The 2024 AOP Student Awards – shining a light on the next generation of photographers and image makers
© Natalia Krezel
© Jimmy Fletcher, Best In Show 2023. Screenshot from winning film ‘Bempton’. (See full winning entry on page below)
Best in Show plus Gold and Silver winners, along with selected finalists, will have the chance to be showcased and appear in the official 39th AOP Photography Awards Book which is published in time for AOP Awards Showcase in late September 2024.
Stills
A single image, or series of up to 4 images can be entered, created by a person.
Moving image
A piece of moving imagery up to 15 minutes in length, content is up to you but must demonstrate your understanding and skills within the medium. All entries in this category must reference whether the work is collaboration with another artist be it a director, editor, colour-grader, musician etc., or whether it’s the independent work of the photographer. You may wish to illustrate the creative use of technologies for example AR, VR, CGI or any other technique created by a person.
Innovation
You can enter works of innovation with an example of excellence that illustrates the creative use of technologies and innovations in the production of still images. This can be AR, VR, CGI or any other technique created by a person.
Stills Images or Series submitted online should be:
Only the following format will be accepted for judging:
Finalists’ entries will be displayed indefinitely on the AOP Awards website.
No copyright is transferred to the AOP in respect of any works entered or accepted
"Fujifilm is proud to support the next generation of photographers through our association with the AOP’s student awards. We believe in nurturing creativity and innovation in the field of imaging, and we look forward to seeing the incredible talent that emerges from this competition. The overall winner can expect a prize that reflects our commitment to excellence in imaging solutions."
AOP Student members receive a discounted entry fee.
Gold and Silver winners, along with finalists, may also appear in a final showcase event and also feature in The AOP Photography Awards book.
© Kasia Kowalska. Flora – Teasel I / SILVER – THINGS 2023
Whatever your vocation, passion, course or age, we invite you to inspire us with your photography.
This category covers any form of people-photography from portraiture to street photography, photojournalism and beyond. The People category is an opportunity to make visual comments about the human race and its ways. In previous ‘portrait’ categories, animal pictures have been featured but the originators of this category feel that entries this year should feature the human race.
Rather than duplicate possible locations such as landscapes and architecture, we offer this category which provides unlimited opportunities. We promise that we will be as flexible as you need us to be.
This category covers almost everything else. Think Irving Penn’s found objects, Mapplethorpe’s flowers, Ori Gersht’s explosions, cats, dogs, bats and monkeys by Tim Flach, and sublime still-lifes by Richard Maxted and then make something unique and sensational of your own. We can’t wait to see your work.
Meet our judges for the 2024 Student Awards
Photographer Michael Wharley has been shooting for 14 years, earning a reputation both for sensitive portraiture of people and places, and for cinematic imagery that lends itself to the advertising world. With leading entertainment clients including Netflix, Disney, Warner Brothers, Audible and The National Theatre his key art campaigns for film, TV and theatre are seen globally, while his portrait work regularly features in national press and won him an AOP Gold Award in 2022.
Sachini Imbuldeniya is the CEO of full–service content agency House of Oddities. Built on the principle that ‘difference makes a difference’, she has dedicated her career to making the creative industry a more equitable and inclusive space both in front of and behind the camera.
From founding an artist agency that champions exceptional talent from the most underrepresented groups in the UK’s creative sector, to producing a short film for the United Nations to support the plight of first, second and third generation immigrants that attracted 300 million views worldwide. She is also a UN Women UK delegate to the United Nations Commission on the status of women (CSW68), and has made it her mission to use her voice to advance the rights of women and girls, and accelerate the achievement of gender equality globally.
With a background in graphic design, art direction and creative direction, Sachini has worked at editorial publications including The Sunday Times Magazine and GQ and has created award-winning campaigns for some of the biggest brands on the planet including Gucci, Google, Cartier, Snapchat, Audi, M&S, Samsung, British Airways, Tesco, NSPCC, Kia, Tom Ford, AMEX, Sky, National Geographic, McDonalds, Chanel, Unicef and Virgin.
Sachini has featured on Campaign & Creative Equals Future Leaders List, Creative Pool Annual’s Top 100 Creative Leaders of the Year and was an Honouree for Diversity & Inclusion at Campaign’s Female Frontier Awards. She is also a regular judge for the D&AD awards and the Creative Review Annual.
Hello, I’m Frankie a London based photographer.
I take pictures that involve food, sometimes people, and often products.
Working out of my Peckham studio, I’m lucky enough to work with some of the most creative and innovative individuals within the food and drink industry.
I visited Bempton Cliffs for the first time in July 2021, and I was completely blown away by what I witnessed there. The sound was immense. Crashing waves and erratic bird calls seemed to surround me and engulfed the entire cliff tops. As I looked down from the cliff tops, I was absolutely astonished. The sky, the sea, and every inch of cliffs and outcrops seemed to be dominated by Seabirds. The sky was filled with Gannets flying back and forth with food and nesting materials, the cliff faces saw Gannets feeding young, mating, building nests, clashing beaks and fighting for territory. I immediately fell in love with this almost prehistoric looking scene and decided that I wanted to recreate this emotive experience, so I came up with the idea of my multi-screen short film, Bempton. Bempton was filmed over the course of a year, from March 2022 – March 2023 and documents the entire breeding season of the Northern Gannet at RSPB Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire. Each year these cliffs are brought to life with the incredible sights and sounds of over 200,000 seabirds who use them as a space to raise their chicks between the months of March and October. The film, spread over three screens, captures the changing landscape of the cliffs, the fight for territory, and the beauty of the Gannets’ courtship over the course of a year. The imagery is accompanied by an incredibly immersive soundtrack, which is comprised of both an emotive score (composed by Simon Turner) and the natural sounds of the landscape and birdlife.
© William Turner, University of Derby – Professional & Applied (Photography). SILVER Places 2022
Denouement , (Series) © Karo Birger, University of South Wales. SILVER Things 2022
© John Buchanan
The Association of Photographers is a membership organisation dedicated to promoting, protecting and educating photographers of all levels – from those starting out, to experienced professionals, and everyone in between.
© The Association of Photographers Ltd
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.
Enter our 39th AOP Awards…