Creative Scotland says lack of women on panel was ‘not their intention’ following Facebook complaints
Creative Scotland has apologised following outrage of its Facebook page after Lorna J Waite pointed out there was ‘zero per cent representation by women’.
The Facebook post added: “Do you realise that the judging panel for the Creative Scotland awards, all seven, are all men, not one women is included. Can I ask who made these decisions?”
The post sparked over 100 likes and 80 comments since it was posted on Wednesday, with Creative Scotland only posting a reply early this afternoon.
Andrew Dixon, chief executive of Creative Scotland, said: “We understand that the Creative Scotland Awards have not been without their controversy. While the judging panel does, absolutely, include a cross section of high level expertise in arts and culture, it does not, unfortunately, include any women.
“This was not our intention. Several judges, including women, pulled out at a late stage meaning our final panel did not have the demographic profile we would have liked and we apologise for that.
“We very much want these awards, and the associated profile raising coverage in the Daily Record, to reflect positively on both the artists and performers involved, and also the broader arts and culture scene in Scotland. It’s an opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness of the strength of what’s happening in Scotland and that’s something to cheer about.”