The British Photography Awards has revealed its 2026 shortlist, featuring 498 photographs across 20 categories, with the public invited to vote for their favourites in the People’s Choice Award.
The selection brings together work by British photographic talent captured in locations around the world, covering subjects from portraiture and wildlife to landscape, documentary and aerial photography. The shortlisted images are available to view through the awards’ online gallery ahead of the ceremony on 1 November 2026.
The shortlist covers a broad range of photographic disciplines, including architecture, macro, sports, fashion, wedding, street and low-light photography. Visitors to the gallery can browse the entries by category and select their preferred photograph from each, helping to determine the People’s Choice Award. The competition’s entry period opened on 17 July and closed on 16 August, with the awards ceremony scheduled to take place from 5pm on Sunday 1 November.
From aerial landscapes to wildlife portraits
Among the shortlisted photographs is Embryonic by John Seager, entered in the Landscape category. Taken above Big Lagoon in Western Australia’s Francois Peron National Park, the photograph shows the coastal landscape from a light aircraft shortly after sunrise. Seager used a Canon EOS R5 with an RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens, photographing at 1/3200sec, f/5 and ISO 400.
Seager also appears in the Drone category with Go with the Flow, photographed above a glacial river on Iceland’s south-west coast. Using a DJI Air 3S, he captured 17 overlapping images and stitched them together to show the mineral-rich water and sediment forming patterns across the wetland.
Wildlife and underwater photography are also represented. Eyes of the Forest by Dave Smith, shortlisted in the Land Animal category, depicts a Philippine tarsier looking through foliage at the Bohol Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella, Philippines. Smith used a Sony A7R II with a 24-105mm f/4 G OSS lens, working under the guidance of conservation staff to photograph the nocturnal primate without disturbing it.
Portraits and personal stories
The Portrait category includes Between Death and Dawn by Timon Halbach, photographed in Varanasi, India. The image shows a sadhu holding two skulls beside his face, with the symmetrical composition placing the subject’s eyes between them. Halbach used a Sony A7R V and FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II lens at 52mm, with an exposure of 1/250sec at f/3.5 and ISO 100.
A different approach to portraiture can be seen in Born to Swim by Jack Jackson, shortlisted in the Pets & Domesticated Animals category. Photographed at Balmy Beach in Toronto, the image captures Sophie, a dog whose family has a strong connection to swimming and the lake. Jackson photographed from water level using a Canon EOS R5 and an RF 10-20mm lens at 10mm, with a Godox AD400 strobe providing additional illumination.
How to vote in the People’s Choice Award
The full shortlist is available on the British Photography Awards 2026 gallery, where visitors can explore the 498 photographs and select their favourites across the 20 categories. Alongside the categories featured here, the selection includes Documentary, Birdlife, Commercial: Product, Fine Art, Food & Drink, Self Portrait and Event photography, among others.
The British Photography Awards 2026 ceremony is scheduled for Sunday 1 November, beginning at 5pm. With entries now closed, attention turns to the shortlisted photographers and the public vote, which gives visitors an opportunity to recognise work across a wide range of photographic subjects and techniques.
Press release
Shortlist 2026
This is a gallery of all the talented photographers who made it into the shortlist. There are 498 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
If you want to be kept up to date with the competition, sign up to the BPA mailing list.