Why Your Shoot Should Enter the Purdey Awards

Wise words from David Sandford, though he would say that! David’s Portloughan Shoot on the shores of Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland won the Gold Award last year, a thrilling moment for him. 

For David Sandford, it wasn’t just the prize money he won that mattered: “Compiling and submitting my entry made me think through what I’d achieved, what had worked well and focus on the plans for the future. It really helped me to consider where the project should be going in the foreseeable future.” The visit from the judges was also a useful exercise, he says: “They were incredibly experienced, and very encouraging. They also gave me some new management ideas, and helped me to see the shoot through fresh eyes. Winning it was amazing – being at Audley House, which is so steeped in shooting history, for the ceremony was a huge privilege. One of the other things that has been great is the local recognition that the project got thanks to winning the award, not only for the shoot itself but also for all those who assisted me and were part of it.” David is using his prize money to invest in new equipment and improvements to the shoot. 

Positive publicity

Winning a Purdey Award usually gives a shoot a huge boost, offering it not only a prize fund that can help with further improvements, but also, as David mentioned, good publicity for shooting’s conservation benefits. Ilkley Moor, part of the Bingley Moor Partnership, won the Gold Award in 2015, but sadly the now Labour-dominated council voted not to renew the lease. It’s a tragic end to the award-winning management of the area, and there are concerns for the future, not only of the amazing biodiversity and wildlife present on the moor, but also that the local council will now have to pay for the management of the area.

It’s all the more reason to enter, as every bit of good will and positive publicity for shoots can help when it comes to the future of shooting and the Purdey Awards are a huge part of generating positive news for shooting. 

How to enter for 2018

The Purdey Awards open at the end of February, and entries should be submitted by 22 May, so it is time to start thinking of entering. Any sized shoot within the United Kingdom is eligible, as are syndicates, estates, individuals, farms and wildfowling clubs. Judges look for examples of how the work done not only benefits the shoot, but also widens biodiversity, improves habitat and helps other species of birds and wildlife.

There are 16 members of the judging panel, which meet in June to decide on a shortlist of entries, who are then visited. The final decisions are made with the entire judging panel in October, and the prize fund, worth £15,000, is presented to the winners at a ceremony held at Audley House in Mayfair on 22 November.

For more information and forms for entering, please visit Purdey.