Instead, the 2002 award will be added to this year’s prize fund.
This is the first time since the award was introduced in 1990 judges have decided not to make an award, although there have been years when no entries were made.
“We had a couple of entries this year which unfortunately had no associated photographic or video evidence to support them,” William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe explained.
“In the past few years, the standards have been so high that it is now only likely that the judges will take ‘hard’ evidence as proof of a sighting at the loch.”
The 2002 prize will be rolled over to 2003, doubling the incentive for Nessie spotters with a £2000 bounty now on offer.