Royal Photographic Society's International Photography Exhibition begins its tour of Britain

The winners are Catherine Hyland (Gold Award), Christopher Bethell (under 30’s Gold Award), Alys Tomlinson (Silver Award) and Oli Kellett (Bronze Award) – picked from over seven thousand entries following an open-call from over 60 countries.

Out of the entries from the UK, USA, Australia, Brazil, Russia and Indonesia, just 189 were selected for a shortlist. The final selection was made from prints. Fifty-four photographers were selected to exhibit in the IPE 161 touring exhibition which opened at the RPS’s new building in Bristol this month and will go on to Birmingham, London, Dublin and Hull.

Selections were made by an esteemed panel comprising of curator and founding editor of online magazine Photomonitor Christiane Monarchi, photographer Jack Latham, documentary photographer Jon Tonks, photographer and professor Karen Knorr FRPS and artist, writer, editor and lecturer in photography Aaron Schuman.

The selection panel praised the freshness, variety and consistently high quality of entries and winners who demonstrate photography executed to the highest standard. "We were truly impressed with the number of interesting photographs submitted, and I believe we created an engaging exhibition across a wide spectrum of genres," said Christiane.

Panel member Jack Latham comments on the award winners, "Whether it is photographing crossroads in America as the world waits to see what leaders do next, reflecting on the space of spiritual contemplation or how we, as a society, deal with climate change. Each of these photographers has demonstrated that photography is as relevant a tool as any other to reflect on our time in history."

The panel was also pleased to welcome a large number of works submitted by female photographers. "The winners reflect ongoing trends in contemporary documentary photography, developed by a new generation of photographers who are extending the vocabulary using the medium in a profound and reflective way," adds Karen Knorr FRPS. "The attention to detail and selection of images submitted by the winners made us pause. I was impressed by the crafting and care dedicated to the photographic image."

View the 54 photographers exhibiting in the IPE 161 at www.rps.org. After Bristol, the touring show will open at the MAC in Birmingham, launching Saturday 30 March 2019.