Awards Over Wildlife

Wasting Donors’ Money League Style

If you’ve been blessed enough to be bombarded by the League Against Cruel Sports’ never-ending fundraising emails recently—and let’s face it, who hasn’t?—you might have noticed their self-congratulatory claim of being a “GOLD WINNER.” Wow! A gold winner, you say? Sounds impressive… until you dig a little deeper.

Cue the fanfare! The League boasts about snagging the “Gold Winner in the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Pride Awards 2022” for their thrilling “National Trust Campaign.” You know, because nothing says “protecting animals” quite like giving yourself a big, shiny pat on the back.

A Glorious Victory… Over Reality

In 2022, the League Against Cruel Sports decided that rather than spend their donors’ money on, say, saving animals, they’d blow it on entering the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Pride Awards in categories like “Best Use of Content” and “Best Publication.” Shockingly, they didn’t win or even get an honourable mention. Maybe the judges were busy doing something more useful, like putting life jackets on statues.

But wait—how did the League still manage to shout about a “Gold Winner” title? Simple: They did win—sort of. Just not at the national level. They secured their “gold” in the regional category. But who has time for such pesky details when there are supporters to mislead?

Drumroll, Please… The League vs. The League!

So, here’s the kicker: The League proudly won “Gold” in the Regional Campaign of the Year (South East) for their “National Trust Campaign.” And who was the valiant runner-up, you ask? Why, none other than the League’s very own “Lifting the Smokescreen” campaign. That’s right—they competed against themselves and still managed to come out on top! With no other entrants in the category, winning was practically guaranteed. Nothing screams “gold-worthy” like a race with only one participant.

Not to be outdone by their own genius, they also nabbed a Silver Award for the Not-for-Profit Campaign (South East). At least this time, they beat out the stiff competition of the “Lift & Escalator Careers” and “The Big Eat” campaigns. I mean, sure, those aren’t exactly multi-million-pound organisations like the League, but let’s not nitpick, okay?

A Bold Campaign of Booing and Hissing

The League’s award-winning “Lifting the Smokescreen” campaign involved the sophisticated tactic of staff members hissing and booing outside a court like they were extras in a low-budget pantomime. It’s safe to say it wasn’t exactly a banner year for the Not-for-Profit category in the South East region.

Donors’ Money Well Spent… on Awards, That Is!

All in all, the awards only cost the League a few thousand pounds—plus countless staff hours to prepare the entries. But hey, why waste those hard-earned donations on actually protecting animals when you can spend them on polishing your “award-winning” reputation? At least the staff can now proudly add “Award Winner” to their CVs. As for the animals? Well, they’ll just have to wait.

But really, who cares about those minor details? Certainly not the League’s current Senior Management Team. They’re too busy basking in their self-proclaimed glory.