Prizes
Since the Trust was first established there have been over 500 grants for young horticulturists to undertake a wide range of projects at home and abroad.
One condition, in return for receiving a grant, is that at the end of their projects, 'Merlins' must present a written report within 3 months of their return.
Each year all reports are assessed for their eligibility for one of two £500 prizes: The Christopher Brickell Prize is for the best overall report and the Valerie Finnis Prize is for the report demonstrating photographic excellence.
Details of the prizes can be found below.
If you would like to read more about Valerie Finnis or Christopher Brickell please click here.
The Valerie Finnis Prize
An annual prize of £500 is awarded for the report
demonstrating photographic excellence.
Plants, people and photography were three of the primary interests in the
horticultural life of the late Valerie Finnis VMH, Founder of the Merlin
Trust.
The Valerie Finnis Prize winners are:
2003 Magda Truszkowska ‘Sicily’
2004 Daniel Luscombe ‘Tasmania and Beyond 2004’
2005 Susan Preston ‘Flora of Yunnan Province, China’
2006 Tim Lever ‘The Yunnan Highlands : Echoes of Home’ An AGS Tour
2007 Christopher Miller : India, Sikkim. Click here to see some of his pictures in our Gallery page.
2008 Andrew Chapman (Merlin 499). Click here to see some of his pictures in our Gallery page.
2009 Alan Elliott (Merlin 522). Click here to see some of his pictures in our Gallery page
The Christopher Brickell Prize
A prize of £500 is awarded annually for the best report.
Christopher Brickell C.B.E., V.M.H. past Chairman of the Merlin Trust, retired as Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1993 after 35 years of work for the RHS in this country and abroad.
To commemorate his great achievements the trust awards an annual prize of £500 for the best report received during the year.
Some past prize winners include:
1993 Bill Chudziak 'Land of Extremes - Nepal'
1994 Annette Wickham 'Study of the Propagation of Hardy Woody plants in the USA.'
1995 Jane Alien 'Cycads of Eastern Australia.'
1996 Seamus O'Brian 'Autumn in the Eastern Himalayas.'
1997 Nick Biddle 'Study Tour of the Hawaiian Islands:
1998 Martin Walsh 'Study of Alpines in the Land of the Plant Hunters'
1999 Martin Walsh & Maria Bennett 'Exploring the Wonders of Tien Shan' - Joint Report First Prize2000 Gerald Abrahams ‘The Pacific Northwest of America.’
2001 James Pollard ‘Sichuan, China’
2002 Joanne Everson ‘Mud, Mountains and Flowers.’ An AGS Trek in Bhutan’
2003 Fiona Slight ‘Meadows, Screes and Rocks.’ An AGS Trip to the French Alps
2004 Seamus O’Brien ‘In the Footsteps of Augustine Henry.’ An expedition to China
2005 Richard Smith ‘P.G.G. Study Tour of South Africa.’
2006 Timothy Lever ‘The Yunnan Highlands: Echoes of Home.’ An AGS Tour
Alan Pearson & Helen Johnson 'Plants of North West America & their Habitants' - Joint Report Second Prize
Ben Pollard 'Cameroon's Rain Forests'
Caroline Tait 'Irish Gardens & Nurseries'
Victoria Lawrence 'New York's Community Gardens' - The Third Prize
2007 Louise Galloway
2008 Tom Christian (Merlin 491) ' In Search of Scotlnad's Heritage Yew Trees'
2009 Amy Rayner (Merlin 523) 'Study Tour of New Zealand'
2010 Vanessa Grundy 'from Agapanthus to Brugmansia', San Francisco, USA
If you would like to read more about Valerie Finnis or Christopher Brickell please click here.
