top student award

BALI Chalk Fund’s Top Student Award 2025/2026

Applications window opens on 23 February 2026

The Top Student Award has two categories, honouring students from both practical landscape courses, and those studying garden design.

The Student Of The Year competition is a two-tiered process.

The Colleges encourage Students of land-based courses (Landscape, Horticulture, Garden Design) to apply. Then at College level, each tutor at each college/training provider nominates the student - one from each of the Landscape and Garden Design categories - that they believe stands out in their year group, above all others; one that they believe will make a positive impact on the industry in the years to come. The Top Student from each region wins a cash prize of £100 and a certificate. This can be presented by one of the BALI Trustees at a College Award Event.

The second stage involves the assessment of all Regional Winners by the BALI Trustees to decide who will be the BALI Chalk Fund National Student Of The Year in both categories.

These National Student winners not only win a further cash prize of £500 but are also invited to attend the prestigious BALI National Landscape Awards to collect their prize. They will be invited on stage to accept, and will be in a rich arena of the UK landscape industry's leading players -  and who knows, there may even be job offers on the table!!

The winning college or training provider also receive a £500 cash prize and an invitation to the awards.

The 2025/2026 Top Student of the Year Awards (Landscaping and Garden Design) application process opens on 23 February 2026 and runs until 27 March 2026.

To explore the Application and Entry Process (for students and college tutors), you can view the latest Guidance Notes here for 2026, when available.

Charlie White: Past Winner Garden Design National Student of the Year 2024

February 16, 2026

Charlie White was studying at Merrist Wood College in 2024. His tutor, Anna Eyres, nominated him for […]

Russell Fletcher: Past Winner, Landscape Student of the Year 2023

February 3, 2026

Before winning the BALI Chalk Landscape Student of the Year in 2023 and studying at Wiltshire (Lackham) […]

Cameron Barker: Past Winner, Landscape Student of the Year 2022

January 26, 2026

By the time that Cameron Barker claimed the BALI Chalk National Landscape Student of the Year Award […]

Joshua Reid: Past Winner, Landscape Student of the Year 2020

January 20, 2026

Joshua was nominated and awarded as National Landscape Student of the Year in 2020. Although unable to […]

Chloë Webster: Our Garden Design National Student of the Year 2025

January 13, 2026

As we enter 2026 and head towards the next year’s award application window, we took some time […]

Archie Matthews: Our Landscape National Student of the Year 2025

January 12, 2026

The thrill and buzz of the BALI Landscape Awards 2025 is receding, and so we took a […]

Top Students receive Landscape Industry honours at BALI Awards 2025

December 10, 2025

The BALI Chalk National Student of the Year presentations are a highlight of the annual British Association […]

BALI Chalk Fund at 50: Sarah Seery, Trustee

October 6, 2025

Next up in our “BALI Chalk Fund at 50” series, Sarah Seery, Trustee and former Head of […]

BALI Chalk Fund at 50: Lynn Hunter, Team

October 5, 2025

Next up on our BALI Chalk Fund at 50 series is Lynn Hunter (pictured above receiving the […]

BALI Chalk Fund at 50: Stuart Phillips, Trustee

October 3, 2025

The feature picture above shows Stuart Phillips, BALI Chalk Fund Trustee in a hole in the rose […]

BALI Chalk Fund’s Top Student Award now has two categories, honouring students from both practical landscape courses, and those studying garden design.

The Student Of The Year competition is a two-tiered process, the first stage is at College level, we ask the tutors at each BALI Member College, and training provider to nominate the student that, in their opinion has performed above all others in their year group and that they believe will make a positive impact on the industry in the years to come. The Top Student from each category at each college wins a cash prize.

The second stage involves all the applications received in the first phase, being assessed by a panel of judges to see who will be the BALI Chalk Fund National Students Of The Year.

The winners not only wins a further cash prize but are also invited to attend the prestigious BALI National Landscape Awards to collect their prize and where they can network with the industry’s leading players, who knows, there may even be job offers on the table!!

The winning college or training provider also receive a cash prize and an invitation to the awards.

BALI Chalk Fund at 50: Richard Gardiner, Trustee

October 3, 2025

Next up in our “BALI Chalk Fund at 50” series, Richard Gardiner, Trustee and owner of NAG […]

BALI Chalk Fund at 50: Diane McCulloch, Team

October 2, 2025

Working alongside our Trustees, Diane McCulloch is the first voice our Champions and prospective Champions will hear. […]

National Student of the Year Award 2025: Winners announced

October 2, 2025

The deliberation is complete. The winners of the National Student of the Year Awards 2025 have been […]

BALI Chalk Fund at 50: Paul Cowell, Trustee

October 2, 2025

In the “BALI Chalk Fund at 50” series, we have been asking our Trustees and Team members […]

BALI Chalk Fund at 50: The Trustees look back (and forward)

October 1, 2025

In the BALI Chalk Fund’s 50th year, we have not only been celebrating everything that the Fund […]

Outstanding achievements in Landscape, Horticulture and Garden Design

June 13, 2025

The BALI Chalk Fund Top Student of the Year achievers have been announced. This year has seen […]

Fundraisers and Donations in 2025

April 16, 2025

Funding the future of your UK landscape Recently receiving donations from fundraisers in 2024 and 2025, the […]

Record numbers of Student Submissions

April 11, 2025

Student Submission window closes As the Student Submission window closes, the BALI Chalk fund Student of the […]

Heading for 50 Champions already in 50th year: April Update

April 5, 2025

BALI Chalk Fund gathering momentum in 2025 The BALI Chalk Fund was set up in 1975 in […]

Student of the Year (Landscaping) 2024: Introducing Jacob Carter

March 11, 2025

Landscaping labours pay off Combining his hands-on landscaping skills with the academic and technical learning, this year’s […]

Scroll to Top