Photography Competition

THE NATIONAL HISTORIC SHIPS PHOTO COMPETITION RUNS FROM 1ST MAY - 31 AUGUST 2024

The always popular National Historic Ships UK Photography Competition is back for a 15th year, in partnership with Classic Boat magazine. This year’s theme is “True Colours” and there are some fantastic prizes to be won, as well as the chance to be featured in the 2024 Calendar and accompanying exhibition at Historic Dockyard Chatham. 

With its Naval origins, this year’s theme is open to your interpretation.  It invites you to capture the distinctive colours found around our waters in different places and times of day – a boat moored up on a still creek at blue hour, the iconic red sails of a Thames barge, a brightly painted narrow boat, a sailing yacht on turquoise seas, a passenger vessel cruising the green depths of a loch or estuary, a glorious pink sunrise over a fishing harbour, or a class of schoolchildren in high-vis orange visiting their local museum ship.

You might choose to delve deeper and portray a historic vessel’s ‘true colours’ by depicting its ribs and frames, its original purpose, or a team member demonstrating their life-time commitment to conserving the UK’s maritime heritage. 

We're hoping for entries which cover a wide range of vessel types, big and small, afloat or ashore.  Boats and ships are closely entwined with human stories, and we want this competition to showcase the people who connect and engage with these craft.  With a multitude of events, open days and anniversaries including 80 years since D-Day and RNLI 200, there will be plenty of opportunities to celebrate our maritime heritage this summer, so keep your cameras at the ready for a chance to win! 

Categories
 

We are delighted to once again be partnering with Classic Boat to offer the Classic Boat Award with the winner taking home a specially commissioned trophy and a 2-year subscription to the magazine.


Our People’s Choice Award will be running on Instagram, where you'll have a chance to vote for your Photo of the Month throughout May, June, July and August.  These four monthly winners will then go through to the Grand Final in September, when the public will vote to decide their favourite photograph of the year. 
 

The Newcomer of the Year Award is made to the best photograph submitted by someone who has not entered the competition before.
 

Finally, the judges' favourite of all entries to the competition will be awarded National Historic Ships UK's Photographer of the Year 2024. 


Judging
 

Our judges will be looking for creativity, composition and best fit for the theme or category.  The winning images, alongside some of the judges' other favourites, will be featured in our Annual Review and 2025 Calendar.  Images can be captured by camera, mobile device or drone.

The winners of the National Historic Ships UK Photo Competition 2024 will be announced in our 2024 Awards film, premiering on Youtube in November.  
 

The information you give us when you submit an image is kept on our electronic records system and is only accessible to authorised staff.  This personal data is held alongside the relevant images for copyright and acknowledgment purposes.  If you have a question about the way we handle your personal information please contact info@nationalhistoricships.org.uk