Supporting the Future of Photography
Supporting the Future of Photography
Their work can also be seen online at https://www.aopawards.com/awards/student-awards/.
This year’s core themes in the submitted images reflect a strong sense of the playful and surreal alongside a deep connection with the natural world. The Awards reflects the AOP’s continuing commitment to shining a light on the next generation of photographers and image makers.
All images © of stated photographer
These annual awards present an array of diverse and vibrant talent from students across the UK, representing 21 different UK photography courses from HND to MA level. This year, its 41st, sees 50 entries from 48 individuals divided across three categories – People; Places; Things – of which there are gold and silver recipients with one overall winner.
The Best in Show overall winner, Rupert Allen (BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, University of Gloucestershire) receives a £2500 Fujifilm UK kit prize and a one year Capture One Studio subscription for his series Church of Coal, a documentary project using large format photography to record both the coal miners who used to work, and those who still continue to work, in the last working drift colliery in Western Europe which is situated in South Wales.
All entries are selected blind by individual category judges, with the full judging panel coming together to select Best In Show. In addition Rupert Allen received Gold for the People category.
All three of the category gold winners receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Capture One ‘All in One’ and a tailored AOP membership package to support the start of their professional careers.
Rupert Allen, winner of Best In Show and says of his Best In Show winning series Church of Coal, “In collaboration with the NUM (National Union of Miners) in Pontypridd, and the National Museum Wales, this project has taken me across South Wales, in search of answers to my question: what happened to the miners; what happened to the collieries; and how have they both adapted in the 21st century.
Hearing their stories, and documenting them as they are now, has allowed me a glimpse into the real people and places, to understand what really happened and what a select few have done to overcome the crisis that rocked much of industrial Britain. As with their age now, there is not much time left before these people fade into obscurity and out of the public mind, much like the ruins of the halls and mines they once worked.”
“Fujifilm is delighted to support the next generation of photographers through the AOP's Student Awards in 2026. We believe in nurturing creativity and innovation in the field of photography and imaging, and look forward to seeing the incredible talent that emerges from this competition.”
The judges for the AOP 2026 Student Awards are People – Aneesa Dawoojee, award winning AOP accredited portrait and social documentary photographer and photographic educator; Places – Greg Funnell, AOP accredited photographer who has spent the last two decades working across over 70 countries; and Things – Eleanor Harrison, founder/director at photography agency Pearson Lyle Management Ltd.
Eleanor Harrison, judge of the Things category as well as Best in Show, says of Rupert Allen’s Best in Show win, “All three judges were really taken with the narrative maturity and sensitivity of this series. It was a glorious use of both black and white imagery for true visual storytelling.”
Entry to the AOP Student Awards 2026 is open to all students (including those from overseas) studying photography in the UK at FE level or higher. The AOP Student Awards were established in the early 1980s, to recognise and highlight emerging photographic talent which existed in further education institutions across the UK. Many of the AOP Student Awards winners go on to become discovery winners as assisting photographers and then as professional photographers for the AOP Photography Awards, as the organisation prides itself on nurturing talented photographers throughout their career.
Isabelle Doran, CEO of The AOP, explains, “Our annual AOP Student Awards are acknowledged as an industry standard for identifying the next generation of talent. This year our professional judges have had a herculean task whittling down the finalists for our 2026 AOP Student Awards, and I’m genuinely impressed with their selection of still and moving images. Whether it’s people, places or things as the categories, the undiluted visual perspectives from this year’s finalists shows confidence and consideration for the subject matters they’ve photographed; some challenging our perspectives, others celebrating authenticity. We are looking forward to celebrating their achievements and look forward to seeing where they head.”
Best in Show plus Gold and Silver winners, along with selected finalists, will have the chance to be showcased and appear in the official 41st AOP Photography Awards Book which is published in time for the AOP Awards Showcase on 9 September 2026.
For further press information, images, and interview requests please contact
Sam Trenerry – [email protected]/ [email protected]
The AOP Photography Awards are known as the ‘Oscars’ of the photography world. They celebrate excellence in the creative photography and image-making industry.
This is your chance to be seen by leading commissioners and names within the photographic industry.
Check out our 39th AOP Awards FINALISTS and WINNERS
