FUJIFILM House of Photography Photo Competition: Look Up and Show Us Life As You See It

There are photographs buried in shoeboxes under beds. There are images fading softly on living room walls, rolled up in kitchen drawers, or tucked into the back pages of books nobody reads any more. 

These are the pictures that carry the real weight of a life — half-remembered summers, faces that no longer look quite the same, places that exist now only in the frame.

There is something uniquely powerful about those kinds of images. They weren't necessarily taken with the best equipment or the sharpest eye for composition. They were taken because something — a moment, a person, a feeling — demanded to be held onto. 

That instinct, we think, is what photography is really about. This year, we want you to find those photographs. Or make new ones just like them.

The FUJIFILM House of Photography is proud to announce the launch of the FUJIFILM House of Photography Photo Competition, inviting amateur photographers across the UK to explore a refreshingly open theme: Look up and show us life as you see it.

The theme: Look up and show us life as you see it

What does life look like through your lens?

a group of friends in a moment that felt ordinary then and feels anything but now.

It might be the way morning light catches a street corner you pass every day. It could be a fleeting expression, an unexpected detail, or a moment that nobody else seemed to notice. It’s the everyday made extraordinary and the overlooked made visible.

The "Look up and show us life as you see it" theme is deliberately open. We're not asking for technical perfection or pristine composition. We celebrate creativity and storytelling over sharp edges and correct exposure. We want to see life as you see it — imperfect, intimate, and true.

This is a photography competition open to everyone. You don't need professional experience. You don't need expensive equipment. You simply need a story worth telling and the images to tell it with.

How to enter

Entering is straightforward. Submit a series of 5 images alongside a short, written description of 250 to 500 words that outlines the narrative of your project. Tell us what drew you to this subject, why it matters, and how your images work together to convey it.

Equipment: Your initial entry can be shot on any camera: smartphone, digital, or film. The creative vision is what counts.

Submissions open: 1st February 2026 

Submissions close: 30th May 2026

Head to our competition page to read the full brief and submit your project.

The shortlist: Shooting on QuickSnap™

From all entries received, 20 photographers will be shortlisted. If you make the shortlist, your project deepens.

Each of the 20 shortlisted photographers will receive a FUJIFILM QuickSnap™ camera, provided by us, to extend and expand their project. This is where the competition comes full circle: the same camera that has been capturing candid, unguarded moments for 40 years becomes your tool for pushing the "Nostalgic Dreams" theme even further.

Shortlisted photographers must be available to complete this extension shoot during May 2026. No prior experience with the FUJIFILM QuickSnap™ is necessary. Part of its enduring appeal is precisely how little you need to know to use it well.

The prizes

The three winning photographers will each receive prizes that celebrate both their creative vision and support their continued practice.

1st Place:

• A FUJIFILM X-T30 III camera
• An instax™ device
• A print of their winning work
• A selection of five books from the Photofile series, published by Thames & Hudson

2nd Place: 

• A FUJIFILM X half camera
• An instax™ device
• A print of their winning work

3rd Place:

• A FUJIFILM X half camera
• An instax™ device
• A print of their winning work

Exhibition: The winning images will be featured in an exhibition at the FUJIFILM House of Photography in Covent Garden, one of London’s most exciting free art galleries. This is a genuine opportunity for your work to be seen not on a screen, but printed and hung on a gallery wall in the heart of the city.

Why enter?

If you've been looking for things to do in Covent Garden that go beyond the expected, or have been searching for free art exhibitions in London that feel genuinely personal, then this competition, and the exhibition that follows, is worth your attention. 

But more than that, it's an invitation to take the photographs you've been meaning to take and tell the story you've been meaning to tell.

We run a wide range of photography events, workshops, and courses at the FUJIFILM House of Photography throughout the year, and this competition sits at the heart of what we believe: that photography belongs to everyone, that the best images are often the most honest ones, and that every life contains a story worth seeing.

The FUJIFILM House of Photography Photo Competition has always been about exactly that. It is not a competition that rewards expensive kit or years of training. It rewards the person who stops to photograph something others walk past, who cares enough about a story to find the right five images to tell it. 

If that sounds like you, whether you're picking up a camera for the first time or you've been quietly shooting for years, this competition is for you.

Enter the FUJIFILM House of Photography Photo Competition

Submissions are open now and will close on 30th May 2026.

Visit our competition page to read the full brief, review the entry requirements, and submit your project. Whatever camera you pick up, whatever memory you choose to revisit — we look forward to seeing life as you see it.

Submit your project