Freelance photographer Roddy Mackay was told he was shortlisted for the Young Photographer of the Year category in the prestigious national awards at the end of February – only to be told soon after that judges had decided to withdraw the prize because the overall standard of entries in the category was “not good enough”.
Mackay, 25, who was shortlisted for the award alongside Edinburgh Evening News photographers Ed Jones and Dan Philips and picture agency SNS Group’s Craig Williams, said the judges’ decision to withdraw the prize had damaged him “mentally and physically”.
He said: “I’ve made a decision to burn my pictures and speak out publicly about their lack of support. As a young photographer I feel very, very passionately about the way I have been treated.”
