The Picture Editors’ Awards were established to recognise and reward the very best of photographic journalism throughout the UK and Ireland, and to promote the interests of press photography.

The Award’s were founded by a group of newspaper picture editors in 1993, and each year since have set the benchmark against which editorial photography is judged. The assessment panel is drawn from working picture editors across Britain and Ireland.

The annual Awards Ceremony, held in the Great Hall of London’s Guildhall, is a major event in the journalism and publishing calendar; the Awards enjoy widespread and enduring print and broadcast media coverage.

The Awards especially aim to encourage newcomers to press photography. Over the years, we have funded and assisted young photographers in undertaking major projects in Africa, India, South East Asia, and Australia via the Alan Harper Bursary.

The Awards are only made possible by funding from our sponsors. In addition, hundreds of hours unpaid work by the Awards' Chairman, Glyn Genin, and UK & Irish Picture Editors ensures that the Awards take place and remains such a success.

Pictureawards.net, the Award’s presence on the World Wide Web, is the engine which drives the Awards along, and is the largest existing online archive of contemporary editorial photography.