British Journal of Photography unveils Portrait of Britain Vol. 7 winners

Each January, Britain’s high streets, rail stations, airports, and shopping centres are transformed into a national portrait gallery as JCDecaux’s digital screens display 100 captivating portraits, selected by some of the country’s leading photography figures. This is Portrait of Britain, a unique nationwide exhibition reflecting the rich and diverse heritage of modern Britain.

Now in its eighth year, Portrait of Britain celebrates the resilience, diversity, and spirit of our nation. This award reminds us of the extraordinary strength we share and the beauty found in every person’s story, even as we embrace change, we welcome new opportunities for growth and innovation. In a world where communities come together to address challenges and build a brighter future – these portraits inspire hope, unity, and a deep appreciation for the humanity that connects us all.

''I couldn’t imagine a better way to start the New Year than with Portrait of Britain on our national network of Out-of-Home digital screens - showcasing the power of the public screen to reach audiences out and about in cities across the UK. It is a joyous, inclusive and thought-provoking celebration of what it means to live in Britain today – and we’d like to thank our partners for working with us to display it across Rail, Mall, Airport and city-centre environments.'' - David McEvoy, Chief Marketing Officer, JCDecaux UK

Mary and Terry © Nic Shuttleworth, Portrait of Britain Vol. 7 winner

Each image demonstrates a unique perspective – a celebration of resilience, remarkable achievements, and the quiet acts of care that define our everyday lives. These portraits offer a refreshing contrast to the headlines, illuminating the strength, love, and shared experiences that connect us all. They remind us of the beauty in our humanity and the enduring bonds that bring us together.

From 06 January until 02 February, these portraits will light up digital screens across the UK, transforming our daily commutes, shopping trips, and walks into an open-air gallery that gives us an insight into Britain today.

All 200 shortlisted portraits, from which the 100 winning images were selected, are featured in the Portrait of Britain Vol. 7 photo book. Published in partnership with Bluecoat Press and sponsored by JCDecaux UK, the book is now available for purchase.

Apart, So Close © Gyorgy Englert

Portrait of Britain
Portrait of Britain is an award-winning nationwide photography exhibition, run by British Journal of Photography, in partnership with JCDecaux UK. The exhibition celebrates the rich tapestry of people that make up Great Britain, by turning their stories into public art.

Portrait of Britain is groundbreaking in its scale and its mission. It is the nation’s biggest photography exhibition and each year is seen by millions of people across the country. Since its inception in 2016, Portrait of Britain’s following has grown exponentially, and this year’s edition welcomed thousands of entries.

Portrait of Nomin © Margarita Galandina

About 1854 Media & British Journal of Photography
British Journal of Photography, the world’s longest running photography title, has been showcasing pioneers of the art form since 1854. Through the lenses of world-class photographers, British Journal of Photography explores rich and timely stories of art, culture, politics and society.

British Journal of Photography has also created a programme of internationally renowned photography awards - including Female in Focus, OpenWalls, Portrait of Britain, BJP International Photography Award and Portrait of Humanity - all of which aim to celebrate emerging and established talent.

Explore BJP's award-winning photographic journalism online, via 1854.photography, and through the pages of its thematically-led quarterly print publication. For more information visit 1854.photography

D-Day Veteran Syd Podd © Richard Cannon

About Bluecoat Press
Bluecoat Press is a London-based publisher that specialises in making photobooks.

Now proudly owned by 1854 Media, publishers of British Journal of Photography, Bluecoat Press was founded in 1992, and for over 30 years has produced over 200 books with artists across photography. Since it was acquired, Bluecoat Press is now run by Tom Booth Woodger, who has taken it into a new direction. We hope to maintain the respect that has been garnered over the past 30 years but also push our books into a contemporary space.

About JCDecaux UK
JCDecaux UK reaches millions of people every day with digital screens on high streets, shopping malls, rail stations and in airports with products and services that enhance people’s lives in cities. It all started 50 years ago when Jean-Claude Decaux had an idea that would go global to provide and maintain bus shelters free of charge, paid for by the advertising posters. Today, our digital assets provide advertising for brands on screens in retail, roadside and transport environments that are powered by green energy, with 50% of revenues going back into the community, funding valuable public amenities such as on-street defibrillators and bus shelters.

Bob the Handyman © Virginie Khateeb

Mirte Iris Rooze © Edek Goralski

Cedric Roux: Before Rebirth

By Cedric Roux

Publisher : ODYSSEE

2024 | 96 pages

Empty storefronts dot the downtown, while massive brick tobacco warehouses stretch the length of city blocks—abandoned and awaiting creative reuse. Wilson, North Carolina, feels frozen in the 1970s. Invited by the Eye on Main Street festival, photographer Cedric Roux made several trips to this enigmatic town. For a photographer used to capturing the vibrant energy of New York City streets—his first book, My Wonderland (now sold out), vividly chronicled the bustling metropolis—his initial encounter with Wilson was a profound shock.

Expecting a town in the midst of a vibrant renaissance, Roux wandered Wilson daily, exploring its diverse areas: downtown, affluent suburbs, and struggling neighborhoods. On either side of the railroad tracks that symbolically and socially divide the city, he sought a light that might suggest an emerging revival..

In his latest book, Before Rebirth, Roux captures this sense of disconnection, using his lens to explore a promise not yet realized. With a population of just 47,000, Wilson is a far cry from Manhattan’s 1.5 million. Used to the dense human energy that fuels his photographic style, Roux found himself reimagining his approach. His work took on a more stripped-down, documentary aesthetic, yet it remains deeply rooted in place and retains the distinctive palette and framing that define his vision..

In collaboration with artistic director Jean-Matthieu Gautier, Roux drew from his imagination and visual archives to craft a narrative that stays true to his photographic roots while stepping far beyond his usual realm.

All About Cedric Roux

John Divola: San Fernando Valley

By John Divola

Publisher : Nazraeli Press

2024 | 60 pages

From the publisher: San Fernando Valley is where John Divola was born and raised, and it served as both backdrop and subject for his earliest, serious photographic explorations, made during the early 1970s. This previously unpublished body of work shows “the Valley” through the eyes of a young photographer who would soon become an internationally-recognized artist with the exhibition and publication of his much more conceptual “Zuma” series. The black and white photographs in “San Fernando Valley” comprise a series of subject groupings which, pulled together, show early manifestations of the deadpan humor and the ability to capture everyday scenes wrapped in loneliness, for which Divola is now well-known. The book is also, and not incidentally, a fascinating record of a quintessentially 1970s Los Angeles culture. John Divola’s work is the subject of numerous books and catalogues. Widely exhibited and collected throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia, Divola’s photographs are included in the permanent collections of many public and private institutions, including those of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Getty Museum, Los Angeles; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

All About John Divola

Cig Harvey: Emerald Drifters

By Cig Harvey

Publisher : The Monacelli Press

2025 | 224 pages

Following her celebrated monograph Blue Violet (Monacelli, 2021), photographer Cig Harvey continues her personal study of sensory experience, focusing on the ephemeral nature of light, pigment, and vision. Her latest photographs are lush tableaux of her signature subjects – flora, cakes, domestic interiors, and the human figure in landscape – accompanied by prose vignettes on the science and art of color, written in her vibrant, intimate style. Featuring an afterword by award-winning novelist and poet Ocean Vuong, Emerald Drifters is a catalogue of pleasures and heartbreaks, and ‘an urgent call to live.’

All About Cig Harvey

Helmut Newton. Berlin, Berlin

By Helmut Newton

Publisher : Taschen

2025 | 244 pages

Born in Berlin in 1920, Helmut Newton trained as a teenager with legendary photographer Yva, following her lead into the enticing pastures of fashion, portraiture and nudes. Forced to flee the Nazis aged only 18, Newton never left Berlin behind. After his career exploded in Paris in the 1960s, he returned regularly to shoot for magazines like Constanze, Adam, Vogue, Condé Nast's Traveler, ZEITmagazin, Männer Vogue, Max and the Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin as well as his own magazine Helmut Newton’s Illustrated. In 1979, the newly relaunched German Vogue commissioned him to retrace the footsteps of his youth to capture the fashion moment. The resulting portfolio, Berlin, Berlin!, inspired the title of the exhibition which celebrates 20 years of the Helmut Newton Foundation. This collection includes Newton’s most iconic Berlin images, as well as many unknown shots from the 1930s to the 2000s: nightcrawlers in uber-cool clubs and restaurants, nude portraits in the boarding houses he knew from his youth, and the Berlin film scene, featuring Hanna Schygulla and Wim Wenders at the Berlin Wall, John Malkovich and David Bowie. In October 2003, only months before his death, Newton moved large parts of his archive to his new foundation, housed in the Museum of Photography beside the Zoologischer Garten station―the very station from which he fled Berlin in the winter of 1938. This publication thus closes a circle in the story of his extraordinary life and work.

British Journal of Photography unveils Portrait of Britain Vol. 7 winners

Discover all the winners

Selected Books