Meet the 2021-22 Open Award Finalists. 

“… My top choices surprised me somewhat, but I arrived at them based on a set of criteria: overall visual appeal, technical ability, originality, and that unquantifiable extra ‘je ne sais quoi’ that we all seek… “

“… It was moving to see how photographers explored the constraints, loneliness and impact of lockdown from uniquely personal perspectives but also the sense of cameraderie and freedom so keenly felt afterwards.”

“The range of work and styles seems to have progressed massively with the lines between commercial and editorial often blurred. This is not surprising in our world of 24 hour unlimited content and the demand for authenticity, but great to seat to see that despite the demand for volume, the quality of work by members at the AOP still shines through.”

Always an exciting competition, this year was no exception with each of our judges praising the variety, creativity and calibre of entries.

In the Open Awards the image is king and without categories or restrictions, is possibly the hardest competition to judge. Yet as our panel have pointed out, there are images that stand out and stay with you over time and these are our nominated finalists for 2021-22.

Congratulations to;

Meredith Andrews
Liam Bailey
Simon Brann Thorpe
Jon Enoch
Nicky Hamilton
Mark Harrison
Christopher Lindhorst
Brendan McIlhargey
Dean Northcott
Sujata Setia
Christian Trippe
Paul Winter

And we thank all those who entered the Open Awards and made it such an exciting competition.

Bringing together amateurs and professional alike, the image is what it is all about in this popular exhibition.

Read more and see the full Open Award Finalist Gallery here