The BALI Chalk Fund has announced the launch of its annual Student of the Year competition, which has this year been updated to encourage garden design students to enter.

Garden design colleges had previously not considered students eligible for the competition. BALI Chalk Fund trustees have now created two categories where colleges can nominate their top students studying either Landscape or Garden Design to better reflect the membership of the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI).

Application forms have been sent to colleges as the summer term starts and students studying for a Level 2 or above course are eligible to be nominated by their tutors.

Each winner will receive a £100 prize and certificate and be enrolled into the National Student of the Year competition where both categories can receive a £500 prize, which is awarded at the British Association of Landscape Industries’ National Landscape Awards in December.

Trustees Nick Coslett & Paul Cowell say: “We are delighted to have modernised the SOTY award to include garden design colleges and we are looking forward to judging this year’s entrants.”