About
The National Railway Museum and the Railway Photographic Society present the second iteration of the UK’s Young Railway Photographer of the Year competition. All photographers aged 25 and under are invited to enter and submit work surrounding this year’s theme, Railway 200.
The competition is open to entrants of all photographic abilities, whether amateur or professional. Any devices capable of photography are permitted to be used, including smartphones.
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: Railway 200
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.
We invite you to creatively respond to this competition to celebrate two hundred years of passenger rail travel, past, present and future. We’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.
Entrants
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.
There is no entry fee for the competition.
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 using this form 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.
The website will be open and available to accept entries from 1 February 2024 and entries must be received by 31 January 2025.
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.
Judging
All portfolios will be assessed using a standard set of criteria based on the quality of the image, its composition and how the photographer has interpreted the competition’s theme.
A panel from the partnering organisations will judge the entries in each category as a portfolio of six images and will select an overall winner. The shortlisted entrants will be notified in Spring 2025 and invited to an awards event at the National Railway Museum in Summer 2025, where the winners will be announced. Unfortunately, due to the number of submissions we expect to receive we will not be able to contact entrants whose work is not shortlisted.
Portfolios of shortlisted and winning entrants will be displayed in a temporary exhibition at the National Railway Museum in summer 2025 and potentially other locations as well.
Copyright
By submitting your images to us you are agreeing for the Science Museum Group and partners of the competition to use them. We have two different types of use: commercial and non-commercial.
The museum may also wish to enter your submission into our picture library for commercial use. This might involve inclusion in a book, calendar, TV documentary, website, magazine editorial, or products on sale. We will contact you before your submission is included in the picture library to discuss royalties. All Science Museum Group profits from commercial use supports the museum. Please ready our terms and conditions at www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/terms.asp.
Non-commercial use might include an exhibition, on social media, or archiving your submission in perpetuity into the National Railway Museum and Science Museum Group.
The copyright of the images will be retained by the photographer although all entries will be accepted on the basis that the photographer gives permission for any images submitted to be reproduced by the sponsors without a fee in furtherance of the competition. Wherever possible, images will be credited to the photographer.
Prizes
Entrants will have the chance to win fantastic prizes donated generously by our 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.
Prize for overall winner, and winner of each age category:
- Fujifilm X-T5 Silver digital camera with XF16-50mm lens
Fujifilm have generously contributed three cameras to the winning entries of the competition. If the overall winning photo is from the winning portfolio for either age category, the third camera will be awarded to the recipient of the Railway Photographic Society award.
Other 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
Child Protection
Consent from a parent or guardian will be required for any entrant under the age of 18. Any entrants under the age of 18 will be required to be accompanied by an adult upon attending any competition-related events.
Data Protection
Your information will be processed for administration, marketing and charitable purposes in accordance with our Privacy Policy, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and any related data protection laws applicable in the UK. We will not share your personal details without your consent nor email you about our events, fundraising and activities unless you choose to hear from us. If you have any questions regarding the use of your data, please read our (NRM) Privacy Policy.
Mortons Media Group Ltd. will be collecting data on behalf of the National Railway Museum for the purposes of this competition only. All information submitted via the website and form will be collected and managed in a manner consistent with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
All data collected will be stored securely until 31st January 2026 and deleted at this point by Mortons Media Group Ltd. Deletion may be sooner if the judging process is completed before this deadline.
Mortons Media Group Ltd. will not share your personal details with any other party, and it will not be used for any other purpose other than to facilitate this competition with the National Railway Museum.
Please refer to our (MMG) Privacy Policy for further details. Any data shared with the National Railway Museum will be managed in accordance with their privacy notice which you can view here.
Enquiries
Any enquiries about the competition should be sent to [email protected]
Disclaimer
Whilst every attempt will be made by the Science Museum Group, Railway Photographic Society and competition partners to hold the competition in the manner outlined and/or to offer the advertised prizes, neither of these parties will accept any liability for any cost or liability incurred should it be necessary to change, vary or cancel any of the competition arrangements or prizes.
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