中英国际摄影大赛 | UK-China International Photography Competition

A thoughtful photograph can transcend cultural and linguistic divides, reveal our common humanity, and enhance mutual understanding between British and Chinese people.

2025 Competition theme: 'The Spirit of Sports'

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Deadline: Tuesday, 1 April 2025 

中文版这里。Sports and physical activity bring together people of all ages, from young children to the elderly, and across all nations. While the types of sports may vary from one country to another, the emotions they evoke are universal. Whether it’s the ecstasy of victory or the agony of defeat, sports capture the essence of our shared humanity.

What does the spirit of sports look like to you? Is it the determination in an athlete’s eyes, or the unity of a cheering crowd? Is exercise pure entertainment, a wellness trend, or a way to push the limits of one’s mind and body? We challenge you to use your smartphone to photograph the very human emotions that exercise and sport can engender.

By exploring this theme, we hope that Chinese and British viewers of the photographs can see the world through each other’s eyes, fostering empathy and reducing prejudice. Seeking to create a better world, Manchester was the first – and remains the only – British university to set social responsibility as a core goal.

How to enter

Capture a photo that embodies the spirit of sports using your smartphone. Your subject can be anyone - yourself, a friend, athlete, or even a group of strangers - just ensure the image conveys a strong human element. Once you have your shot, give it a title and write a brief description explaining why the photo is meaningful. Please restrict your description to 50 English words or 75 Chinese characters.

We welcome submissions from participants of all ages residing anywhere in the UK or China. The photo, title, and caption must be sent to us via email at competitions.mci@manchester.ac.uk by Tuesday, 1 April 2025.

Make sure to include your full name and the city where the photo was taken (the location of the photo must be in the UK or China) for your entry to be considered. The submission also needs to include an approximate date when the photo was taken (no older than a year).

Judging criteria

  • Concept: Does the submission capture the theme well, in both the image and accompanying caption?
  • Creativity: Does the submission capture the essence of the theme in a unique and surprising way?
  • Composition: How technically competent is the submission? Have composition, lighting, contrast, and mood been considered?

This is not a professional photography competition. Digital editing of smartphone photos should be kept to an absolute minimum. The emotional impact of the photo will outweigh its technical quality.

By entering the competition, participants agree that their submissions can be used for marketing and/or communications purposes.

Prizes

  • 2 Winners (Best UK Submission & Best China Submission): £500/each
  • 2 Runners Up (2nd Best UK Submission & 2nd Best China Submission): £200/each
  • Highly Commended (12 UK & 12 China Submissions): Premium competition goodie bag/each

The top 30 photos will be publicly exhibited at The University of Manchester as well as at Yunnan University and the Zhengzhou Museum, both in China.

History and sponsorship

The UK-China International Photography Competition was launched by The Manchester China Institute (MCI) and Creative Manchester in 2019. 2025 marks the 7th annual contest, which is supported by the School of Arts, Languages, and Cultures (SALC) of The University of Manchester and the Manchester Museum, as well as Yunnan University and a wide range of partners both in the UK and China.

Judging Panel

Previous competitions

Learn more about our previous competitions below: