Rugby Journal have launched the inaugural Rugby Photographer of the Year competition that will celebrate the very best of rugby photography and culminate in a two-month long exhibition at the World Rugby Museum in 2020.
The competition has a grand prize of £1,000 and consists of seven categories covering all aspects of rugby photography, from portraits and landscapes to action, spirit of rugby, young photographer and an overall portfolio prize.
Open to amateurs and professionals, the work that makes the shortlist will feature in an exhibition at Twickenham's World Rugby Museum, that will run throughout the summer of 2020.
As well as appearing in the exhibition at Twickenham, the winners will also feature in a special edition of Rugby journal.
“Rugby Journal has become renowned for the quality of its photography that gets to the essence of the sport at all levels, from the changing rooms of grassroots clubs to the pressure of match day in the professional world,” explains Alex Mead, Editor-in-Chief, Rugby Journal.
“We can see there are so many talented photographers out there, both amateur and professional, and we wanted to celebrate them all and this is the perfect way.
“Working with the World Rugby Museum makes perfect sense, as we both love to tell a great rugby story, and what better way to bring them all together than an exhibition and a celebratory issue of Rugby?”
“The World Rugby Museum exists to celebrate and share rugby in all its forms from around the world. We are very excited to be able to showcase fantastic photography that captures the essence of what makes this game so special and look forward to judging the shortlisted photographs alongside the team at the Rugby Journal who are providing such a great opportunity for keen rugby photographers.” – Phil McGowan, Curator, World Rugby Museum.
THE CATEGORIES
Portrait
An image of an individual involved in the game, it could be a grassroots player or elite professional, player, coach, backroom staff or even a spectator. Please enter a single image.
Landscape
A picture that is as much about the setting of a game as the game itself, an image that has a true sense of place that ties the sport to the surrounding area. Please enter a single image.
Action
A photograph that brings to life the split-second moments that embody the sport within a game. Please enter a single image.
Spirit of Rugby
Celebrating how rugby is as much about what happens off the pitch, in the stands, in the clubhouse, in the changing rooms, as it is the 80 minutes of action. Please enter a single image.
Young Photographer
An award aimed at photographers aged 16 years and under. Please enter a single image.
Rugby Portfolio
A collection of up to ten images that represent a body of rugby work over the course of a single season at any level of the game.
Rugby Photographer of the Year
A single winning photograph chosen from all category winners.
THE PROCESS
You can enter your work via the Rugby journal portal on therugbyjournal.com, and we will celebrate entries over the course of the competition via social media. Entries will close on 28th February 2020 whereby our panel of experts – consisting of Alex Mead, Editor-in-Chief, Rugby journal; Simon Campbell, Creative Director, Rugby journal; Phil McGowan, Curator, World Rugby Museum; Han Lee De Boer, Photographer; Rick Guest, Photographer; James Benn, Senior Art Director, Pentland Brands – will select the finalists.
