Visitor Information: RPS House is closed until 10am Friday 17 January.
The RPS offers many opportunities to develop as a photographer and interact with others. Most of these opportunities are open to all and range from the chance to have your work considered for major exhibitions to applying to receive funding for your next photographic project.
Bursaries | Exhibitions | Competitions | Awards | Volunteer opportunities
RPS bursaries offer financial support and tailored resources to help you create, develop, and share your photography.
There are four bursaries available, TPS/RPS Environmental, Joan Wakelin, Post Graduate and the newly launched in 2024 Eamonn McCabe Bursary.
Our bursaries provide a platform for international exposure and professional development. RPS bursaries are made in partnership and supported by The Guardian, MPB, Metro Imaging and The Photographic Angle.
RPS Gallery Bristol | 17 January – 9 March 2025
The Documentary Photography Awards (DPA) is organised by the Royal Photographic Society's Documentary Group. The RPS Documentary Group has run the awards (and formerly as the Documentary Photographer of the Year) for over ten years. This edition changes the focus to a broader celebration and recognition of documentary photography from around the world.
In total 9 projects are exhibited, with 3 projects from each of a RPS Members, Students and Open categories. The work featured in the exhibition looks at war and conflict, migration, communities, health and personal stories.
In total 235 projects, with over 3000 images were entered. The selections were made by an international panel of selectors: Alejandro Chaskielberg photographer and curator, Liz Hingley photographer, curator and anthropologist, Roy Mehta Photographer and Lecturer, Rosy Santella picture editor, Internazionale, and Roger Tooth former head of photography, The Guardian
A range of awards were also made including mentoring, bursaries and membership of RPS and Martin Parr Foundation.
Photographers and image-makers, of all ages, can submit their work to the RPS International Photography Exhibition. Submissions are encouraged from new, emerging and established photographers worldwide.
The IPE presents a unique opportunity to exhibit in a group exhibition at The Royal Photographic Society in Bristol, UK, and other nationwide venues, alongside a prize fund to support future photographic projects.
Exhibition selection is anonymous throughout, including the award winners, with a changing guest selection panel for each edition. The process is both rigorous and fair, where digital image and print work form part of the selection process. Each IPE edition is a unique celebration of photography today.
The information on this page includes all you need to know to submit your work to the International Photography Exhibition, including details of our Awards, key dates and an extensive FAQs. If you have an enquiry, or would like to hire and exhibit the IPE at your venue, email the Exhibitions Team. We thank you for your support of the RPS.
Call for Entry is Now Closed
Volunteers are intrinsic to many of our departments and we have a great variety of roles to offer across them. Opportunities range from helping with activities on a local level (e.g. in your Region, Chapter or Group), to applying for election as a Trustee and working to set strategy. The roles encourage you to use your existing skills and develop new ones.
For 145 years the RPS Awards have recognised significant individuals working across both the still and moving image, as well as those using photography.
The Awards celebrate significant achievements, showcase new and emerging talent, and highlight notable contributions; they also recognise the work of RPS volunteers who help deliver its programmes. The 2023 recipients’ work is a testament to the power of photography to inspire, uplift, incite change and bring about personal, social, and cultural wellbeing.
