In 2020, we asked photographers not to enter images from so-called honeypot locations (see table below). We did this because each year, we were receiving more and more images that looked the same, and by 2020, almost 80% of the images we received were from the same locations.
We felt we had to do something because the Competition’s aims are to showcase the diversity of Scotland’s landscape and it starts to become really difficult when the majority of images being entered were, for example, of Buachaille eitive mòr or the Corpach shipwreck.
When we introduced this rule, we expected some dissent on social media, but it was not substantial. We introduced it deliberately to encourage photographers to get out of their comfort zones and seek out new locations. We believe this worked because when it came to the 2021 competition, photographers responded well and we received a very diverse entry indeed.
We said at the time that the honeypot exclusion was just a temporary measure, so for this year’s Competition 10, all the honeypot locations in the table below are once again allowed to be entered into the competition.
We’ve left the the facts and figures from 2020 for reference.
Honeypot locations
Table 1 below lists the common honeypot locations,
Glen Coe | Buachaille Etive Mor | Lagangarbh Hut | Black Rock Cottage |
The Fairy Pools, Skye | Old Man of Storr, Skye | Elgol, Skye | Neist Point |
Luskentyre Beach | Kilchurn Castle | Corpach Boat, Loch Linnhe | Stac Polly |
The Devil’s Pulpit | Rattray Lighthouse | Cloch Lighthouse | Forth Bridges |
Loch Ruskie | Riverside Glasgow | Edinburgh Castle |
Entries facts and figures
NOTES:
1. Figures are based on images entered before judging
2. Figures are estimates based on large samples but largely accurate.
DIVERSITY OF LOCATIONS SUBMITTED BY ENTRANT TYPE
1. Overseas entrants – most diverse (greater than 90%)
2. UK entrants – least diverse (approx 20%)
3. Female – moderately diverse (approx 40%)
4. Male – least diverse (approx 20%)
LAND AREA OF SCOTLAND = 30,420 SQUARE MILES
80% of images entered are from 4% of the land area, at these locations:
Skye – 639 sq miles
Glen Coe – 35 sq miles
Harris – 235 sq miles
Assynt & Coigach – 501 sq miles
IMAGES OF CASTLES
There are 1500 Castles in Scotland but only 14 castles have ever been entered. Two castles make up 90% of entries – Edinburgh & Kilchurn castles. Oddly, Eilean Donan castle, which dubbed the “most instagrammed castle” has only been entered approx 20 times.
IMAGES OF SEASCAPES
Scotland has 11,602 miles of coastline, including its islands but almost 70% of seascapes entered since 2014 are of Luskentyre beach & Elgol.
IMAGES OF LIGHTHOUSES
There are 207 lighthouses in Scotland but only 11 lighthouses have ever been entered since 2014. Almost 90% of those lighthouses are of Cloch, Neist Point & Rattray Head lighthouses
IMAGES OF BOTHIES, RUINS & CROFTS
There are 1000s of bothies, ruins and crofts, but almost all images of a bothy are of Lagangarbh hut or Black Rock Cottage – that’s just 2 bothies.
IMAGES OF MOUNTAINS
There are 282 Munros, 221 Corbetts & 291 Grahams in Scotland.
Almost 60% of mountain images enteredare of the same mountain – Buachaille Etive Mor
Approx 20% are of Stac Polly
IMAGES OF BOATS
Almost all images of boats are of the Corpach boat at Loch Linnhe and the fishing boats at Loch Ruskie.
IMAGES OF URBAN LANDSCAPES
Approx half of all urban images are of 2 views. The River Clyde long exposures & Edinburgh rooftops
IMAGES OF BRIDGES
There are 2029 bridges in Scotland
95% of bridge images we receive are of the Forth Bridges!