Social Justice and Self-Portraiture: Edinburgh Schools Photography Competition 2026

The finalists of the Edinburgh Schools Photography Competition 2026 are on display at the National Library of Scotland on George IV Bridge, with the exhibition running from 16 to 17 October. It's a short window, so if you're planning to head in, you'll want to make it one of those two days.

This year's theme was Social Justice and Self-Portraiture, and that's exactly what you'll find on the walls: a collection of self-portraits taken by school pupils from across the city, each one working within that brief. It's a double-sided prompt, really. The self-portraiture part keeps the focus on the individual, while the social justice side asks them to look at something bigger—the things they care about, the issues that weigh on them, or the parts of the world they want to change. When you put the two together, you get a series of images that are as much about the people behind the lens as they are about the subjects they've chosen.

Because the entries come from schools across Edinburgh, the work covers a lot of ground. You'll see how different young photographers have interpreted the same theme, and how their perspectives shift depending on where they're coming from. It's a good way to see what's on the minds of the city's school-age photographers, and the self-portraiture format gives each one a chance to put themselves right in the middle of the conversation.

The exhibition is at the National Library of Scotland on George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EW, and it's open on 16 and 17 October. Since it only runs for those two days, it's worth popping in early if you can.