Public Vote For Royal Rota Photography Competition Goes Live

An online public vote for the News Media Association’s Royal Rota photography competition to promote the outstanding work of photographers in the UK news media will conclude tomorrow afternoon, with thousands of votes cast over the week.

A showcase of 48 of the best photographs from Royal and political rota events from the past year is on the Royal Rota section of the NMA website and members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite image before the deadline of 5pm on Friday (27 September).

To vote, please browse the showcase and cast your vote by clicking on the red star at the bottom of your favourite image.

Rota Comp 2019 Grid

The competition is open to NMA member photographers from local and national publishers, and other members of the rota system including agencies and freelancers. The categories are:

  • National Newspaper Rota Photo of the Year
  • Regional/Local Newspaper Rota Photo of the Year
  • Rota Picture Agency Rota Photo of the Year
  • Overall Rota Photo of the Year

Following the public vote to create the competition shortlist, the overall winners will be picked by a panel of expert judges:   

  • Alan Sparrow, chairman of the UK Picture Editors Guild;
  • Lindsey Parnaby, The British Press Photographers’ Association chairman;
  • Lynne Anderson, NMA deputy chief executive;
  • Martin Keene, Press Association group picture editor;
  • Dr Michael Pritchard, Director, Education and Public Affairs, The Royal Photographic Society.

The competition winners will then be announced in early October.

Last year, the competition received extensive coverage in The SunMailOnlineExpress and StarEvening StandardMaidenhead AdvertiserDaily Mirror and News and Star, with newspapers urging readers to vote for their photographers.

Thousands of votes were cast in a weeklong online public vote to find the best of the 48 showcased photographs submitted by national and local newspapers, agencies and freelance photographers.

An image of Meghan Markle walking down the aisle on her wedding day taken by the Press Association’s Danny Lawson, was named as the overall winner.

The NMA manages the Royal Rota on behalf of its members, allocating passes for the hundreds of Royal engagements undertaken by members of the Royal Family each year and ensuring that the material is pooled among members.