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.”