The accolade of winning any award is gratifying but when your work is judged by your peers and is acclaimed a winner, then it has even more added value.
At the annual gala awards dinner hosted by the British Guild of Travel Writers at London’s Savoy Hotel, on Sunday 2nd November, a panel of experts awarded Frances Howorth the top prize of Photographer of the Year, the highest award the Guild bestows upon a member who takes photographs.
Each year, all 250+ members of the prestigious guild are invited to submit four photographs that have been published in printed media in the preceding 12 months. The photographs, which need not be linked by a common theme, are then judged as a single body of work.
The Gala Awards dinner is the glittering highlight of the year for members of the British Guild of Travel Writers when the industry’s top writers, photographers, broadcasters and bloggers are recognised. This year the Louisiana Office of Tourism, together with Brand USA, sponsored the stunning event.
In praise of the work presented by Frances Howorth the judges said, “Although the images are of diverse subject matter they are all excellent in content and of high photographic quality. The seascape in particular is dramatic and spectacular and the would lend itself well to editorial use.”
The award winning picture (see below) was of the Southern Ocean whipped up by winds of over 100 knots off Cape Horn and was featured in an article by Frances and Michael Howorth entitled To The Ends of the Earth. It was published in Invictus magazine across a double page spread.
Mary Moore Mason the Chairman of the Guild said, ”The Guild represents the most talented of Travel Writers, Broadcasters, Bloggers and Photographers and Frances is proficient in all of theses disciplines but it is her photography and her ability to see a good image in the lens that makes her photographic work stand out. We all think she is a worthy winner.”
Pressure of work and the need to travel the world on business writing and taking yet photographs precluded Frances from personally attending the awards ceremony. Instead she was walking the docks at the Fort Lauderdale Boat show. Having been told by husband Michael, that she had won the award she was delighted and said “ It came as quite a shock when I learned that I had been awarded such an honour, I am just so sorry that work is keeping me away from London and collecting the prize in person. But I must say it is a lot warmer here in Fort Lauderdale.”
She was however delighted with the prize of a cheque for £600 which was sponsored by The Tenerife Tourism Corporation
Congratulations Frances! Well done, a very nice shot indeed.