Shortlist 2026 | British Photography Awards

Shortlist 2026

This is a gallery of all the talented photographers who made it into the shortlist. There are 500 images taken all over the world, showcasing the best of British photographic talent.

Select your favourite from each category and help us choose the People's Choice Award.

Portrait
Landscape
Water Life
Drone
Architecture
Documentary
Birdlife
Macro
Sports
Fashion
Land Animal
Commercial: Product
Wedding
Low Light Photography
Self Portrait
Street
Event
Food & Drink
Fine Art
Pets & Domesticated Animals

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Portrait

Alice
Alison Spittle - Big
Bean Man
Between Death and Dawn
Cartões
Dumbiedykes Youth
Dylan
Fatiha El-Ghorri
Francis in his element
Held
John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood.
Katherine
Katy, Lifeguard at Mundesley beach, photographed for RNLI
Love
Matty
Ncuti Gatwa
Nick Celino
Noah Caluori
Recalibration
The Gentleman
The Kings Herald
The Lady and The Falcon
The Vaudevillian
Thea Thomas
Veiled

Landscape

'Summer Glimpse'
1. “Erosion Window
A Cathedral of Light
Ash and Light
Autumn Rays
Black River Ice Swirls
Boardwalk
Circle of Life
Dunstanburgh Morning Glow
Embryonic
Fool on the Hill
From the Deep
Giant's Gorge of Glymur
Lest we Forget
Lone Tree
Morning Light Micheldever Woods
Morning Rise
Petworth Frost
Purple Dawn
Rolling Down
Sculpted by Mist
Stillness
Stream to the sun
The Front Man
Upside Winter

Water Life

A World in the Palm of My Hand
Big Fish in Town
Catching the Red Eye
Compass Cruise
Flying in the crowd
Galapagos Head Shot
Grumpy Frisbee
Holding On
In the limelight
Incubation
Interlocking
Man's fighting
Mother and Pup
Mummy, Daddy and Baby in formation
Reclaimed
Rise up
Saudi Turtle
seascape
Shark in a coral reef
The Fairy Garden
The Fever
The Galaxy Within
The Shark and the Pilot fish
The Smile
Yellow

Drone

A landscape transformed
Abstract Iceberg
After the Storm
Bridge To The Rain
Cornish Summer in Full Mode
Curious Giants
Fan memorials fir Diogo Jota and Andre Silva
First Dronie: Welcome to London
Frozen by the Loch
Go with the Flow
Islands in the Sky
Nature’s Fingerprint
Sunset amongst the heather
That Dam Road
the frozen viaduct
The Geometry of St Giles
The Guardian Within
The Household Cavalry
The Last Wave
The Night Shift
The Perfect Circle
The Road Through
The Shadow of Bled
Towers of Strength
Winter in Cornwall

Architecture

A Measure of Light
Beach window
Berlin Boxes
Botanic Residence
City at Six
Convergence
Green Frames
Heaven’s Beacon
Hidden Mosque
Highland Rest
Lighthouse
Mediopadana
Memories of a Spent Youth
Netherdale
No 5
One man in nine
Pennine
Room with a View
Shaded
Sinking Bunker
Suspended Disc
Suspended in the Inversion
The Social Hub
Urban Living
Vertical Living

Documentary

1 millimetre a day
After hours
Becoming Shiva
Born into Tradition
Confrontation
Confrontation On Parliament Square
Cross
Defying Gravity
England Renaissance
Fury at the Shore
Getting Ready
In the way of Caravaggio
Into the Ocean
Jimmy
Katy, Lifeguard at Mundesley beach, photographed for RNLI
Make Your Own Rain
Nap Time
No Man's Land
Plane spotters at US Airbase RAF Fairford Gloucestershire during Iran War Paul Nicholls
Refuge
Scorched Roots
The daughters of the trees
The Eleventh Night
The Seaweed Farmer
What it Takes?

Birdlife

A Feathered Symphony
Albatross argument
Among Giants
Arctic Shadows
Deliveroo
Fishermens Friend
Flight of Icarus
Gannet Kaleidoscope
Heron and pike
Hungry Hoopoe
Icebirds
Natural Lines
Penguin Yearning
Portrait of Vulture
Rufous on the spot.
Snow White
Surveying the Scene
THE BIRD AND THE BEES
The Bridge of Ospreys
The Early Bird
The pheasant and the fox
The Shape of a Second
The Still Point
Their World, My View
Two African Icons

Macro

“Smoke and Seeds”
A mountain of tea
A Queen Wasp building a nest
Apollo Wings
Brittle
Camouflaged hunter
Crab Spider Dance
Crab-Spider Devouring His Son
Crossing the Spectrum
Dancing Dragons
Holly Parachutes
I’ll huff and I’ll puff
Mittens
Passengers
Petri Planet
Precious Cargo
Swan Feather
Tell him.
The Change
The Leaf Kingdom
The Waiting Game
The way through the woods
Threat Display
Worlds Within
Wrinkled Peaches

Sports

552 Swim In The Castle 2 Castle Swim
A Myriad of Miles
Between Kingdoms
Big Save
Break Out
Catching Rays
Champagne Shower
Completely in the Moment
Down, but not out.
Flame at Chapel, Snoopy in the Frame
Ice Ascent
Jumping for Joy
Kambala: The Faller
Layers
Le Chemin du Curé
Leap Of Faith
Neck and Neck
Now boarding... MotoX Airlines
Pit Lane
Record Breaker
Rising Angel
Street Gap
The Ring of Fire
The Wrestlers
Total Exhaustion

Fashion

Active Girl
Apple Season
Artemuis
Bar Life
Christall
Columbia Street
Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
Harmony in Blue
Held Between
Hiding
Monochrome Michelle
Nature’s Stage
Night of the Hunter
Peaceful and Present
Rabbity
Red delight
Silver Lady
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Spiked
Strength in Simplicity
The Launderette
The Meadow Dress
The upside down
Untethered
What We Carry

Land Animal

Admiration
black leopard low angle
Bored of the View
British Reds & Blues
Crossing
Dune Fox
Endangered Affection
Eyes of the Forest
Family Huddle
FISH TAIL
Happy Hour
Hidden in plain sight
Inquisitive Lion Cub
Leap of faith
Leveret in daisies
Pine Marten up Close
Reindeer on top of the world
Roe Deer in Yellow
Safety
Special encounter
Stag Do
Teejay the Titan
Warmth in Winter
Where the Forest Sparkles
Within Kibale

Commercial: Product

A380 - Short Final
Atmosphere
Audi RS e-tron GT
Bolin • Webb R1 Matte
Brocken Heart
Bud Air
Christmas with Honda
City Driving
DXPULSE Ratchet Wrench
Fixing the watch
Isle of Raasay Whisky
Just Build It
Kipsi Rose Gin
London Essence summer drinks
More Than a Badge
Perrier
RNDL Circus
Rum on the rock!
Secret Shower Singer
Shake It Up
Snail Currency
Spill the Tea
Strawberry bed
The Upside Down
Unexpectedly Delicious

Wedding

45 Minutes later
A Symphony of Reactions
A Vicar in Waiting
Confetti
Daisy.
Edge of the Cliff
Fluke
Just Married, London
Lace & Roses
Legs Together
Light, Shadow, and Us
Llandudno Pier at Sunset
Love Underneath The Arches
More tea vicar
Mother of the Bride
My sailor and me
Sparkler
Spiralling to his bride
Storm cloud
The Girls!
The kiss
The Wait
Veil of Light
Wedding shoes
Where Two Paths Become One

Low Light Photography

A Mile From The Pier
Alignment
An Island of Light
Chasing the Sun
Darkhouse
Defying Gravity
Durdle Door Milkyway
From the Shadows
Guiding Light
Mary Seacole
Neon Reverie
Reflective Photographer
Rosary Beads
Sea World
Summer Nights:
Swirl
The Buck Moon rising over Old Harry Rocks
The Hill
The Mineral Moon
The Night Watch
The Pale Blue Dot
The Pursuit
To the Core:
Twister Stunt Aircraft at Aston Down Airfield Fireworks Display Gloucestershire Paul Nicholls
Wayland's Smithy

Self Portrait

2 Stars
After Midnight
Ascension
Black sand selfie
Delusion
Dissolve
Feel the Music
First Dronie
Flourish
In One Piece(s)
Lady with the Rat (The Cost of Maintenance)
Little Red - Tarred Wings
Proxy Selfie
Rookie mistake.
Self
Standing in the light
Still Becoming
Strands on the Strand
Suicide Bomber
Summer Laundry Selfie (July ‘26)
Tension & Imperfections
The Observer Effect
The One and the Many
Viral Exposure
What goes on inside your head?!

Street

A Man and His Pigeons
A Moment Between Steps
A Moment in Life
A Penny for Their Thoughts, a Farthing for his Ride
A young woman vomits while held by a friend on new year's eve, Wind Street, Swansea, Wales, UK.
Ancient arts
Behind The Headlines
Both
Clean Emissions
Early morning
Front Row
Girl & Dog
Never let me go
Oi Skinhead
Pensioner Liverpool
Proud Artisan
Repeat Business
River Boys
Sea Window
Shades
Shinjuku
The Plunge
Training in flow
Unite the Kingdom march
Wrapped Reality

Event

7ft high loveliness, & level
A Crescent in the Crowd
BattleSnake
Champions Parade Fans
Coilguns Up Close and Personal
Fire Goddess
Framed by Another
Goodwood Racing
Hands
Immersed in Stress Relieving Sound
In Motion
Incoming!
It's Grace !
Last Orders At The Bar
London Tweed Bike Ride
Over & Under
Putting Out the Fires
Stare
The Grinch that hates darts
The Hidden Fire
Through Fire and Fury
Trooping the Colour
Viking Burial
Where's Bald-E
Yungblud

Food & Drink

A Very British Sandwich
Big Brekky Butty
Contrasting Katsu
Fascinator!
Floral Banquet
Just the Essentials
Kirlian Lettuce Study
Lemon Tarts
Made in Britain
Mushrooms
Pancake Stack
Radically Radish
Rainbow Wrap
Raspberry popsicles
Red Hot
Roast pork with crispy sage
Simple Pleasures
Something Fishy Going On
Summer Feast
Sunny Side of Art
Sunshine Cocktails
The King of Burgers
The Painter's Summer Table
Triple temptation
Wine EMERGENCY!

Fine Art

Amid the dunes
Andalucia, 2026
Avon View
Boat in the Clouds
Coral
Defying Gravity
Dusk in the forest
Fractured Self
Happisburgh
Lemon Tree, 2026
Love Grows
Normalisation
Orange rose
Pan
Spinal Column
Standing Stones of Stenness immersed for 9 days
Still, Life
Stripes
Taking Root
Tape
The Never-Changing View
The Sun Within
The Theatre
Together
Trajectory

Pets & Domesticated Animals

'Suspiciously Innocent'
A view with a cost
Andy and Lucky Charm
Becs and Stevie
Born to Swim
Breathe with Nature
Cockatoo eating Ice Cream at an Ice Cream van during heatwave Stroud Gloucestershire Paul Nicholls
Falcon On Fist
Highland Coo
Hunter vs Hunter
In the daisies
Lick me
Mabli
Oh to be golden
On Duty
Once, Under a Darkened Sun
Pet Blessing
Portrait of a Gentleman
Take a bow
The Boathouse
The hunter becomes the hunted
The Quarry Keeper
Underground Hawks
Window to the Soul
Woolly Jumper