Capturing the spirit of the West Coast

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As the UK marks the 200th anniversary of its railway, Avanti West Coast is recognising the important role it plays in connecting people and places with a unique competition – the Together We Roll Photography Competition - designed to celebrate local communities across its route captured through photography.

We’re inviting photographers (professional, emerging, and amateur) to submit an image that perfectly captures the spirit of a community local to the West Coast Main Line, which serves major cities and towns in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Whether it’s cultural heritage, personal interactions, or celebrations, we want to showcase the local people and places during this special year for the railway.

The photography competition follows the launch of Avanti West Coast’s Together We Roll train wrap – a bespoke artwork created by digital artist, Baraka Carberry, that celebrates the ethnicity of employees and communities across its network, underpinned by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy.

Aerial shot of a train crossing over a bridge with spark border

The Together We Roll Photography Competition is open to professional, emerging and amateur photographers and offers the opportunity for successful entrants to have their work shown as part of a presentation during a private event hosted by Avanti West Coast at The National Gallery in London, as well as part of an exhibition at stations on the West Coast Main Line for tens of thousands of people making rail journeys to see.

Entries can be submitted into one of the following categories: Emerging artists; Amateur photographers; Professional photographers and Our People. More details can be found here.

The competition closes on 14 December and participants need to make clear which category they are entering when submitting their images.

The winners of each category will also have their image published in Modern Railways Magazine and receive a pair of First Class tickets, as well as have their work displayed at stations on the West Coast Main Line.

A panel of judges will choose a winner from each category to create a collection of photos that celebrates communities and photographers across the West Coast.

Enter here

 

Categories

Emerging artists

For young creatives under 18 years old – whether it’s their first time entering a competition or they’re already building their portfolio, this category celebrates fresh talent and new perspectives. 

To enter this category, entrants will need a parent or legal guardian’s permission. Entries must be submitted with the consent of a parent or legal guardian in the form of the Parent/Legal Guardian Consent Form, which can be found here: 

Download our consent form

Amateur photographers

For adults who pursue photography as a passion or hobby – not for profit, but for the love of capturing moments, places and people that inspire them. 

Professional photographers

For adults who work in photography professionally – whether that’s commercial, editorial, documentary or fine art, this category is for those whose craft is also their career. 

Our people

An internal category for Avanti West Coast employees – inviting entries from across the business to reflect their own view of the West Coast community. 

Judges

Baraka Carberry

Digital Artist Baraka designed our Together We Roll train wrap. She goes by art alias Bokiba and is currently based in the Midlands. Other designs include the bus wrap for TfL and Royal Mail stamps celebrating the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush generation.

Baraka Carberry headshot with graphene border

Paul Bigland

Paul is a Halifax-based photographer and journalist. His work has appeared in national newspapers, magazines and books for over 25 years. Starting as a travel photographer, Paul’s main work is now for the railway industry. Paul is also a judge for the annual Community Rail Awards.

Paul Bigley headshot with spark border

Jas Lehal

Jas is a London-based photographer with over two decades of experience. Her work has been published in national outlets and many other publications and websites. Recent clients have included Net a Porter, Amazon, Debenhams, John Lewis, M&S, Sainsbury’s, and Discovery Channel.

Jas Lehal headshot with graphene border

Matt Pover

Matt is a cheshire-based photographer with over two decades of experience. He specialises in portraiture and has his work featured in various national titles. Recent clients have included Puma, Sony, Hugo Boss, Adidas and Sony.

Matt Pover headshot with spark border

Richard Clinnick

Richard has been editor of Modern Railways since November 2024 and has been a journalist since 2002. His role involves travelling across Britain (and sometimes further afield) for visits, interviews and research for the magazine - always by rail!

Richard Clinnick headshot with spark border

Terms and conditions

Please note your entry must be your original work and must not infringe the rights of any other party. You must be the sole owner of copyright in all photographs entered and must have obtained express permission of any people featured in the entries or their parents/guardians if children under 18 are featured.