden at Hauser and Wirth, Somerset.