London Camera Exchange 2026 Photography Contest Draws Record 14,500 Entries

A retired teacher's humorous portrait of a fisherman, captured spontaneously on a boat in Hoi An, Vietnam, has taken the top prize at the LCE Photographer of the Year 2026. From nearly 14,500 entries, Sophia Spurgin won overall with "Fish Eyes," shot on a Canon EOS R5 Mark II. The win is a hat-trick of sorts: Spurgin was awarded £3,000 in LCE vouchers as both the overall winner and the Travel category winner, and also took £500 as winner of the Wildlife category with "Fighting Foxes in the Rain."

Nearly 14,500 entries were received this year, a 40% increase on 2025, making it easily the competition's biggest year yet. Now in its third year, the free-to-enter LCE POTY spans 14 categories, including the publicly voted People's Choice and the Emerging Talent category dedicated to photography students.

Spurgin described shooting "Fish Eyes" during a family holiday, working alongside a local photographer. "I was keen to dedicate some time to serious travel photography during a family holiday and had been taking photos of this fisherman at work alongside a local photographer. This was the playful end of the photography session and a genuinely entertaining moment! I especially like that his fishing net is visible in the background, adding context and authenticity to the image." She added: "Photography has brought me immense joy, not only through the places it has taken me, but also through the wonderful friendships I've made along the way. To be recognised in this competition means a great deal, as it shows that my photography resonates with others."

The awards were presented in a special ceremony at The Photography & Video Show on Sunday 15 March 2026 at the NEC, Birmingham. Winners received a share of the £10,000 prize fund and a unique trophy to take home. The competition was backed by headline sponsors Canon, Fujifilm and OM System, along with partners Lexar, Nikon and Sony, and affiliates Cewe and Sigma.

Across the other 14 categories, the wins were spread widely. Louise Norris secured the Birds title with an enchanting portrait of a Little Owl chick, while Dikye Ariani's "Teamwork," a striking close-up of red ants performing a curious acrobatic display, took the Macro category. Colin Page won Landscape with "The Lotus," Dave Lyon claimed the Action category with "Saving Lives at Sea," and Hardijanto Budiman took After Dark honours with "Lonely is the night." Jacek Salaga won the Events category with "Half a second before," John Lynch took Portrait with "Red rebel," Helen Trust won Street with "Crossing the curves," and Andrew Scott claimed the publicly voted People's Choice with "Magical uphill Lincoln."

The Emerging Talent winner was Millie Melvin, currently studying an MA in Photography at the Royal College of Art, with "Imprint," a powerful image inspired by an old family photograph and created using botanicals from her garden. Millie, who has aphantasia, uses her images to produce a visual archive, as she is unable to visualise objects in her mind. Under competition rules, Melvin's photography department at the Royal College of Art also receives an additional £500 prize.

Following feedback from previous years, LCE switched the Music category to Events, and entries in that genre doubled compared to 2025. Street entries increased by 50%, Portrait rose to become the fourth most entered category, and Landscape held its position at the top of the chart with almost 12% of all entries. An AI-Generated Imagery Verification and Authenticity Policy was introduced this year, ensuring only authentic photographs were eligible, after the competition saw a marked increase in AI-generated submissions.

A gallery of finalists' images was located close to the NEC show entrance, many of the shortlisted images have been included in a special edition commemorative book, and there are plans to tour the images at other locations around the UK during 2026. The contest coincides with London Camera Exchange celebrating its 70th anniversary, having first opened in Guildford in 1956 and now operating 26 stores across the UK.

The judging panel for 2026 comprised SheClicks founder and journalist Angela Nicholson, Chris George, content director at Future Publishing, and professional portrait and travel documentary photographer Jimmy Cheng.