The United Kingdom's Association of Photographers (AOP) has unveiled the finalists for its milestone 40th Photography Awards, marking four decades of celebrating excellence in creative photography and professional image-making. The prestigious competition, sponsored by MPB as this year's headline sponsor, focuses on recognizing human creativity and professional practice across multiple categories.
The London-based professional trade association serves as both an advocate and directory for photographers throughout the UK. This year's anniversary celebration holds special significance as the awards have witnessed numerous photographic styles and trends evolve over the past four decades. The Gold and Silver winners will be announced during a live ceremony at the AOP Annual Showcase event in London on October 9, 2025, where selected finalists' works will also be exhibited alongside the winning entries.
"Given the plethora of photography awards across our industry today, it's even more special that the AOP Photography Awards has stood the test of time, celebrating 40 years of professional practice, in which we have seen many photographic styles and trends come and go over four decades," said Isabelle Doran, CEO of the Association of Photographers. "It's both positive and rewarding to see the continuation of visual rigor from this year's finalists' entries, from profound realism to highly conceptual imagery, each sharing a multitude of facets spanning the lives humans lead, whether captured in the format of stills or moving images."
The 40th AOP Photography Awards features ten individual subject categories, along with additional recognition for Best Commissioned, Best Personal, and Best Moving work. These special awards are evaluated by key industry figures from among all selected finalists. The competition remains exclusively open to AOP accredited photographer members and assisting photographer members, maintaining its focus on professional excellence.
This year's finalists showcase remarkable diversity in their work. Notable entries include Simon Hill's "Blackpool, Central Pier, Balloon Seller" and "Horden, Co Durham, Giving the Side Eye," Greg Funnell's "Ratcliffe on Soar," Dan Burn-Forti's "A Western Wonder 2," and Nick David's "El Jadida City of the Horse." Other standout works include Richard Pullar's "Fish fingers, crinkle chips and beans on a broken plate," Simon Winnall's "Six Senses," and Tom Parker's "Shape Shifting the Steppes."
Additional compelling finalist entries feature Wendy Carrig's "Ghost Gear," Henrik Knudsen's "Surfer, Venice Beach," Alun Callender's portrait "Margo McDaid - Margo In Margate" photographed at her Margate Gallery and Ramsgate Studio, Hugh Fox's "In Her Own Time," and James Day's "Au (Z79)." These works demonstrate the range from documentary realism to conceptual artistry that characterizes this year's competition.
The award categories encompass Documentary, Environment, Fashion and Beauty, Food and Drink, Lifestyle, Portrait, Spaces, Still Life and Object, and Project. As in previous years, participants can submit stills, moving images, and innovative works within each category. All entries must have been created by human creatives or published as new work from January 2024, with the exception of the Project category, which has no date limitation but requires proof of being an ongoing project. The complete gallery of finalist works is available for viewing on the AOP website.
