London Camera Exchange has announced the winners of its LCE Photographer of the Year 2026 competition. From nearly 14,500 entries, Sophia Spurgin is the overall winner with ‘Fish Eyes’, which was taken on the high-resolution all-rounder, Canon EOS R5 Mark II.
Now in its third year, the free-to-enter LCE POTY competition comprises 14 different categories including the publicly voted ‘People’s Choice’ and ‘Emerging Talent’ dedicated to photography students. The latter category offers a prize for both the photographer and their university or place of study, and celebrates the next generation of photographers.
The LCE POTY Awards were presented in a special ceremony at The Photography & Video Show on Sunday 15 March 2026 at the NEC, Birmingham. A gallery showcasing the finalists’ images was on show at the NEC and many of the shortlisted images have been included in a special edition commemorative book. Winners received a share of the £10,000 prize fund and a unique trophy to take home. There are also plans to tour the images at other locations around the UK during 2026.
LCE Photographer of the Year 2026 First prize winner: ‘Fish Eyes’ by Sophia Spurgin
The overall first prize winner is UK-based retired teacher Sophia Spurgin with her humorous portrait of a fisherman, captured spontaneously on a boat in Hoi An, Vietnam. Sophia commented, “I was keen to dedicate some time to serious travel photography during a family holiday and had been taking photos of this fisherman at work alongside a local photographer. This was the playful end of the photography session and a genuinely entertaining moment! I especially like that his fishing net is visible in the background, adding context and authenticity to the image.”
Sophia added, “I am absolutely delighted to win the London Camera Exchange Photographer of the Year 2026. Photography has brought me immense joy – not only through the places it has taken me, but also through the wonderful friendships I’ve made along the way. To be recognised in this competition means a great deal, as it shows that my photography resonates with others.”
Sophia was awarded £3,000 in LCE vouchers as the overall competition winner and Travel category winner. She also scooped £500 as winner of the Wildlife category with her stunning image ‘Fighting Foxes in the Rain’.
Emerging Talent winner: ‘Imprint’ by Millie Melvin
The Emerging Talent category for students attracted a significant number of entries, with some outstanding work submitted.
This year’s category winner was Millie Melvin, currently studying an MA in Photography at the Royal College of Art, with ‘Imprint’ – a powerful image inspired by an old family photograph and created using botanicals from her garden. Millie, who has aphantasia, uses her images to produce a visual archive, as she is unable to visualise objects in her mind.
More winners
Water, wildlife and birds were popular subjects for 2026, with some standout photographs representing the natural world across a full spectrum of themes – from orangutans and ants in action, to owls and ospreys in flight.
An enchanting portrait of a Little Owl chick by Louise Norris secured the top honour in the Birds category, while ‘Teamwork’ by Dikye Ariani – a striking close-up depicting a group of red ants performing a curious acrobatic display – emerged victorious in the Macro genre.
Category winners (£500 vouchers each):
- Action – ‘Saving Lives at Sea’ by David Lyon
- After Dark – ‘Lonely is the Night’ by Hardijanto Budiman
- Birds – ‘A Gazing Owlet’ by Louise Norris
- Creative – ‘Swan Song’ by Brooke Shaden
- Emerging Talent (student award) – ‘Imprint’ by Millie Melvin
- Events – ‘Half a Second Before’ by Jacek Salaga
- Landscape – ‘The Lotus’ by Colin Page
- Macro – ‘Teamwork’ by Dikye Ariani
- Pets – ‘Silent Sentinel’ by Carole-Ann Chambers
- Portrait – ‘Red Rebel’ by John Lynch
- Street – ‘Crossing the Curves’ by Helen Trust
- Travel – ‘Fish Eyes’ by Sophia Spurgin (overall winner)
- Wildlife – ‘Fighting Foxes in the Rain’ by Sophia Spurgin
- People’s Choice – ‘Magical Uphill Lincoln’ by Andrew Scott
Lee Harasyn, managing director of LCE, commented, “Once again, we were stunned by the quality, creativity and sheer volume of entries. The standard was just incredible. It was also encouraging to see the considerable growth in the number of entries, with more than 30% being new participants to the competition. A particular highlight for the judges was the ‘Emerging Talent’ category, which attracted entries from students across a diverse range of subjects. We look forward to continuing the competition next year, supporting true photographic talent across all genres. Congratulations to all the winners and runners-up – and thank you to everyone who took part.”
See more winners here: LCE Photographer of the Year 2026
Further reading:
- The world’s funniest wildlife photography competition is open for entries!
- See the fantastic winners from this prestigious bird photography competition
- See these outstanding images by the world’s most talented young photographers
- Incredible winning photographs revealed by Sony World Photography Awards
