Chaos at UKLPOTY

I’d expected to be writing a celebratory piece this morning about a winning entry at Landscape Photographer Of The Year – the UK’s foremost landscape competition fronted by Charlie Waite. Instead I find it’s a story of confusion, unexpected excitement and possibly ultimate disappointment.

Some months ago Caroline Preece was very pleased she had been long listed for LPOTY in the Black and White category – that’s her lovely image featured here. And let’s take a moment to recognise that is a significant achievement. So when she then heard she hadn’t got any further it was simply a ‘some you hit, some you miss’ moment, pleased to have got so far but knowing the prestige of the competition not really surprised to have got no further.

I picked up some significant discontent from professional photographers about poor administration of the competition this year – including some photographers who only found out when they heard from friends they had been announced as winners by Charlie Waite at the awards ceremony. I bounced the article onto Caroline who, out of curiosity, went to the website. And there was her image with a Highly Commended.

And just to be sure she also looked up the recording of the awards ceremony – yes, Charlie announces her as an awarded winner. As you can imagine, our Club WhatsApp group fairly exploded with excitement. The author of the article I’d sent Caroline, Stewart McGlennon (who was the overall runner up but had received a rejection letter and only knew he’d won after the awards ceremony) shared his commiserations about the chaotic administration this year and was pleased he’s helped rectify the situation.

You’ll guess there’s a but coming. Despite Caroline’s inclusion on the website, the announcement at the awards ceremony and the image being included in the Amateur Photography Magazine Digital Article back in August, LPOTY now claim her rejection letter was accurate and she isn’t a winner, and so correctly is not included in the traveling exhibition nor in the book.

This isn’t the end of the story as Caroline is, understandably, disputing this when others who had rejection emails have now been recognised as winners. So for now we can certainly offer many congratulations to Caroline for at the very least being long-listed, sympathy that she’s been put in such a difficult situation and every good wish that this is quickly resolved satisfactorily.

The featured image is Caroline Preece’s LPOTY entry