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PHOTO 1 Muhammad Ibrahim Butt And Simon Hill

Click & Connect Awards Announced

Press Release

Image: Muhammad Ibrahim Butt and Simon Hill HonFRPS

 

Celebrating Young Voices Through Photography

Bradford, UK — The spirit of creativity and community was celebrated in style at the Click & Connect Photography Awards, recognising the exceptional achievements of young photographers who have reimagined and reclaimed how their city is seen.

At the heart of today’s awards event was a powerful message: photography is for anyone and everyone and it only takes one click to change the world.

The prestigious Youth Award Winner was presented to Muhammad Ibrahim Butt, whose work stood out for its originality, confidence and compelling visual storytelling. His images captured not only places, but perspective, offering a thoughtful and authentic reflection of Bradford through young eyes.

Commended and Highly Commended awards went to Pavan Sembi, whose vision and creativity have been central to the project from its inception. Pavan’s photographic contribution, alongside her leadership and commitment to creating opportunity for others, embodies the very ethos of Click & Connect.

The awards were selected by an esteemed panel of distinguished photographers, all of whom are Fellows of the Royal Photographic Society: Chris Palmer FRPS, Polina Plotnikova FRPS, and Martin Addison FRPS. Their expertise, insight and careful consideration ensured that the recognition given reflects the highest standards of photographic excellence.

The event was further honoured by the presence of RPS President Simon Hill CPhot HonFRPS, who delivered an inspiring address celebrating the power of photography to transform lives and communities. In his remarks, he commended the participants for their creativity, courage and commitment to telling their own stories, before presenting the awards to the recipients.

The event also acknowledged the enormous dedication of Mary Crowther ARPS and Val Glenny ARPS, whose work as co-organisers helped collaborate the project into a meaningful and impactful experience for all involved. Their guidance and commitment brought the youth engagement and the awards to fruition.

Special thanks were extended to Shy Burhan, who led the course with inspiration, generosity and encouragement. Her mentorship empowered participants to explore new techniques, develop confidence, and most importantly, discover their own visual voice.

Click & Connect has demonstrated that photography can be a force for positive change: strengthening identity, building pride, and connecting communities. Through their lenses, these young photographers have shown Bradford as it is lived and loved: complex, vibrant and full of possibility.

As the exhibition continues, one message resonates clearly: "sometimes, all it takes is one click to change the world."

PHOTO 2 Pavan Sembi And Simon Hill

Image: Pavan Sembi and Simon Hill HonFRPS

Simon Hill HonFRPS, President of the Royal Photographic Society says:

"We are here to celebrate something much more than an exhibition. We are here to celebrate Courage, Creativity, and Community.
The Click & Connect awards honour a remarkable group of young photographers who have done something profoundly simple - and profoundly powerful. They picked up a camera. They looked at their city. And they chose to tell their own story.
In a place too often defined by others, they have reclaimed the narrative. Through light and shadow, through landscapes and faces, through symbolism and street scenes, they have shown us Bradford as witnessed by Bradfordians. Not as a headline. Not as a stereotype. But as a living, breathing, loved place.
These award recipients - and those participants who perhaps did not win an award or those who supported and resourced the initiative of this project - have demonstrated that photography is not about equipment or status … it is about vision. It is a dialogue between the photographer, the subject and their audience.
It only takes one click to change the world. One click to challenge a misconception. One click to reveal beauty where others failed to look. One click to connect a community to itself.
Today we celebrate your talent, your generosity, your unique vision. Because every photograph you share is an invitation: to see differently, to feel differently, to belong.
May you continue to use your cameras not just to capture the world, but to shape it - to be a power for good, for pride, and for community.
Congratulations to each and every one of you."

 

 

For further information, interviews or images, please contact:

Mary Crowther ARPS

rps.photobox50@gmail.com