HTA puts innovation and plant health centre stage with new Grower of the Year award categories
2 April 2026
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has introduced four new categories to its prestigious Grower of the Year Awards 2026, reflecting the work of growers in a challenging business environment to lay the foundations for future green growth and resilience in UK production.
The new categories are: Best Use of Technology, Grower with plant production lower than £2.5m, Peat Transition Initiative of the Year, and Biosecurity Initiative of the Year.
Entries are now open for the annual awards, which celebrate excellence across UK nurseries and showcase the outstanding achievements and initiatives of growers in delivering high-quality plants more productively and more sustainably.
Pippa Greenwood, Horticulture Manager at the HTA, commented:
“With four new categories added to the Grower of the Year Awards this year, we are looking forward to highlighting some of the new initiatives that our members are implementing. This could include their approach to improving biosecurity or their work on transitioning to peat alternatives.
“I am always humbled - and thrilled - by the exceptionally high standard of entries we receive from our HTA grower members each year and their ability to not only produce plants of the highest quality but also manage their businesses with sustainability and innovation in mind.
“Entries are now open, and I would encourage our members to either self-nominate or nominate a company or individual for the Grower of the Year Awards 2026.”
Winners will be announced at a celebration dinner following Horticulture, the Conference, at the Barbican Centre in London on 24 September 2026.
Grower of the Year Awards 2026 - Categories
- Employer of the Year Award
This award aims to recognise a grower who has supported their workforce in order to improve and develop business effectiveness.
- Young Grower of the Year Award
This award aims to recognise an individual aged under 35 who has made a significant contribution to production in their business or wider industry. A £1,500 bursary is available for the winner to put towards their professional development.
- Best use of Technology Award
This award aims to recognise a business which has implemented new or emerging technology in the last year to improve business performance
- Grower with plant production lower than £2.5m
This award aims to recognise business excellence among growers producing environmental horticultural crops worth less than £2.5m per year in the calendar year 2025 at the ‘nursery gate’.
- Peat Transition Initiative of the Year
This award aims to recognise a grower’s work in moving towards peat alternatives in the business and/or wider industry whilst delivering high-quality plants and/or trees
- Sustainability Initiative of the Year
This award aims to recognise a grower’s work in delivering improved environmental and social impact through their approach to business
- Biosecurity Initiative of the Year
This award aims to recognise excellence in biosecurity within the business and the wider supply chain and industry
- Overall Grower of the Year Award
The Overall Grower of the Year Award will be decided by the judging panel based on the winners from each of the above categories
Entries for the HTA Grower of the Year Awards 2026 close on Friday, 3 July 2026. For more information about how to enter, visit: hta.org.uk/goty