- Photography competition in its second year after successful inaugural event
- Free-to-enter photographic contest with £10,000 in prizes
- 14 diverse categories from action to wildlife: including ‘People’s Choice’ (publicly voted) and new ‘Emerging Talent’ category open to photography students
- Entry online or in-store across 26 UK locations
UK independent retail group London Camera Exchange (LCE) is inviting entries for LCE Photographer of the Year 2025, following the success of the inaugural 2024 contest, which attracted more than 13,000 entries.
This year’s competition incorporates 14 different categories and is open to photographers of all levels of experience*. New for 2025 is the ‘Emerging Talent’ category for students currently studying photography, with a prize for both the student and the university or college, helping to support the development of future photographers. As last year, the popular ‘People’s Choice’ category will be open to public voting.
Entries can be submitted online at https://poty.lcegroup.co.uk/ or in person at any of LCE’s 26 stores across the UK. Store locations can be found at https://www.lcegroup.co.uk/our-stores/. The entry deadline is midnight on 21 January 2025, with early entries having a better chance of winning the publicly-voted category.
The competition has been made possible with the generous support of leading photo industry brands including headline sponsors Canon, Nikon and Sony, plus partners Fujifilm and OM System.
Winners receive a share of the £10,000 prize fund and impressive trophy, with the overall competition winner presented with a total of £3,000 in LCE vouchers. The awards ceremony will take place at The Photography & Video Show in March 2025 at ExCel, London. Final shortlisted images will be displayed at an exhibition at the show and be featured in a special commemorative book.
Judges include respected photographers and editors including SheClicks founder and journalist Angela Nicholson, Chris George, content director at Future Publishing, and street photographer Peter Dench.
Lee Harasyn, managing director of LCE, commented, “Last year’s competition was immensely popular, attracting large quantities of high-quality entries across every category and genre. We’re thrilled to announce it is now open for submissions for the second year, and proud to provide this platform for photographers to showcase their talents and gain visibility. With the addition of the ‘Emerging Talent’ category we are pleased to help showcase the creativity and vision of up-and-coming photographers, providing them with an opportunity to present their work and find a route into the industry early in their careers. We can’t wait to see the entries and look forward to discovering some exceptional photographers.”
The LCE competition is open to photographers aged 18 and over. Entries will be accepted from photographers worldwide, however, prizes will only be awarded to UK residents. Full terms and conditions, rules and FAQs can be found here.
Categories:
Action
After Dark
Birds
Creative
Emerging Talent
Landscape
Macro
Music
Pets
Portrait
Street
Travel
Wildlife
People’s Choice
LCE is the UK’s largest chain of independent photographic stores. A trusted brand, the retailer offers a wide selection of products and services for beginner, enthusiast and professional photographers, as well as filmmakers and creators, and has been recognised for its outstanding customer service and support across the photographic media for many years.
Featured Photo by Ishon Studios on Unsplash.
