NMA Launches Second Royal Rota Photography Competition

Following last year’s successful competition, the News Media Association has today launched the second Royal Rota photography competition for member publishers to promote the outstanding work of photographers in the UK news media and the NMA’s media facilities services for members. 

Last year, a humorous photograph of the Duchess of Cambridge at a City firm’s charity day taken by the London Evening Standard’s Jeremy Selwyn emerged as the winner after an online vote in which the public were asked to pick their favourite of 48 showcased photographs. 

The NMA manages the Royal Rota on behalf of its members, allocating passes for the hundreds of Royal engagements undertaken by members of the Royal Family each year and ensuring that the material is pooled among members.

For the competition, NMA member photographers from local and national publishers, and other members of the rota system including agencies and freelancers, are invited to submit their best photographs from Royal Rota engagements over the past year for a chance of winning a prize in one of the following categories:

  • National Newspaper Rota Photo of the Year;
  • Regional/Local Newspaper Rota Photo of the Year;
  • Rota Picture Agency Rota Photo of the Year;
  • Overall Rota Photo of the Year;
  • This year, there is also a bonus category of the Best Election Photo. 

Photographers have until 12pm on the 15 June to enter the competition. Entries will be showcased on the NMA’s website and the public will be invited to vote for their favourite images. The top three pictures in each category will then be judged by a panel of industry experts to select the overall winners.

  • Lynne Anderson, NMA deputy chief executive;
  • Paul Jarrett, photographer and Wire Photo Agencies secretary;
  • Nigel Atherton, Time Inc group editor;
  • Chris Eades, The British Press Photographers’ Association chairman.

Winners will be announced at the end of June.

Only newspapers or agencies within the Royal Rota system – members of the NMA, WPA, Council of Photographic News Agencies or Independent Photographers Association are eligible to enter the competition and that the photos must have been taken at official rota engagements between April 2016 and May 2017. This can include fixed points but the photos must have abided by the guidelines of the event.

For more information please contact Jeff Almond at the NMA on jeff@newsmediauk.org.