Press Photographer of the Year 2024

PPOTY 2024

The British Press Photographers’ Association is delighted to announce the return of The Press Photographer of the Year competition for 2024.

Created by press photographers for press photographers, this unique competition enables images submitted to act as a showcase for the outstanding and unprecedented press photography taken for and used by the UK media.

 Our aim is to demonstrate once again that the still image burns the keenest, fastest impression on the public conscience and is the most effective way to show the world as it really is.

Entries will open for the following categories on Friday January 17th 2025 and close at midnight on Friday 24th January:

News Photographer of the Year
Arts and Entertainment Photographer of the Year
Portrait Photographer of the Year
Royal Photographer of the Year
Business Photographer of the Year
Essay Photographer of the Year
Sport Photographer of the Year – Action
Sport Photographer of the Year – Away from the action
Sport Photographer of the Year – Major Event
 (The Olympics, The Paralympics and EUROS 2024)
Young Photographer of the Year
 (under 25s either in full time photography employment or students studying photography at a further or higher education institution)

Each entry will consist of a portfolio of six images – with the exception of the essay category which will consist of ten images.
Entries must be taken between 1st January 2024 and 31st December 2024 (inclusive).

Photographs will be showcased on the website with the winners in each category being voted on by members of The BPPA. The winners of each category will then go forward for the chance to win The BPPA Press Photographer of the Year 2024.

The category and overall winners will receive a specially commissioned trophy and the winning photographs will be exhibited online.

For existing members of The BPPA the awards will be free to enter. The competition is also be open to non-members for a one-off entry fee of £25 for entry into all categories.

For full details and entry requirements – CLICK HERE.

Good Luck,

PPOTY Team

Assignments 2024 | The BPPA Exhibition ON TOUR

France's Caroline Garcia dives in an attempt to return the ball to Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova during their women's singles tennis match on the fifth day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 7, 2023.France's Caroline Garcia dives in an attempt to return the ball to Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova during their women's singles tennis match on the fifth day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 7, 2023. Photo - Adrian Dennis / AFP)

The best of British press photography has come to Port Sunlight in a new exhibition.

The British Press Photographers’ Association are bringing their annual exhibition, ‘Assignments 2024 – The BPPA Exhibition’, to the beautiful Bridge Cottage within historic Port Sunlight. It is the first time the exhibition has been presented in Merseyside and follows a successful showcase in London’s Southbank.

The exhibition is a showcase of the best 100 photographs from members of The BPPA, celebrating the best of press photography. Over the summer, a changing display of 50 photographs will take over Bridge Cottage, one of Port Sunlight’s most distinctive Arts and Crafts-style houses. The exhibition is presented in partnership with Port Sunlight Village Trust, the independent charity responsible for preserving and promoting the village.

Curated by five leading industry figures, this year’s exhibition covers stories from March 2023 through to the spring of 2024 and will feature everything from sports and entertainment through to politics and protest with royals, celebrities, and global events as seen through the eyes of the association’s photographers.

Founded in the mid-1980s, The BPPA has sought to promote and inspire the highest ethical, technical, and creative standards from within the industry, and once again is set to deliver an exhibition of photographs from the cutting edge of journalism.

Thanks to the support of Canon UK, Assignments 2024 is FREE to attend, with donations to Port Sunlight Village Trust welcome.

This year’s curators were photojournalist David Burnett, Reuters UK and Ireland Chief Photographer Suzanne Plunkett, photojournalist Steve Back, Press Association photographer Jane Barlow, and Getty Images sports photographer Justin Setterfield.

  • Assignments 2024 is FREE to attend.
  • The address is 10 Bridge St, Birkenhead, Wirral CH62 4UP
  • It’s open between Wednesday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm, between 8th June and 1st September 2024.

Assignments 2024 | The BPPA Exhibition opens in London

Photo: ©Elliott Franks

The British Press Photographers’ Association presents its annual ‘Assignments’ exhibition celebrating the best of press photography from its members.

Curated by five leading industry figures, this year’s exhibition covers stories from March 2023 through to the spring of 2024 and will feature everything from sports and entertainment to politics and protests with royals, celebrities, and global events as seen through the eyes of the association’s photographers.

Founded in the mid-1980s, The BPPA has sought to promote and inspire the highest ethical, technical, and creative standards from within the industry and once again is set to deliver an exhibition of photographs from the cutting edge of journalism.

  • Assignments 2024 is FREE to attend.
  • Open from 11am to 6pm daily between 24th May and 2nd June 2024.
  • Covers 5 floors of The Bargehouse on London’s Southbank, part of Oxo Tower Wharf.
  • Once again the BPPA bookshop will return during the exhibition.

The Bargehouse can be found on Google Maps here , you can use the post code SE1 9PH or on What3Words the location is lovely.spirit.voted

Assignments Live – International Women’s Day

The British Press Photographers’ Association, in partnership with Sony Pro Imaging, U.K. & Ireland, are delighted to announce the return of our photography talks series ‘Assignments LIVE’. To kick off the new run we are excited to reveal our International Women’s Day panel talk at The Frontline Club on Friday 8th March. We are assembling leading professionals in the field to participate in a photography-focused discussion. Our aim is to delve into the evolving role of a Press Photographer, analysing the landscape of 2024 amidst challenges such as Artificial Intelligence, the decline in newspaper print sales, the growing demand for digital content, shifts in the political sphere, and international conflicts. We will also explore the pertinent question of whether press photography still maintains its significance. Spoiler alert: Yes, it unquestionably does! Join us as we uncover the reasons behind its enduring importance. BOOK TICKETS HERE

Chair:
Alexia Singh a Senior Lecturer on BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communications,  a multimedia producer and photo editor with 20 years’ experience leading creative teams in the news and NGO sectors. During a 16 year career at Reuters News Agency she set up and managed picture desks in London, Paris, and Singapore and launched the Emmy award-winning Wider Image website for immersive storytelling. She has worked for Magnum Photos, WaterAid, DEC and Save the Children as a photo editor and producer.

Panel:
Sarah Lee – who started her professional career 24 years ago as a contract freelancer for the Guardian. She is still there. She’s also one of BAFTA’s regular photographers, and an ambassador for Leica. She recently shot a number of campaigns for Transport for London. And her book “West of West” (loosely focusing on the end of Route 66 in California) was published by Unbound early in 2020. The subject Sarah is most thrilled to have shot is Iris Murdoch.
Lucy Young – a highly versatile London-based photographer specialising in news and features work for national newspapers and magazines, with the bulk of her work commissioned by The Times and the Sunday Times. Her work ranges from capturing breaking events to intimate portraits of the people in the news. Lucy’s work has included the revolution in Libya, the work of Islamic Relief in rural Kenya and images of the Royal family and top political figures in the UK.
Chloe Knott – a freelance sports photographer based in London working across commercial and editorial assignments. After starting out in football with Danehouse Photography, she has worked across a wide range of worlds class events including The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis championships, The Rugby World Cup and Olympic events. Over recent years she has worked primarily under world renowned photographer Bob Martin for clients including The IOC, Sail GP, Manchester City FC and Wimbledon.
Helen Healy – a picture editor with over thirty years experience in the industry. She was the Head of Pictures at the Financial Times for seven years and has also worked at the Guardian, The Times and The Independent. She has seen the newspaper industry move from being a print to a mainly digital product. During her career she has been involved with covering many major news events, including 9/11, the wars in Ukraine and Iraq and Brexit.
Sarah Tilotta – who has worked as a photo editor and photographer for CNN in London since 2016, as part of an award-winning Visuals team covering news, politics, and features worldwide. Her publications as a picture editor and photojournalist have been recognised with Emmy, Webby, and Foreign Press Association awards, among others, on subjects including climate change, LGBTQI+ rights, and migration. Previously she held roles at NOOR Images in Amsterdam, and National Public Radio (NPR) in Washington, DC. She completed an MA in Photojournalism at the School of Visual Communication at Ohio University, and a BA in Visual Arts & Photography from Fordham University in New York.

Thanks must go to our fantastic sponsor Sony Pro Imaging, U.K. & Ireland who have enabled us to bring this event to you.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

The BPPA’s Statement on the use of Generative AI by photo agencies

The BPPA’s Statement on the use of Generative AI by photo agencies

The news that Shutterstock’s generative AI platform has been used to create and sell child-abuse content, as reported by Petapixel, will concern everyone.

Images of child abuse have been constructed from datasets built using millions of real photographs, without the consent of the photographers or those in the photographs. Photographers should be wary of lending their work to any agency that might use it in this way.

The BPPA is shocked and disappointed that Shutterstock made this possible. It harms our members when agencies market genuine photojournalism alongside such imagery.

We’ve taken time to consider how this reflects on the work of photojournalists more widely, and the impact this has on our members.

Generative AI images are fiction. Image manipulation of any sort is against The BPPA’s Code. Use of such content by news publishers harms them and their audiences.

Trustworthy photojournalism such as is produced by members of The BPPA every day requires direct documentation of events by skilled photographers working to the highest ethical standards. Anything short of that is dishonest.

Further reading:
https://thebppa.com/artificial-intelligence-press-photography-and-the-bppas-position/

Assignments 2023 – The BPPA Exhibition

Ukrainian soldiers in their foxhole defending the north of the city of Kharkiv on the second day of the war. 25 February 2022. EDITORS NOTE: This image can only be used in connection with Assignments 2023 - The BPPA Exhibition.

The British Press Photographers’ Association presents its annual ‘Assignments’ exhibition celebrating the best of press photography from its members.

Curated by 5 leading industry figures, this year’s exhibition covers stories from July 2021 through to the spring of 2023 and will feature everything from sports and entertainment to politics and protests with royals, celebrities, and global events as seen through the eyes of the association’s photographers.

Founded in the mid-1980s, The BPPA has sought to promote and inspire the highest ethical, technical, and creative standards from within the industry and once again is set to deliver an exhibition of photographs from the cutting edge of journalism.

  • Assignments 2023 is FREE to attend.
  • Open from 11am to 6pm daily between 19th and 28th May 2023.
  • Covers 5 floors of The Bargehouse on London’s Southbank, part of Oxo Tower Wharf.
  • Once again the BPPA bookshop will return during the exhibition.

 

 

How to find us;

Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House St, London SE1 9PH

Train
Blackfriars, Waterloo or Waterloo East

Tube
Waterloo (Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines) 5 minutes walk
Southwark (Jubilee line) 7 minutes walk
Blackfriars (Circle and District lines) 5 minutes walk

Car
There is secure underground car parking adjacent to the centre. The venue is within the Congestion and ULEZ charging zones.

Boat
Blackfriars Millennium pier or Festival pier

 

Image Credit: Julian Simmonds

The BPPA’s Press Photographer of the Year 2022 Results

We are delighted to announce that Reuters photographer Hannah McKay has been named as The BPPA’s Press Photographer of the Year for 2022. More than 2000 photographs taken throughout the year were entered into the 10 categories by photographers working in the UK and abroad. Members of the association were then invited to vote for they favourite entries in each category with members of the board then choosing the overall winning portfolio from the category winners..

Category Winners

  • Arts & Entertainment- Robert Perry
  • Business – Simon Hulme
  • Essay – Simon Townsley
  • Essay (death of a monarch) Victoria Jones
  • News – Hannah McKay
  • Portrait – Joann Randles
  • Royal – Max Mumby
  • Sport (action) – Ben Stansall
  • Sport (away from the action) – Eddie Keogh
  • Young Photographer – George Cracknell-Wright

Highly Commended

  • Arts & Entertainment – Julian Simmonds
  • Business – Danny Lawson
  • Essay – Kiran Ridley
  • Essay (death of a monarch) – Ben Stansall
  • News – Chris Furlong
  • Portrait – Chris Furlong
  • Royal – James Whatling
  • Sport (action) – Shaun Botterill
  • Sport (away from the action) – Justin Setterfield, Michael Steele and Neil Hall
  • Young Photographer – Molly Darlington

Comment from the Chair:

It’s been another great year for The BPPA’s competition with an increase in the number of entries on last year and also the number of members of our association having their say as to who should be named as winners of each category. The quality of the images is absolutely first class.

It felt that 2022 provided more breaking news and sporting events to focus on than ever before. With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in the summer and then the time following her passing later in the year, I feel that the galleries of photographs in the ‘Royal’ and ‘Photo Essay – Death of a monarch’ categories show how incredibly high the standard of press photography is in this country.

The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the skill and bravery of photographers and many of their images are displayed in our ‘News’ and ‘Essay’ categories. On the sporting front, The Commonwealth Games, World Gymnastics as well as The World Cup and Premier League provided just a few of the subjects on show in the sporting categories.

The Arts, Business and Portraits really do show how creative photographers can be. Also, I’m delighted that once again we have a winner from the regional press as well as freelance winners based in Scotland and Wales representing press photography across the country.

I’d like to thank everyone for entering, judging and to the team at The BPPA for their hard work to run this competition on behalf of press photographers.

Paul Ellis, Chair, The BPPA

We would like to thank our friends at Canon for their continued support

Assignments 2021 – The BPPA Exhibition

Stormzy performs at the 2019 BRIT Awards in London. 18 February 2020. EDITORS NOTE: This image can only be used in connection with Assignments 2021 - The BPPA Exhibition.

The British Press Photographers’ Association present their annual ‘Assignments’ exhibition celebrating the best of press photography from its members. Curated by 5 leading industry figures, this year’s exhibition covers stories from April 2019 through to the recent developments in the pandemic and will feature everything from sports and entertainment through to politics and protest with royals, celebrities and global events as seen through eyes of the association’s photographers. Founded in the mid 1980s, The BPPA has sought to promote and inspire the highest ethical, technical and creative standards from within the industry and once again is set to deliver an exhibition of photographs from the cutting edge of journalism.

  • Assignments 2021 is FREE to attend
  • Open from 11am to 6pm daily between August 27th and September 5th 2021
  • Covers 5 floors of The Bargehouse on London’s Southbank, part of Oxo Tower Wharf
  • Once again the BPPA bookshop will return during the exhibition

How to find us;

Train
Blackfriars, Waterloo or Waterloo East

Tube
Waterloo (Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines) 5 minutes walk
Southwark (Jubilee line) 7 minutes walk
Blackfriars (Circle and District lines) 5 minutes walk

Car
There is secure underground car parking adjacent to the centre.

Boat
Blackfriars Millennium pier or Festival pier.

Image Credit: Samir Hussein, Andrew Baker

Assignments 2021 – NOW OPEN

The British Press Photographers’ Association is pleased to announce that ASSIGNMENTS 2021 is now open for entries. Following a break of more than 2 years we are once again seeking the best of British Press Photography from our members to be exhibited at Bargehouse London in August 2021.

  • Entries are open NOW until midnight on Friday 2nd July 2021
  • Each member can enter up to 10 photographs taken between 12th April 2019 and 2nd July 2021 (inclusive).
  • You must be a member of The BPPA to enter – if you aren’t you can join now.
  • Thanks to our generous sponsors at Canon UK and Fixation it is FREE to enter.

We are also pleased to announce the first of our 5 curators as Tom Stoddart. Tom began his photographic career on a local newspaper in his native North-East of England. In 1978 he moved to London and began working freelance for publications such as the Sunday Times and Time Magazine. During a long and varied career he has witnessed such international events as the war in Lebanon, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the election of President Nelson Mandela, the bloody siege of Sarajevo and the wars against Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Read more about Tom here.

Click here for the rules and entry procedures

Image credits: Left to right anti-clockwise: Hannah McKay / Reuters, Hannah McKay / Reuters, Danny Lawson / Press Association, Peter Nicholls / Reuters, Samir Hussein, Stefan Wermuth / Reuters, Stefan Rousseau / Press Association, Damien McFadden, Dan Kitwood / Getty Images, Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images. Tom Stoddart by Daniela Sbrisny.

The BPPA Press Photographer of the Year 2020 – RESULTS

Inside a COVID-19 ward, New York.

Photo: ©Adam Gray/SWNS for Daily Mail |


The results are in for the first British Press Photographers’ Association Press Photographer of the year competition.

We were delighted to receive more than 2400 photographs from 183 photographers, members and non-members, into the ten categories.

The competition was then judged by our members, 140 of them took part, viewing the 408 entries. The photographer with the most votes in each category went through to be voted on by members of The BPPA board to become ‘The BPPA Press Photographer of the Year’.

We are delighted to announce that The BPPA Press Photographer of the Year 2020 is Adam Gray of SWNS.

Adam took first place in two categories, Photo Essay and the Covid-19 Essay. The board members who voted thought his Covid-19 folio in particular stood out and that he deserved the top award in this, out first, Press Photographer of the Year competition. You can see Adam’s winning folios along with the rest of the winners at thebppa.pixelrights.com

The winning portfolios, voted for by members of The BPPA are:

  • News Photographer of the Year – Dylan Martinez – Reuters
  • Arts and Entertainment Photographer of the Year Neil Hall – EPA
  • Portrait Photographer of the Year – Christopher Furlong – Getty Images
  • Royal Photographer of the Year – Samir Hussein
  • Business Photographer of the Year – James Hardisty – The Yorkshire Post
  • Sport Photographer of the Year (Action) – Tom Jenkins – The Guardian
  • Sport Photographer of the Year (Away from the action) Lee Smith – Action Images/Reuters
  • Young Photographer of the Year – Peter Summers
  • Covid-19 Photo Essay of the Year – Adam Gray – SWNS
  • Photo Essay of the Year (non-Covid-19) Adam Gray – SWNS

Highly Commended :

  • News – Hannah McKay – Reuters
  • Arts and Entertainment – Samir Hussein
  • Portrait Photographer – Dan Charity – The Sun
  • Royal Photographer – Chris Jackson – Getty Images
  • Business Photographer – Christopher Furlong – Getty Images
  • Sport Photographer (Action) – Clive Mason – Getty Images
  • Sport Photographer (Away from the action) Carl Recine – Action Images/Reuters
  • Young Photographers – Molly Darlington – Action Images/Reuters, James Speakman – Mercury Press, Jordan Pettitt – Solent News
  • Covid-19 Photo Essay – Christopher Furlong – Getty Images
  • Photo Essay (non-Covid-19) Kiran Ridley

Lindsey Parnaby, Chairman of The British Press Photographers’ Association, said: “We’ve had an amazing response from photographers entering our first Photographer of the Year competition. It really is a showcase of fantastic press photography from what really was a very memorable year. 2020 will be remembered for many reasons and these collections of photographs document it in a very special way.Many thanks to everyone who entered and thanks must go to our sponsors Canon and Pixelrights. I really hope you enjoy viewing the galleries.”

Adam Gray makes his acceptance speech from New York.