Entries open to all AOP Member and Non-Members.
Championing exquisite imagery.
© Alex Macro, GOLD Winner 2023 AOP Open Award
”The Open Award is open to everyone – both professional and amateur – and are about championing exquisite imagery. There are no categories or restrictions in the Open Award, the image is the star, and exciting and innovative work is encouraged.”
The AOP Open Award is run by the Association of Photographers and is an exciting opportunity for professionals and amateurs to compete on equal terms, with still and moving images created by a person, during what is our prestigious Annual Awards season.
Not to be confused with our AOP Projects Programme which features a rolling calendar of partnered projects, the AOP Open Award aims to bring together professional and amateurs in a high profile way.
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The Open Award is a popular competition that has been running for 15 years, and each year has attracted approximately 1,500 entries from around the world.
Finalists will be exhibited alongside 38th AOP Photography Award Finalists at the official AOP Awards Showcase in September 2024 with Gold and Silver Winners for the 38th AOP Awards, including the Open Award being announced live at the event.
AOP Open Award Finalists will also feature in the highly collectable 39th AOP Awards Book.
There are no categories or themes in this competition, so the choice of work submitted is entirely up to the photographer.
For Full Image Specifications please see points 7 & 8 in the 2024 AOP Open Awards Terms and Conditions here
AOP Members receive a discounted entry fee.
Gold and Silver winners, along with finalists, may also appear in a final Awards showcase event and also feature in the 39th AOP Photography Awards book.
© Owen Harvey, Silver Winner 2023 AOP Open Award
© Paul Winter, Ruth, Seaford Mermaids
Francis Augusto’s (b. 1993, Angola) practice draws inspiration from his childhood, his experience as a former youth worker, and his sociology degree. With an observational approach to image-making, Francis candidly chronicles everyday life, capturing the moments that reflect our shared humanity. His major work, “Songs of Love & Loss,” recently exhibited and supported by the British Arts Council, explores the complexities of romantic relationships.
Francis has been recognised throughout his career for his portraiture and social documentary work, winning the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain award or runner-up in Photo Oxford. His works mainly focus on themes of interaction, mundanity, and joy, employing an ethnographic approach that invites viewers into the lives of the subjects. This approach is visible in his commercial and editorial work for Fuji, Nike, and Bloomberg.
Francis is also available for lecturing, mentoring & critiquing opportunities.
Zoë has established herself as an expert in lifestyle and portrait photography. She has a passion for photographing people and their environments, creating moments that give an added depth within a picture. She loves capturing great light, faces and colours.
After gaining an honours degree in photography at Staffordshire University she worked as a photographer in Miami before moving back to London where she managed Linda McCartney’s image archive while encouraged to build her own career.
Alongside her professional work, Zoe always has numerous personal projects on the go. Ranging from portraits of 80 households in her local community in Muswell Hill from behind their windows, during lockdown, to following a vintage steam fairs last ever UK tour before it was sold off.
In 2023 – she won a Silver award from The Association of Photographers, for her long-term project “Every Year I take a Photo.” An ongoing project of self portraits taken with her son, on his birthday every year.
This year she was a winner of The British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain award with her image of “Gracie in Frinton”.
Instagram @zoenorfolk
Waldo Wilkinson has been an agent for 16 years, specialising in Advertising and Commercial photography for the last 12. The journey of appreciation for visual language and communication started with phenomenal art teachers in school, incredible tutors on the St Martins Fashion degree and a wonderful editor at Esquire magazine. Since then he has worked across TVC Production, then evolving into Photography, where he was fortunate enough to be mentored by the inimitable Charlote Morgan.
He paints and plays pinball on the weekends.
This is your chance to be seen by leading commissioners and names withing the photographic industry and see how your work stands amongst renowned professionals and industry names.
Become an AOP Member
AOP members enjoy discounted entry to the AOP Awards and Open Projects programme, if you would like to become an AOP member, please click here.
Congratulations to Alex Macro – GOLD winner in the 2023 AOP Open Award
Camargue camouflage.
The ancient white horses of the Camargue are as wild as their surroundings. Catching one, literally and photographically, can be challenging. This one very graciously and coyly paused in the reeds for a second while I caught this shot.
© Alex Macro
@alexmacrophotographer
Congratulations to Owen Harvey – SILVER winner of the 2023 AOP Open Award
The Matadors.
Bullfighting is a huge part of the Spanish identity and history, with origins as early as 711 AD.
With growing division in the opinion of whether the killing of an animal should continue for entertainment, I went to Spain in search of the next generation of young hopeful matadors.
I found young men who felt they’d learnt respect, courage and discipline from the teachings of bullfighting. Some were from generations of bullfighters and the culture around this performance of strength, movement and machoism was their life in and outside of the arena.
© Owen Harvey
@ojharv
Event Images: © Gurdev Singh
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The Association of Photographers is a membership organisation dedicated to promoting, protecting and educating photographers of all levels – from those starting out, to experienced professionals, and everyone in between.
© The Association of Photographers Ltd
The AOP Photography Awards are known as the ‘Oscars’ of the photography world. They celebrate excellence in the creative photography and image-making industry.
This is your chance to be seen by leading commissioners and names within the photographic industry.
Find out more about our 39th AOP Awards…