Young Railway Photographer of the Year: how to enter

If you have a young person at home who is always snapping photos on their phone, the National Railway Museum has given them a reason to point it at something specific. The museum opened entries on 12 October for the third edition of its Young Railway Photographer of the Year competition, and it stays open all the way to 4 April 2027, so there is plenty of time to build a proper entry rather than rushing it.

The competition is open to anyone aged 25 or under living in the UK or Ireland, and it is split into three age groups: 12 and under, 13 to 18, and 19 to 25. This year's theme is 'The Journey and the Destination', which is broad enough to cover almost anything on or around a railway, from the station platform to the view out of the window. The new under-12 category is the most accessible of the lot: while the older groups need to put together a portfolio of six photographs, the youngest entrants can enter with a single image, and no more than four.

One of the best things about it is how little gear you actually need. There is no requirement for a proper camera; smartphone photos and film scans are both fine, and no previous experience is expected. The rules are straightforward: images must have been taken after 4 April 2025, and while ordinary digital adjustments are allowed, you cannot add or remove objects, swap backgrounds, combine frames from different moments or places, or use AI-generated content. Everything is submitted online through the museum's website, and entry is free, which makes it an easy one to try on a whim.

The reward for winning is more than just a certificate. The winning portfolio in each age group gets a Canon EOS mirrorless camera kit, and there are further prizes for the best single image, the finalists, and a Railway Photographic Society Special Award, with each judge also picking out individual photographs they like. Last year's prizes set the bar high, with a Fujifilm X-T5 and a zoom lens, plus railway experiences like a trip on Network Rail's New Measurement Train.

Beyond the prizes, there is a real exhibition at the end of it. A panel of photography experts, railway specialists and creative industry professionals will pick the winners in April 2027, and the chosen photographs will be displayed throughout August 2027 at both the National Railway Museum here in York and at Locomotion, its sister museum in Shildon, County Durham. The competition is run in partnership with the Railway Photographic Society, which started the original contest.

Director Craig Bentley has been talking up the accessibility and creativity of the whole thing, and that is really the point: it is less about technical perfection and more about how someone sees the railway. Whether it is a toddler with a tablet or a student with a proper kit, the bar is set low enough that anyone can have a go, and the deadline is far enough away that there is no need to panic. If you know a young photographer, it is worth pointing them towards the museum's competition page and letting them get on with it.