Liverpool City Region Photo Awards 2025

Image by Amy Woods from the series ‘Held’

Closed from 20 December – 1 January

Open Eye Gallery and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority present the 2025 Liverpool City Region Photography Awards Winners Exhibition.

Photographic talent is very much alive in the Liverpool City Region. It happens every day, in every postcode; in group chats, in home darkrooms and on the street. Returning for its second time, the Liverpool City Region Photo Awards received over 2,100 images from local people.

Through the work of 18 category finalists, this exhibition pictures what photography looks like and how it is being used across the region right now. All of these stories are shared with us because telling stories, and telling them through photography, is such a huge part of our lives. Category winners and commended submissions make up the physical exhibition, and an image from every entry is featured in the Digital Window Gallery exhibition.

The outside walls of the gallery will see a selection of photography from this year’s Photo Here residencies. Throughout 2025, six diverse groups from across the Liverpool City Region provided a unique snapshot of their lives and communities as part of this year’s LCR Cultural Events Programme. The ‘Photo Here’ project saw established groups, including refugees and asylum seekers, members of the LGBTQI+ community and D/deaf and BSL users, tell their stories and the stories of the areas they live in with the help of professional socially engaged photographers in residence.

Councillor Mike Wharton, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Business, Investment and Trade said: “These awards are more than a celebration of photography – they’re a celebration of the people and places that make our region unique. Every image tells a story of connection and creativity, and that’s what makes this competition so special.

“It’s not just about technical skill; it’s about capturing the spirit of our communities and the shared experiences that bind us together. Through initiatives like this, we’re showcasing the incredible talent that exists in every corner of the Liverpool City Region and reinforcing the role of culture in bringing people closer.”

Winners will be announced on 27 November 2025 at the launch of the photographic exhibition of their work at Open Eye Gallery. The exhibition is open to the public from 28 November 2025 to 11 January 2026.

Declan Connolly, Liverpool City Region Photo Awards Lead at Open Eye Gallery, said: “Photography has the power to stop us in our tracks and make us see the world differently. The finalists this year show just how vibrant and diverse our local talent is – their work reflects the heart of our communities and the possibilities of our shared future.

“These images are not only visually striking; they carry meaning, emotion, and a sense of place. That’s what makes the Liverpool City Region Photo Awards so exciting – they give photographers a platform to share stories that matter and invite all of us to look again at the world around us.”

Category winners will receive £500, while commended photographers will be awarded £100.

Rachel Brewster-Wright from Little Vintage Photography and The Liverpool Darkroom is kindly gifting a prize for each category winner: a goodie bag with a mystery roll of film & a mini-cyanotype kit and a month LVP Membership (which includes):
*In-person Baltic Photo Club event (monthly)
*Online Virtual Film Development Party meet up (monthly)
*Collective exhibition opportunity (Nov-Jan)
*Discount on all LVP products (Workbooks & Cyanotype kits)
*Members rate for every Darkroom Hire Booking.

Little Vintage Photography offers film photography and darkroom workshops, darkroom hire, community membership, events & education for all curious amateur and professional commercial photographers.

The finalists in each category are:

Celebration. Something we celebrate is something we’re publicly proud of – is there something not enough people celebrate? What do you want to tell absolutely everybody about?

Ella J. McConville
Emma Rock
Jude McLoughlin (first place)

Connecting. We connect to people, places, animals, plants and objects everyday, some more meaningful than others. How do you feel about these connections and how would you show them?

John McDonald
Pete Regan (first place)
Stephen McCartney

Futures. We all experience our climate and think about the future of our planet. What around you do you see as a positive? What would you like to keep for the future, and what would you like to change?

Björn Matthies (first place)
Paul Henry
Solenna Argow

Shared Space(s). Where we choose to spend our time reveals a lot about a person and when shared, it can begin to represent the ideals or wants of a community. Your town, cafés, your friend’s house, your favourite bench – every place holds hundreds of stories. Which stories will you choose?

Andrew Shaw
Amy Woods (first place)
Tom Rees

Movement. Running clubs, dancing, travelling or the passing of time. Think creatively – what moves you?

Andrew AB (first place)
Andrew Dunford
Dale Bristo

Care. Care and caring looks different to each person. We can care for our friends, we can care for our communities, we can care for our environment. We can feel cared for. What does care look like for you?