Each year, we run 5 internal competitions, and all RCPS members are warmly invited to enter. Do read the briefs carefully: the judges will use these same briefs to assess your entries. Please follow the competition rules and note that you can submit up to 4 images for every competition below (but no more than 3 prints OR 3 PDIs).
Competition 1 – Circles & Curves
Delight us with your own interpretations of:
man-made objects – like architectural features (windows, spiral staircases, etc), machinery, cookies, wheels, or everyday household objects
or nature – like ripples on water, petals, rings in wood, the curl of sea surf, spirals in a shell, the arc of a rainbow, raindrops, etc
Judge:
Martin Litchfield
TTL Camera Club, Doncaster
Submission date
14 September
(2nd Monday back)
Judging date
28 Sept 2026
Competition 2 – Water
We’re fortunate to encounter water everywhere, but not everyone in the world does. From puddles to oceans, tea-making to tears, refraction to reflection, steam to ice… inspire us by seeing something that perhaps no one else did!
Judge:
Rachel Rimell
Winner, Portrait of Britain; finalist, The Guardian’s Women Behind the Lens
Submission date
2 November
Judging date
23 November 2026
Competition 3 – Sacred Spaces
Images should depict clearly identifiable places, objects, people, or activities associated with worship – in any spiritual or religious sense. These may come from any culture or belief system. Entries should be recognisable as sacred in a shared sense; images based on purely personal interpretation are unlikely to fit the brief (eg, “My garden/football club is sacred to me”).
You might want to think about places of worship ancient and new, and the people who attend or work in them – what they wear, what they do. Think symbols, rituals, costume, pilgrimage, music, or rhythms of life such as monasticism. You could focus in on objects like candles, holy books, incense, or prayer objects. We’re asking you to clearly express an element of sacredness, so any record shots should also aim for that.
Judge
Joseph Priestley
Photographer, filmmaker. Film & Broadcast Officer and Head of Marketing & Communications at York Minster
Submission date
11 January
(1st Monday back after Christmas)
Judging date
1 February 2027
Competition 4 – Decay & Ruin
This could be literal or metaphorical. For commonplace things like autumn leaves, rust, peeling paint or demolition sites, we encourage you to dig deep to find a fresh approach or expression. Post-processing could add a twist to your image.
Judge:
Simon Sugden
Photographic author of the books Derelict Britain: Beauty in Decay and Abandoned Britain
Submission date
15 February
Judging date
8 March 2027
President’s Cup: The Garden
NEW! This season, we’ll be using an external judge – which means our president can enter, which means this competition WILL carry points
Bill’s brief is as follows:
“Whether your own garden or someone else’s; whether formal or a wildflower meadow; whether a ’scape or a macro shot… Think about what goes on in a garden – on the level of both flora and fauna (including humans), and in the ebb and flow of the seasons and different weather.”
Judge:
Alasdair McIntosh
Published garden photographer, often commissioned for garden design awards and horticultural & design press
Submission date
29 March
Judging date
19 April 2027
Any questions?
Please contact our competitions secretary