Following a hot day of judging at Warwick Racecourse on Wednesday, where around 200 entries were considered, the winners of the 2018 GIMA Awards have now been confirmed. However, the garden retail industry has to wait a few more weeks to find out who wins, when this year’s winners are revealed on July 12th at the five-star Celtic Manor Resort.

It is safe to say that the 2018 judges had their work cut out for themselves. With around 200 products, services and campaigns fighting it out to receive the highly respected accolade of GIMA award winner, there were some tough decisions to be made. Couple this with one of the hottest days of the year, and it was certainly a day to remember.

After much deliberation the judges -  Mike Cook (Choice Marketing), Colin Dale (Notcutts Garden Centres), Mairi Devlin (Wyevale Garden Centres), Mike Lind (Monkton Elm Garden Centre & GCA Chair), Caroline Linger (Crocus), Caroline Owen (Scotsdales Garden Centres) and Neil Pope (Garden Trade News) – made their final decisions on who will be taking home one of the fourteen coveted trophies come July 12th.

Two additional awards – the Export Achievement, and Supplier of the Year – have been judged by Gardenex and the GCA respectively.

GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall said: “A huge thank you to all our judges for volunteering their time. Their input, keen eye and industry knowledge has helped us to create a final list of winners, and what a list it is! Each year the standard of entries continues to surpass expectation, so I did not envy the judges the task of picking the overall winners.

“I’d also like to extend my thanks to all those that have entered the awards in 2018. We look forward to welcoming you all to the awards ceremony in a few short weeks.”

Available spaces for the 2018 GIMA Awards are now limited so interested parties are urged to book their place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. With celebrity host, Stephen Mangan, confirmed, and the sun anticipated to continue shining, it is set to be an incredible night of celebrations.

To find out more about how to book one of the few remaining seats at the GIMA awards 2018 please visit http://gima.org.uk/gima-awards/. Prices for GIMA members: £309 + VAT per person, or £2,899 + VAT for a table of 10, whilst non-member costs are: Non-Members:    £370 + VAT per person, or £3,465 + VAT for a table of 10 (all costs include dinner and accommodation).