The always popular National Historic Ships UK Photography Competition is back for a 16th year. The theme is “Craft & Crew” and there are some fantastic prizes to be won, as well as the chance to be featured in the 2026 Calendar and accompanying exhibition at The Historic Dockyard Chatham. The winning photographs will also be featured in Classic Boat magazine.
We're hoping for entries which reflect the wide variety of historic craft, big and small, afloat and ashore. Photographers may also interpret the theme by capturing the traditional techniques and skills essential for maintenance or highlighting the people that operate and care for these wonderful vessels.
Visit our Events Page to discover some of the many maritime activities being hosted this year, including the famous ‘Return to Dunkirk’ in May, where more than 60 Little Ships will set sail from Ramsgate to commemorate 85 years since Operation Dynamo. In a country threaded with navigable waterways, where one is never more than 70 miles from the coast, there are many opportunities to explore this year’s theme and take a winning photograph!
Categories
Our People’s Choice Award will be running on Instagram, where you'll have a chance to vote for your Photo of the Month throughout May, June, July and August. These four monthly winners will then go through to the Grand Final in September, when the public will vote to decide their favourite photograph of the year.
The Newcomer of the Year Award is made to the best photograph submitted by someone who has not entered the competition before.
Judges' favourite of all entries to the competition will be awarded National Historic Ships UK's Photographer of the Year 2025.
Judging
Our judges will be looking for creativity, composition and best fit for the theme or category. The winning images, alongside some of the judges' other favourites, will be featured in our Annual Review and 2026 Calendar. Images can be captured by camera, mobile device or drone. Winners will be announced in our 2025 Awards film, premiering on Youtube in November.
The information you give us when you submit an image is kept on our electronic records system and is only accessible to authorised staff. This personal data is held alongside the relevant images for copyright and acknowledgment purposes. If you have a question about the way we handle your personal information please contact info@nationalhistoricships.org.uk