January 9, 2023

The British Journal of Photography has announced the winners of Portrait of Britain, the UK’s biggest annual photography exhibition, which is run in collaboration with JCDecaux. This award is designed to illustrate the diversity of life in modern Britain.
The 99 winning portraits will be featured in a month-long exhibition in partnership with JCDecaux and in a book showcasing the 200 shortlisted images. They can also be seen throughout January on JCDecaux’s digital screens on highstreets, bus shelters, shopping malls and train stations across the UK.
See some of the winners below:
Miss Past, Present & Future by Aicha Thomas
Southbank Centre
“This shoot was very important for me to execute, because Black women are constantly pushed out of societal norms when it comes to beauty standards. Whiteness is also often seen as ordinary, whilst Black beauty and femininity are usually figurative. Therefore, by placing this beautiful model in a beauty pageant setting (which are usually white-led) without her hair altered or tampered with, and hair as her crown, I created my own rules and will strive to continue to truthfully depict/represent Black women and more importantly Black people as a whole, in my art.”
Sharon Baker by Allie Crewe
Somerset, UK
“Sharon is one of the few senior police officers in the country to be a woman. After Cressida Dick left the Met, Sharon has stood for change in the force, particularly when tackling corruption and domestic violence. We shot this at her home. I asked her where she rested and re -charged and she said this was her favourite space. We have been working together for a while and I have such high regard for her.”
Zandra Zhodes, Queen of Fashion, at the Gainsborough Silk Mill by Alun Callender
Sudbury, Suffolk

Zandra Zhodes, Queen of Fashion, at the Gainsborough Silk Mill. Photo credit: Alun Callender, Portrait of Britain.
“Zandra Zhodes, photographed on her visit to the Silk Mill, where she had collaborated on a recent collection.”
Rebecca Hayes x Victoria Park Vixens FC by James Cannon
Hackney Marshes, London
Amelia, Fearless MMA, Balsall Heath by Jaskirt Dhaliwal Boora
Balsall Heath, Birmingham
“I do Thai boxing, and I won the Midlands championship. My family come watch when I go into clubs or if I fight. I like to do Thai boxing because it helps me when I get bullied, I can defend myself.”
Sir David Attenborough, by Michael Leckie
Kew, London
Ellie-Bea, by Rory Langdon-Down
Northampton, UK
“Ellie-Bea is part of Born To Perform, a dance school in Northampton for people with additional needs. Ellie-Bea has Down Syndrome, a condition first defined by my great, great grandfather Dr John Langdon-Down in the 19th century. Dr Langdon Down set up a hospital in West London for people with Down’s with an emphasis on performing arts as part of integration, inclusion and representation – the same values that continue to thrive at Born To Perform with Ellie-Bea and her classmates.”
Eha – Portrait of my Mother, by Sirli Raitma
Chiswick, London
“This portrait was taken after we visited Floral Tributes For Her Majesty The Queen in Green Park”.
To see the rest of the winning portraits, click here.
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