Young Railway Photographer of the Year Competition (United Kingdom)

Shortlisted entries will be displayed as part of an exhibition at the National Railway Museum in York in mid-2025 as part of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

Entrants will be judged in two age categories, 18 and under and 19-25, and are invited to submit a portfolio of six photographs that reflect the competition’s theme.

The competition is organised by the National Railway Museum and the Railway Photographic Society, and partnered by Mortons Media Group Ltd, Network Rail, GB Railfreight (GBRf), and Amateur Photographer Magazine.

Theme

• 2025 marks a significant milestone in railway history: the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the world’s first passenger railway service. The railway industry has come together to celebrate this landmark occasion with a year-long programme of events and activities in 2025.
• Ambition, ingenuity and innovation have spanned the past two centuries of the railway and have paved the way for endless technical accomplishments in the future.
• They invite you to creatively respond to this competition to celebrate two hundred years of passenger rail travel, past, present and future. they’re interested in captured moments of the UK railway in its broadest sense, and this may include, but is not limited to:
  • Architecture and structures
  • Tracks and routes
  • Signalling and signage
  • Railway and carriage design
  • Travel experiences
  • Railway landscapes
  • Heritage and nostalgia
  • Innovation and ingenuity
• Please note: Entries will not be accepted if they have been taken from an unsafe railway location or a location where the photographer has clearly been trespassing on railway property.

Prize Information

• Entrants will have the chance to win fantastic prizes donated generously by the partners and sponsors, including journeys on heritage railway lines, bespoke travel experiences and subscriptions to leading railway publications.
• A single image will be chosen by the judging panel as the overall winning image of the competition. This need not be an image from one of the winning portfolios in either of the entrant categories.
• Prizes include
  • A tour on Network Rail’s New Measurement Train for up to six people
  • The opportunity to contribute to the Railway Photographic Society’s Print Folios
  • A GBRf cab simulator experience for up to four people
  • A behind-the-scenes tour of Boston Lodge with the Welsh Highland Railway for up to four people
  • Tickets to ride on heritage railway lines across the country
  • Subscriptions to some of the UK’s leading railway publications
  • Copies of The Photographic Artistry of Rail Cameramen by John Hillier
• Prizes will be awarded to
  • The first, second, and third place winners in  each age category
  • The overall competition  winner
  • The recipient of the prestigious Railway Photographic Society award

Format

• Entrants are required to submit a creative and exciting portfolio of six images inspired by the theme ‘Railway 200’. These images can differ in content and composition, but it’s important that each of them captures the theme by demonstrating your unique interpretation of it.
• They should be submitted online as RGB JPEGs, with a maximum file size of 10MB and with a minimum of 3000 pixels along the longest edge.
• Details of each image (name, picture title, date taken, image file number and contact details) must be provided on the form when images are sent.
• Images should be taken after the competition opens to entry on 1 February 2024.

Photographic Equipment

• Images can be taken on any piece of image-taking equipment including cameras and phones. Each entrant will be required to provide details of the equipment used and any relevant technical information.

Eligibility Criteria

• Entries will be accepted from photographers aged 25 and under, before 31 January 2025.
• The competition has two age categories entrants can apply to:
• · Photographers aged 18 and under
• · Photographers aged 19 – 25
• Shortlisted entrants will be required to provide proof of eligibility in the form of official identity documentation.

For more information, visit NRM.