After a detailed review, the competition has made the decision to disqualify the Silver Award winner from the Birds in Flight category of the recently announced 2025 competition.
Following further examination, it became clear that the submitted file did not meet the competition’s authenticity requirements and could not be verified as a genuine raw capture. The photographer was unable to provide a valid raw file upon subsequent request.
In accordance with the competition rules, the image has therefore been disqualified to ensure fairness and uphold the integrity of the judging process.
There will be no adjustment to the rankings within this category. As the names of photographers have already been published, it would no longer be possible to make an anonymous reassessment of placements. Accordingly, the Birds in Flight category will not have a Silver Award for the 2025 competition cycle.
This is the first time in BPOTY’s history that an image has been disqualified following the announcement of results. We take every possible measure to prevent such situations, and we hope this decision demonstrates our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of transparency, integrity, and truthful photography.
Will Nicholls, Competition Director
Mark writes: breaking the rules will always happen unless rule-makers take enforcement action. This is an example of enforcement action and that’s the main reason I have posted it here. It’s a clear public statement of what the problem was and a demonstration that there were consequences. If only we saw more such behaviour from public bodies who have enforcement roles…
Do have a look at the winning and commended images for last year’s bird photography prizes – click here – there are some amazing images.
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Totally agree with your comment.