Portrait of Britain: Photographs that show the unique, eccentric and resilient British spirit

For the past four years, Portrait of Britain, an annual competition by the British Journal of Photography, has showcased the variety and diversity of life across the nation, establishing itself as the largest contemporary portrait exhibition ever held.

All photography courtesy of Portrait of Britain and artists. © Anaïs Zamboni, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Anaïs Zamboni

All photography courtesy of Portrait of Britain and artists. © Anaïs Zamboni, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Anaïs Zamboni

Initially conceived against the backdrop of the Referendum, this year, the organisers wanted to look at how the British public are responding to a nation in flux. "Portrait of Britain is more crucial than ever; we don’t want to show a nation divided, instead, we want to see examples of the unique, eccentric, resilient British spirit," they said.

Entries are now open to all people and all interpretations of portraiture, provided images have been taken within the United Kingdom after 1 January 2012.

Once again, 100 winning portraits will be displayed as part of a nationwide public exhibition in September 2019 for one month. Following the success of the first ever Portrait of Britain book last year, 200 shortlisted and winning portraits will be featured in a second edition, which will be distributed worldwide by Hoxton Mini Press. A selection of winners will also feature in British Journal of Photography’s annual Portrait Issue.

Deadline for entry is 18 April 2019. For more information, visit www.portraitofbritain.uk. In the meantime, you can enjoy some of the images so far.

© Brian Galloway, Portrait of Britain Winner 2017 Copyright: © Brian Galloway

© Brian Galloway, Portrait of Britain Winner 2017 Copyright: © Brian Galloway

© Claudia Janke, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Claudia Janke

© Claudia Janke, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Claudia Janke

© Colin Hutton, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Colin Hutton

© Colin Hutton, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Colin Hutton

© Craig Waddell, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Craig Waddell

© Craig Waddell, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Craig Waddell

© Emma Martin, Portrait of Britain Shortlist 2018 Copyright: © Emma Martin

© Emma Martin, Portrait of Britain Shortlist 2018 Copyright: © Emma Martin

© Henri Calderon, Portrait of Britain Shortlist 2018 Copyright: © Henri Calderon

© Henri Calderon, Portrait of Britain Shortlist 2018 Copyright: © Henri Calderon

© Carla van de Puttelaar, Portrait of Britain Shortlist 2018 Copyright: © Carla van de Puttelaar

© Carla van de Puttelaar, Portrait of Britain Shortlist 2018 Copyright: © Carla van de Puttelaar

© Ilisa Stack, Portrait of Britain Shortlist 2018 Copyright: © Ilisa Stack

© Ilisa Stack, Portrait of Britain Shortlist 2018 Copyright: © Ilisa Stack

© Jonathan Ford, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Jonathan Ford

© Jonathan Ford, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Jonathan Ford

© Maraya Gibbs, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Maraya Gibbs

© Maraya Gibbs, Portrait of Britain Winner 2018 Copyright: © Maraya Gibbs

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