The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) has announced the winners of its 2025 Awards, marking the 147th year of what is recognized as the world's longest-running photography competition. The prestigious awards celebrate creativity, technical mastery, and photography's power to inspire and inform across diverse categories.
Founded in 1878, the RPS Awards continue to set the global standard for photographic excellence, recognizing both artistic achievement and scientific innovation in the medium. This year's winners represent an extraordinary range of contemporary photographic practice, from pioneering artistic works to groundbreaking scientific photography.
Susan Derges HonFRPS received the RPS Centenary Medal, the society's most prestigious honor, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the art of photography. Based in Devon, UK, Derges creates photographic artwork exploring nature, often without using a traditional camera, instead utilizing the landscape itself to create her imagery. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in photography collections worldwide.
Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop was awarded the RPS Award for Achievement in the Art of Photography. Initially working on photographic landscapes, Diop later moved into fashion photography before focusing his personal practice on fine art portraiture, including self-portraiture. His work has gained international recognition through exhibitions worldwide.
Among the new RPS Honorary Fellows is UK photographer and educator Richard Billingham, best known for his acclaimed 1996 book "Ray's A Laugh," a stark documentation of his parents that addresses wider issues of class and poverty. The work has become a seminal piece in contemporary British photography.
The awards also recognized environmental and social impact through photography. Ragnar Guðni Axelsson received the RPS Award for Environmental Responsibility, while Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora was honored with the RPS Award for Social Impact. These categories highlight photography's role in addressing contemporary global challenges.
Additional winners included Amak Mahmoodian for the RPS Award for Photojournalism, Tami Aftab for Achievement in the Art of Photography (under 30 years), and Raghu Rai for Editorial or Documentary Photography. Each winner demonstrates the diverse applications and continuing evolution of photographic practice.
Simon Hill CPhot HonFRPS, RPS President, commented on the significance of the awards: "The Royal Photographic Society Awards are a powerful expression of how we, as one of the oldest photographic societies in the world, recognize and celebrate achievement across the full diversity of photographic practice."
He emphasized that the awards honor individuals and teams whose work exemplifies creativity, innovation, technical mastery, and a commitment to sharing knowledge and experience. The winners embody the Society's enduring mission to promote excellence and celebrate photography's power in all its forms.
The 2025 awards demonstrate how photography continues to evolve as both an art form and a tool for understanding the world. From intimate portraits to otherworldly landscapes and compelling documentary work, the winning images showcase the medium's capacity to educate, connect, and move audiences while pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling.
