I would like to add that the mere fact that our application was accepted was due to the sum of all the work we did in advance. After seeing our proposal accepted and winning the competition, it was quite disappointing not to be able to enjoy the knock‑on effect that can have on a career.
As we said at the outset, we want to recover the commission, but we also want to ensure, for our peers, that this doesn't happen again. Our society can't afford to impoverish itself culturally because high-quality candidates refuse to enter competitions for lack of trust.