Competition-winning photography from across the nation is now on display at London's Heathrow Airport, as part of the UK Government’s campaign to showcase visually stunning images that represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Launched in partnership with the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), the Great Britain & Northern Ireland photography campaign was designed to show passengers a fresh view of the UK, displayed through the lenses of the public.
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The campaign’s Great Exposure national photography competition, in partnership with Heathrow Airport and the RPS, invited photographers to share images that captured the true spirit of the United Kingdom and submit images celebrating the UK’s rich cultural diversity and innovative, welcoming spirit.
The winners of this competition have now been revealed and their images are already on display at prominent media spaces throughout Heathrow Airport, including the Heathrow Express train running from the airport to London Paddington train station, and on digital screens within the airport terminals.
A judging panel comprised of photographers Simon Roberts and Alistair Morrison, curator of Liverpool's Open Eye Gallery Mariama Attah, and Heathrow’s chief operating officer Emma Gilthorpe selected the winning images out of 600 high-quality entries from photographers across the UK.
There was no overall winner or runners up selected for this competition, with all 40 images selected by the judges regarded as winning the competition, and chosen for display at Heathrow. These images will be seen and admired by tens of millions of people passing through the airport each year, and are expected to be displayed for at least one year.
The 40-image display captures the spirit of all four corners of the nation. Iconic places such as Bow Fiddle Rock in Scotland, Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire, Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire, Wales, Gortin Glen Forest Park in Omagh, and County Tyrone in Northern Ireland are included in the winning selection.
"It is fantastic to see the UK’s rich cultural diversity on show through this brilliant new photography exhibition," said Emma Gilthorpe. "We’re gearing up for a busy summer travel season and I hope this exhibition will encourage visitors to see new perspectives when they visit the amazing places the UK has to offer."
"It was refreshing to see so many entries that truly reflected the idea of 'Seeing Things Differently'," added Alistair Morrison. "Having to choose from such an outstanding collection of diverse photographs was tough – congratulations to everybody who contributed."
The British government is partaking in ongoing work to promote the UK around the world in order to drive trade, tourism and encourage international students. Be sure to keep an eye out for these extraordinary images on your next visit to Heathrow!
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