Reading Time: 2 minutes Portrait of Britain returns this year for the fourth time, as photographers all over the country picture the faces of our nation.
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Portrait of Britain
In a nation fraught with division, portraiture is, in many ways, the ultimate collaborative act. Portrait of Britain is back, culminating in the UK’s biggest annual photography exhibition
Why enter
Get exhibited nationwide
100 winning images will be exhibited to tens of millions of people on JCDecaux screens throughout airports, high-streets, train stations and bus shelters
Get published in a photobook
200 shortlisted images will be featured in the Portrait of Britain book published in partnership with Hoxton Mini Press.
Get judged by industry leaders
Judges from past years include Parveen Narowalia, Digital Picture Editor at British Vogue; Sunil Gupta, the pioneering photographer, curator and activist, and Olivia Arthur, Magnum photographer
Get featured in international press
Alongside coverage on BJP-Online and in the print magazine, Portrait of Britain award winners have been featured by BBC, Guardian, Independent, Sky News, Aesthetica, It’s Nice That and many more
Laura Noble
Artist and Director, L A Noble Gallery & FIX Photo Festival
Tracy Marshall
Director, Bristol Photo Festival and of Northern Narratives
Mariama Attah
Curator, Open Eye Gallery
Nicola Shipley
Co-Founder and Director, GRAIN Projects
Eddie Otchere
Photographer, Author, Curator and Educator
Ben Harman
Director, Stills
Nadine Persaud
Deputy Director, Photoworks
David Drake
Director, Ffotogallery
Sebah Chaudhry
Co-Founder and Co-Director, ReFramed
Hear from our past winners
“I have a solo exhibition coming up and several books on the way. Portrait of Britain has been a great platform for people to see my work, and has opened doors for me with curators and publishers”
Kovi Konowiecki, Portrait of Britain 2018 Winner
“Since Portrait of Britain, I’ve done work for Wonderland Magazine, Audi… I’ve been commissioned to do a shoot for Google, and I recently signed to the new photography department at Academy Films. Portrait of Britain helped me stand out”
William Marsden, Portrait of Britain 2018 Shortlist
“Being published in the Portrait of Britain book gives a certain authority to my work when I present it to galleries, which has led to all kinds of opportunities. At the moment I’m involved in two projects, already gaining global exposure, including a feature on the Italian Vanity Fair website”
Hasan Murat Ozkasim, Portrait of Britain 2018 Shortlist
“My portrait got amazing press coverage. It was featured by the BBC, Guardian and Lense.fr, and was published in British Journal of Photography, in the Portrait of Britain book and on JCDecaux screens around the UK. This helped me to meet people across the photography community and to reach out to new clients. Most of all, it gave me the confidence to continue with my work”
Eliska Kyselkova, Portrait of Britain 2018 Winner
Kate Peters
Nirish Shakya
Morgan Shaw
Sophie Harris-Taylor
Alexander Beer
Evelyn Bencicova
Brunel Johnson
Byron Hamzah
Julia Fullerton-Batten
Reading Time: 4 minutes To coincide with Portrait of Britain 2021, photographer and curator Liz Hingley discusses Side Gallery’s latest exhibition: Youth Rising in the UK, 1981-2021
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Reading Time: 3 minutes With Portrait of Britain 2021 open for entries, a selection of this year’s judging panel consider why Portrait of Britain is important today — and crucially, how artists can stand out from the crowd
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Reading Time: 3 minutes “There are certain things that unify us, culturally. Football is one of them”
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Reading Time: 3 minutes To coincide with Portrait of Britain 2021, Vadoliya – who was shortlisted for the award last year – discusses Brotherhood: a project musing on the many ways to be a south Asian man in contemporary Britain
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Reading Time: 3 minutes To coincide with Portrait of Britain 2021, Serena Brown discusses Back a Yard: a project addressing the meteoric rise of the tracksuit in British culture — and how marginalised people come to be priced out of trends they started
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Reading Time: 3 minutes Last month marked four years since the Grenfell Tower fire. To coincide with Portrait of Britain, photographer Tom Cockram reflects on Never Forget Grenfell: a portraiture project conceived to ensure “no one forgets” the lessons taught by a painful part of London’s history
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Reading Time: 5 minutes Luvera has collaborated with individuals experiencing homelessness for over 15 years. His latest exhibition, presented within a public space in central London, aims to shift the narrative
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Reading Time: 5 minutes Kovi Konowiecki began his professional life playing football in Europe. He turned to photography to…
Read More →Frequently Asked Questions
Does the subject(s) or the photographer have to from the U.K?
No – we accept images from international photographers and subjects, the image itself must have been shot within the UK (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland) from 1st January 2019
Do I have to have a model release form?
In order to be one of the 100 winning images shown on JCDecaux screens you must have obtained written authorisation from the subject, or the parent/guardian’s permission if the image is of a minor. You need only have obtained verbal permission to be included in the Portrait of Britain book.
I’m not an 1854 Access Member, how do I enter?
Entry to Portrait of Britain 2021 is part of our Access Membership offering. Join our community today and claim your free entry to this award.
I have lost the email with my entry link
If you have lost your entry, use the reset form here, to send a reminder to your email address.
Can I pay by PayPal / Cheque / Cash?
We can only accept Memberships paid for with a credit or debit card online
Can I enter more than once?
Yes, you may enter as many times as you choose. 1854 Access Members are entitled to submit 10 free images, and have the option to purchase additional 10 image entries following that.
I have a promotional code, how can I use it?
Please first choose the type of entry you wish to make (eg, one series entry). On the next page you will be able to enter your promotional code, and after submitting that form you will see your discount applied.
I have a promotional code, but it doesn’t work?
Please note that most codes are time-limited. If the deadline for using your code has passed, it will not be usable.
I bought too many entries / ran out of time, can I get a refund?
Sorry, but all entry fees are non-refundable, as stated in the terms and conditions that you accepted on entry.
Have my images uploaded correctly?
If your images have uploaded correctly you will see a small version of each photo on the entry page, alongside the caption you entered. If you cannot see your photo, then your image has not uploaded correctly. If a caption has been stored but no image, you can delete it using the Edit option.
There isn’t enough room for my image title, or other text
Please note that maximum lengths that apply to these texts. The length limits are noted on the form used to enter them and are given in characters (letters), not words.
I can’t see the option to submit my entry
The Submit button appears at the top of your entry page once you have uploaded at least one image.
What happens when I submit my entry?
Your entry will be confirmed on a web page after submitting, and then we will send you a confirmation email, and your images (along with their captions, statements etc) are stored, ready to be viewed by the judges.
I have submitted my entry – can I change it?
No, once your entry has been submitted you may no longer alter it in any way.
Could you please check my images / text / entry?
I’m afraid this isn’t possible – our system receives thousands of images, so we can’t check individual ones. Please ensure that you are happy with your images and statement before submitting it.
Portraits must have been taken after 1st January 2019, and depict subjects in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland) at the time of the photograph
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Portraits may be of individuals or groups of people
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All relevant subject consent must have been obtained for the use of the photographs in the outdoor exhibition. In the case of minors (persons under 18) parental / guardian written consent must be obtained.
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Professional and non-professional photographers of all ages are eligible to enter
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Both UK based and international photographers are welcome to enter
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Portraits can be shot using any camera model (film or digital), and images may be portrait, landscape or square in format. Portraits can also be shot on any camera phone.
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Images that are deemed to breach the CAP code or ASA statement on sexual imagery may not be appropriate for the outdoor advertising screen display, in particular images which feature (or reference) swear words, nudity, partial nudity/sexualised imagery, as the images will be shown widely and will be seen by children. However, images to be published in the Portrait of Britain book will not be subject to these constraints.
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Each entrant will be deemed to warrant they own the entire copyright for the work or that they have permission from the licensee and/or copyright owner/s for the uses and that they agree to the use of the work as outlined in the terms & conditions and as outlined during the calls to entry.
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Each image can be a maximum of 10MB in size. All images must be submitted as JPEG files – any files submitted in any other format (including TIFF, PDF, PSD etc) will be discarded.
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You may submit a short statement for each photograph entered. Statements must be under 250 characters in length, and written in English.
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The deadline for entries is 30 September 2021 – 23:59 (UK Time).
Entrants have an additional 24 hours following this deadline to finalise and submit their entry.
Judging will take place shortly after the deadline.
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Once your images and statement have been uploaded to the system you will see an option to submit your entry. Once submitted your entry cannot be altered. Only submitted entries will be viewed by the judges.
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The winning and shortlisted photographers must be available to supply high-res files promptly for publication (Adobe 98 RGB, 300dpi, tiff, 8 bit, full resolution and minimum 3000px on the longest side).
Digital files of the winning images will be created for press and publicity purposes.
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BJP and JCDecaux cannot be responsible for any loss or damage to submitted work.
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No copyright is transferred to the BJP or JCDecaux in respect of any works entered or accepted.
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BJP and JCDecaux reserve the right to display, reproduce and publish in any media, any entry, without payment, for the sole purpose of Portrait of Britain – this year and in future – and its promotion and publicity.
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The exhibition will run on JCDecaux digital screens across the United Kingdom.
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Some images will be published in BJP and JCDecaux’s print and digital channels and in the Portrait of Britain book.
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You will be asked to pay for your entry by Credit Card. All payments are handled securely by our payment partner Stripe. After payment, you will receive an email containing a personal upload URL where you may submit your images and statement.
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All entry purchases are final. Having purchased an entry, it is your responsibility to upload and submit your images and statement before the deadline. No refunds will be issued.
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If through to the shortlist of Portrait of Britain, we may make small editorial changes to text.
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In order to receive your award status, you must be subscribed to the Awards Communications list on our mailing system. If you have not received your status after the deadline, you must simply resubscribe by filling out a form to our newsletter list.
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Please note that 1854 Access members entering awards as part of their membership (as opposed to a paid entry) will be required to remain a member throughout the periods when awards are judged and exhibitions/outputs are planned, for their entries to be eligible.
