Portrait of Britain

Portrait of Britain is an annual British portrait photography award run by the British Journal of Photography. ^{[1] [2]} Its subject is the diversity of British people. ^[3] The 100 winning portraits are displayed on JCDecaux's digital screens across Britain throughout the month of January. ^[4] It launched in 2016. ^[4]

Since 2018, an eponymously titled book has been published with 200 of the shortlisted portraits from each year.

Details

One of the winning portraits from the 2023 competition

The competition's subject is the diversity of British people ^[3] "and the way their narratives reflect its widely unstable political and social landscape." ^[5] It was partly inspired by Brexit. ^{[4] [6]}

It is open to anyone to enter but photographs must have been taken within the previous six years and "depict subjects living in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland) at the time of the photograph," the British nationals of the British Overseas Territories (those parts of the British Realm outwith the archipelago of the British Isles) being excluded. ^[7]

The 100 winning portraits are displayed on the outdoor advertising company JCDecaux's digital screens located in railway stations, shopping centres, bus stops and high streets. ^{[4] [3]} Each image appears on each screen for five to ten seconds. ^[4]

The competition ran in September 2016, ^[8] September 2017 ^{[5] [9] [10]} September 2018, ^{[11] [12] [13] [14]} December 2021 ^[15] September 2022, ^[16] 2023, ^[17] and 2024 ^{[18] [19]} with winners announced the following year.

Publications

• Portrait of Britain. London: Hoxton Mini Press, 2018. ISBN   978-1-910566-38-1. With an introduced by Will Self. Work by 200 photographers alongside information about each image and selected quotes from the photographers.
• Portrait of Britain: Vol 2. London: Hoxton Mini Press, 2019. ISBN   978-1-910566-54-1. With an introduction by Ekow Eshun.
• Portrait of Britain: Vol 3. London: Hoxton Mini Press, 2020. ISBN   978-1-910566-77-0. With an introduction by David Olusoga.
• Portrait of Britain: Vol 4. London: Hoxton Mini Press, 2022. ISBN   978-1-914314-13-1. With an introduction by Jess Phillips.
• Portrait of Britain: Vol 5. London: Hoxton Mini Press, 2023. With an introduction by Rachel Segal Hamilton.
• Portrait of Britain: Vol 6. London: Bluecoat, 2024. With an introduction by Simon Bainbridge.
• Portrait of Britain: Vol 7. London: Bluecoat, 2025. With an introduction by Diane Smyth.

References

1. "'Portraits of Britain' is coming to rail stations and shopping centres". Time Out London. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
2. "These Beautiful Pictures Aim To Paint A Portrait Of Britain". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
3. Driscoll, Brogan (6 September 2016). "Adverts Replaced By Stunning Photo Exhibition To Reflect Diversity Of British Public". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
4. Genova, Alexandra. "100 Portraits Take Over Britain's Ad Screens". Time. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
5. Manatakis, Lexi (31 August 2017). "Portraits that reflect the changing face of Britain". Dazed. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
6. "Portraits that reveal the changing face of Britain". Huck Magazine. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
7. "Rules". Portrait of Britain. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
8. "New portraits that reflect the changing face of Britain". Dazed. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
9. "Displaying Britain's diversity". BBC News. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
10. "Survivors, celebrities and a septuagenarian surfer: Portrait of Britain – in pictures". The Guardian. 3 September 2017. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2018-04-24.
11. "A nanny, a rabbi, a puppy and a parrot: portraits of Britain today - in pictures". The Guardian. 30 August 2018. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2018-08-31.
12. "'Portrait of Britain' photography competition highlights diversity of nation". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
13. "Portrait of Britain winners capture the diversity and beauty of the public". Metro. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
14. "Portraits celebrate Britain's diversity in 2018". BBC News. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
15. "Portrait of Britain 2021 winners – in pictures". The Guardian. 15 December 2021. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2021-12-26.
16. Ruffatti, Isabella (9 January 2023). "BJP announces the Portrait of Britain Vol.5 winners". Amateur Photographer. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
17. ""The quirky, the mundane": Portrait of Britain selects some of its best winners yet". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
18. Stone, Mee-Lai (2025-01-07). "Fight for the spotlight! Portrait of Britain winners – in pictures". the Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-02-05.
19. Carter, Kalum (2025-01-06). "British Journal of Photography reveals the 100 winners of Portrait of Britain Vol.7". digitalcameraworld. Retrieved 2025-02-05.

External links

• Official website