The winners of the 2025 Young Railway Photographer of the Year competition have been selected from over 300 entries.
The competition, which searches for the UK’s most promising railway photographers under 25 years old, was announced at a ceremony at the National Railway Museum in York on 8 July.
Co-organised by the National Railway Museum and the Railway Photographic Society, this year’s competition received over 300 entries—more than double the number submitted in 2022.
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The theme was ‘Railway 200’, tying in with 2025’s nationwide celebration of the bicentenary of the modern railway.
Entries covered everything from railway and carriage design, architecture and structures, travel experiences, and railway landscapes to innovation, as young photographers aimed to capture the past, present and future of the railways in a portfolio of six images.
Shortlisted entries are now on display in special exhibitions at the National Railway Museum in York until January 2026 and at Locomotion in Shildon until August 2025.
Best image was awarded to Dale Bristo, 18, from St Helens, for his striking and dynamic hyperlapse image of a Merseyrail Class 777, taken at Liverpool Central station on the underground Wirral line platform.
Dale said: “I always had an interest in railways growing up, and when I got into the photography side of things, I knew I wanted to stand out in the way I take photos. For this one, I wanted to use my skills with motion blur to show the evolution of the railways.
“I’m still shell-shocked that I’ve won—it means a lot. The amount of opportunities it’s going to open up for me is amazing. I love the museum, with all the locomotives and rolling stock. It’s just amazing.”
Other winners included Oliver Powell (16) from Hereford, in the ‘18 and under’ category, whose portfolio of six pictures included a dramatic image of a Class 5043 steam engine storming forth from a tunnel. First place in the 19–25 category was awarded to Lewis Hurley (25) from Coventry, who captured a GWR 802021 on the Cardiff to Penzance service, battered by waves on the Dawlish Sea Wall.
Judges’ picks included Imogen Dixon (11), from York, whose selfie-style snapshot captured a moment of excitement from a carriage window as her train passed Roseberry Topping in North Yorkshire.
The youngest entrant to receive a prize was Beatrice Collier, just eight years old, for a camera phone shot taken as she peered through a fence at a red signal flanked by greenery. Judges praised how the image conveyed the transition between nature and manmade infrastructure.
John Hillier, Secretary of the Railway Photographic Society, and founder and judge of the Young Railway Photographer of the Year, said: “The standard of entries this year has been truly exceptional, not just in technical skill but in creativity and imagination. It’s inspiring to see the next generation capturing the spirit of the railways in such original ways.
This competition is all about nurturing young talent in this most momentous of years for the railways and I’m proud that, in collaboration with the National Railway Museum, we’re giving them a platform to be seen, celebrated and supported.”
The overall winner and the winners of the two age categories (18 and under, and 19–25) were awarded Fujifilm X-T5 Silver digital cameras with XF16–50mm lenses. Other prizes included a tour on Network Rail’s New Measurement Train, a GB Railfreight cab simulator experience, heritage railway line tickets and more.
The Young Railway Photographer of the Year competition is co-organised with the Railway Photographic Society and supported by FUJIFILM UK, The Royal Photographic Society, Network Rail, Mortons Media, GB Railfreight (GBRf) and Amateur Photographer magazine, Bauer Media, Railway Touring Company, North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.
FULL LIST OF COMPETITION WINNERS
Winning image: Young Railway Photographer of the Year
Dale Bristo (18), St Helens, Lancashire
18 and Under category:
3rd Place: Liam Brown Henriques (15), Neath, South Wales
2nd Place: Loghan Smedley (18), Alfreton, Derbyshire
1st Place: Oliver Powell (16), Hereford, Herefordshire
19-25 category:
3rd Place: Danny McLaren (24), Glasgow, Scotland
2nd Place: Ewan Chen (19), Birmingham, West Midlands
1st Place: Lewis Hurley (25), Coventry, West Midlands
Judge’s Picks
Ben Raine (20), Keighley, West Yorkshire
Nathan Flowers (20), Lytham St Anne’s, Lancashire
Tobias John (14), Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire
Jacob Andrews (22), Wokingham, Berkshire
Dieter Chan (24), Hong Kong
Beatrice Collier (8), London
Imogen Dixon (11), York, North Yorkshire
Xavier Macmillan-Bashir (16), Pembury, Kent
Alfie Evans (22), Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent
Railway Photographic Society Special Award
Marnix van Kampen-Brooks (19), London
As well as the Young Railway Photographer of the Year exhibition, the National Railway Museum has a busy programme of events throughout 2025 to mark both Railway 200 and its own 50th birthday year. Other highlights include Railway Firsts, an exhibition exploring pioneering moments in rail history; a visit from the Railway 200 touring exhibition train, Inspiration, in August; and the grand reopening of the museum’s Station Hall exhibition space on Friday 26 September following an £11m refurbishment—just in time for its big birthday weekend.
