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Picture Editors of the national and regional press did not have the benefit of internet or the world wide web and so were very dependent on each other for news pictures.
If a story broke in the regions, the first call from the national newspapers was often to the local paper.
Major players such as the The Manchester Evening News or the Newcastle Chronicle for example, who might be prepared to provide you with a picture to go with the story.
Of course there was no internet, so the picture was placed in an envelope and a messenger would take the picture to the local station where it would travel to London in the goods carriage of the train in a ‘Red Star‘ package, the fastest way to get a picture to London and fingers crossed your messenger would collect the packet from the station and you might get it before deadline!
With such dependency Picture Editors thought it would be good if they could meet a couple of times a year to meet face to face with the person who answered the phone when you called.
So the Guild was formed. From the beginning the Guild was involved in judging photography competitions. Encyclopedia Britannica. The Post Office, Ilford Films, Kodak, were among those holding annual photography competitions but now the Guild is proud to be the master of its own photography competition, The UK Picture Editors Guild Awards, held in conjunction with the premier stock image Agency Shutterstock and other sponsors for the world of Press photography.
For more information, contact Alan Sparrow on 07715 037 231 or alansparrow123@outlook.com
“The UK Picture Editors’ Guild Awards are the only one of their kind to recognise and honour the talented professionals behind the lens, operating in the most dynamic and competitive media in the world.”


The 2019 Picture Editor Guild Award categories were:
- Fujifilm Student Photographer of the Year
- Getty Imges Young Photographer of the Year
- UKPEG Business Photographer of the Year
- Dave Benett Photos Arts and entertainment Photographer of the Year
- Iconic Royal Photographer of the Year
- Genesis Imaging Regional Photographer of the Year
- Canon Sports Photographer of the Year
- UKPEG Videojournalist of the Year
- Fixation News Photographer of the Year
- Fleet Streets Finest Photographer Essay of the Year
- Sony National Newspaper Photographer of the Year
- Shutterstock Press Photographer of the Year
And from these categories we find the Shutterstock Press Photographer of the Year.
Chairman's Award for lifetime achievement
The Award is given by the UK Picture Editors Guild to someone who has made a contribution to our industry that makes them stand out in a crowd of very talented people.

Terry O'Neill
Some of the earliest photographs by Terry O’Neill happened to be some of the first photographs of musicians who would go on to define an era; the Swinging Sixties ...

Len Greener
Len changed the art of tabloid picture editing from not just covering major news stories but creating wonderful feature and news feature photographs...

Dave Ofield
Dave Ofield started as a messenger for picture agency Sport and General, followed by Barratts Photo Press as a photographer and then onto became Picture Editor ...

Paul Delmar
Working for nearly twenty years as a press photographer Paul travelled the world on assignment for the Dudley Herald and the Birmingham Post and Mail until he ...

Horst Faas
Legendary photographer and picture editor Horst Faas was a passionate and enthusiastic member of the UK Picture Editors Guild. His career spread over many ...

Marilyn Stafford
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1925 Marilyn Stafford’s life seems to have woven its way between so many famous people. After training as a singer and actor, Stafford ...

Adrian Murrell
In the late 1970s Adrian Murrell was the first salaried photographer Allsport ever hired. He had found a way as a freelancer to fund and endure grueling 3-month ...

Ken Lennox
Former picture editor of the News of the World and The Sun, Ken Lennox, an award winning photographer and picture editor has worked for over fifty years in the ...

Kent Gavin
Seven times Royal Photographer of the Year and twice Royal Photographer of the Decade are amongst the awards that have been given to Kent...

Phil Coburn
Phil lost his legs whilst on assignment for the Sunday Mirror in Afghanistan. Phil's colleague writer Rupert Hamer sadly lost his life in the explosion...

Tom Stoddart
Now established as one of the world most respected Tom Stoddart began his photographic career on a local newspaper in his native North East of England.

Bob Kirwin
Bob Kirwin started life as a freelance photographer recording the London night life in the 1970s. He moved into picture editing for the Argus South African ...

Richard Young
Richard Young is considered to be the forefather of celebrity photography. Celebrating 40 years in photography this year as both a portraitist and ...

Joan Sisley
Joan Sisley began her career at the Kentish Times and has had a pioneering career. Joan was the first woman to join the Guild. Joan working in publice relations was ...