• Ukrainian soldiers in a foxhole defending the north of the city of Kharkiv in February 2022. Photo: Julian Simmonds / BPPA
    Ukrainian soldiers in a foxhole defending the north of the city of Kharkiv in February 2022. Photo: Julian Simmonds / BPPA
  • Military pallbearers carry Queen Elizabeth II's coffin into St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle after her funeral in September 2022. Photo: Max Mumby / BPPA
    Military pallbearers carry Queen Elizabeth II's coffin into St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle after her funeral in September 2022. Photo: Max Mumby / BPPA
  • A wildfire in Wennington, Essex, where several homes were destroyed during an unprecedented heatwave in July 2022. Photo: Bradley Page / BPPA
    A wildfire in Wennington, Essex, where several homes were destroyed during an unprecedented heatwave in July 2022. Photo: Bradley Page / BPPA
  • Emergency teams rescue a girl and her mother, who had been trapped for 117 hours inside their collapsed home in Adiyaman, Turkey, after the earthquake in February 2023. Photo: Tom Nicholson / BPPA
    Emergency teams rescue a girl and her mother, who had been trapped for 117 hours inside their collapsed home in Adiyaman, Turkey, after the earthquake in February 2023. Photo: Tom Nicholson / BPPA
  • England's Chloe Kelly celebrates after scoring the winning goal in the Women's Euros final against Germany at Wembley Stadium, London, in July 2022. Photo: Andy Rain / BPPA
    England's Chloe Kelly celebrates after scoring the winning goal in the Women's Euros final against Germany at Wembley Stadium, London, in July 2022. Photo: Andy Rain / BPPA
  • Catherine, Princess of Wales is presented with flowers by Theo Crompton, four, on a visit to the Holyhead Lifeboat Station in Anglesey, Wales in September 2022. Photo: Paul Ellis / BPPA
    Catherine, Princess of Wales is presented with flowers by Theo Crompton, four, on a visit to the Holyhead Lifeboat Station in Anglesey, Wales in September 2022. Photo: Paul Ellis / BPPA
  • People sift through rubble to search for bodies at the scene of an overnight Russian missile strike in Kramatorsk, Ukraine in February 2023. Photo: Julian Simmonds / BPPA
    People sift through rubble to search for bodies at the scene of an overnight Russian missile strike in Kramatorsk, Ukraine in February 2023. Photo: Julian Simmonds / BPPA
  • Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the Trooping the Colour parade in June 2022. Photo: Hannah McKay / BPPA
    Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the Trooping the Colour parade in June 2022. Photo: Hannah McKay / BPPA
  • Vast waves crash against the harbour wall in Porthcawl, south Wales, as Storm Eunice batters Britain in February 2022. Photo: Geoff Caddick / BPPA
    Vast waves crash against the harbour wall in Porthcawl, south Wales, as Storm Eunice batters Britain in February 2022. Photo: Geoff Caddick / BPPA
  • A dry Wayoh Reservoir near Bolton, north-west England during the hot summer of 2022. Photo: James Speakman / BPPA
    A dry Wayoh Reservoir near Bolton, north-west England during the hot summer of 2022. Photo: James Speakman / BPPA
  • Horizon Technologies, a British start-up that developed a surveillance satellite from a garage in Reading, in preparation for the UK's first space launch from Cornwall. Photo: Jeff Moore / BPPA
    Horizon Technologies, a British start-up that developed a surveillance satellite from a garage in Reading, in preparation for the UK's first space launch from Cornwall. Photo: Jeff Moore / BPPA
  • A commuter reads a newspaper reporting on the death of Queen Elizabeth II, in London, September 2022. Photo: Tolga Akmen / BPPA
    A commuter reads a newspaper reporting on the death of Queen Elizabeth II, in London, September 2022. Photo: Tolga Akmen / BPPA
  • Keshav Maharaj leaps and misses a catch in the third Test between England and South Africa at the Kia Oval in London, September 2022. Photo: Philip Brown / BPPA
    Keshav Maharaj leaps and misses a catch in the third Test between England and South Africa at the Kia Oval in London, September 2022. Photo: Philip Brown / BPPA
  • USA coach Andrea Fuentes, right, swims to reach Anita Alvarez, who had fainted in the pool at the Budapest World Aquatics Championships in June 2022. Photo: Oli Scarff / BPPA
    USA coach Andrea Fuentes, right, swims to reach Anita Alvarez, who had fainted in the pool at the Budapest World Aquatics Championships in June 2022. Photo: Oli Scarff / BPPA
  • Traffic jams at the Port of Dover in July 2022. Photo: Martin Godwin / BPPA
    Traffic jams at the Port of Dover in July 2022. Photo: Martin Godwin / BPPA
  • Westminster Abbey choristers take a break from school lessons to play football in the cloisters on the day of England's Euro 2020 final against Italy in July 2021. Photo: Stefan Rousseau / BPPA
    Westminster Abbey choristers take a break from school lessons to play football in the cloisters on the day of England's Euro 2020 final against Italy in July 2021. Photo: Stefan Rousseau / BPPA
  • A diver training at the 2023 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Photo: Stefan Wermuth / BPPA
    A diver training at the 2023 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Photo: Stefan Wermuth / BPPA
  • London Underground trains are laid up at Northfields Train Depot in west London as a strike by staff begins. Photo: Peter Macdiarmid / BPPA
    London Underground trains are laid up at Northfields Train Depot in west London as a strike by staff begins. Photo: Peter Macdiarmid / BPPA
  • Runners and riders compete at the annual one-day Laytown races held on the beach in Laytown, Ireland, in November 2021. Photo: Clodagh Kilcoyne / BPPA
    Runners and riders compete at the annual one-day Laytown races held on the beach in Laytown, Ireland, in November 2021. Photo: Clodagh Kilcoyne / BPPA
  • Children at play against the backdrop of destroyed buildings in Borodyanka, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Photo: Paul Grover / BPPA
    Children at play against the backdrop of destroyed buildings in Borodyanka, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Photo: Paul Grover / BPPA
  • A call for peace from a young Ukrainian refugee arriving in Przemysl, Poland by train from war-torn Lviv in March 2022. Photo: Maja Smiejkowska / BPPA
    A call for peace from a young Ukrainian refugee arriving in Przemysl, Poland by train from war-torn Lviv in March 2022. Photo: Maja Smiejkowska / BPPA
  • Actor Kevin Spacey arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court after being charged over allegations of sex offences, in London, June 2022. Photo: Peter Nicholls / BPPA
    Actor Kevin Spacey arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court after being charged over allegations of sex offences, in London, June 2022. Photo: Peter Nicholls / BPPA
  • Eddie Redmayne is dressed as a clown in preparation for one his appearances as EmCee in Cabaret, during a matinee performance in London in February 2022. Photo: David Levene / BPPA
    Eddie Redmayne is dressed as a clown in preparation for one his appearances as EmCee in Cabaret, during a matinee performance in London in February 2022. Photo: David Levene / BPPA
  • Harpenden Town v Dunstable Town at Rothamsted Park in Harpenden. Photo: Marc Aspland / BPPA
    Harpenden Town v Dunstable Town at Rothamsted Park in Harpenden. Photo: Marc Aspland / BPPA
  • Donna Vekic in action during her Australian Open quarter final against Aryna Sabalenka in January 2023. Photo: Carl Recine / BPPA
    Donna Vekic in action during her Australian Open quarter final against Aryna Sabalenka in January 2023. Photo: Carl Recine / BPPA
  • Scotland's Eilidh Gorrell in action on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics at the 2023 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Photo: Hannah McKay / BPPA
    Scotland's Eilidh Gorrell in action on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics at the 2023 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Photo: Hannah McKay / BPPA
  • Queen Elizabeth II attends the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Windsor Cup polo match at Guards Polo Club, Smith's Lawn in July 2021. Photo: Max Mumby / BPPA
    Queen Elizabeth II attends the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Windsor Cup polo match at Guards Polo Club, Smith's Lawn in July 2021. Photo: Max Mumby / BPPA
  • Anastasiya Andryianava of Belarus in action during women's aerials at the Beijing Olympics in February 2022. Photo: Dylan Martinez / BPPA
    Anastasiya Andryianava of Belarus in action during women's aerials at the Beijing Olympics in February 2022. Photo: Dylan Martinez / BPPA
  • Departing prime minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie leave Downing Street after his farewell speech in London in September 2022. Photo: Tolga Akmen / BPPA
    Departing prime minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie leave Downing Street after his farewell speech in London in September 2022. Photo: Tolga Akmen / BPPA
  • An unexploded bomb stuck in a farmer’s field in Mykolaiv, Ukraine in July 2022. Photo: Maciek Musialek / BPPA
    An unexploded bomb stuck in a farmer’s field in Mykolaiv, Ukraine in July 2022. Photo: Maciek Musialek / BPPA
  • A member of the public drags an activist off the road during a Just Stop Oil protest in London in October 2022. Photo: Henry Nicholls / BPPA
    A member of the public drags an activist off the road during a Just Stop Oil protest in London in October 2022. Photo: Henry Nicholls / BPPA
  • The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive in heavy rain at Sybil Strachan Primary School in the Bahamas. Photo: Samir Hussein / BPPA
    The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive in heavy rain at Sybil Strachan Primary School in the Bahamas. Photo: Samir Hussein / BPPA
  • Romanian Orthodox monk Father Mikhail leaves after conducting mass at Putna Monastery, Romania in March 2022. Photo: Clodagh Kilcoyne / BPPA
    Romanian Orthodox monk Father Mikhail leaves after conducting mass at Putna Monastery, Romania in March 2022. Photo: Clodagh Kilcoyne / BPPA
  • A vigil at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, London in September 2022. Photo: Daniel Leal / BPPA
    A vigil at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, London in September 2022. Photo: Daniel Leal / BPPA
  • A tear falls as this young woman flees Ukraine for Romania in March 2022. Photo: Clodagh Kilcoyne / BPPA
    A tear falls as this young woman flees Ukraine for Romania in March 2022. Photo: Clodagh Kilcoyne / BPPA
  • Yelena Burainchenko in Kharkiv general hospital. She was injured when her home was shelled by Russian forces. Green disinfectant covers what where open wounds. She was later taken to Germany for specialist treatment. Photo: Jack Hill / BPPA 7 March 2022
    Yelena Burainchenko in Kharkiv general hospital. She was injured when her home was shelled by Russian forces. Green disinfectant covers what where open wounds. She was later taken to Germany for specialist treatment. Photo: Jack Hill / BPPA 7 March 2022
  • Matt Walls of England crashes into the crowd during the Men’s Scratch Race Qualifying Round at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, in London. Photo: Alex Broadway / BPPA
    Matt Walls of England crashes into the crowd during the Men’s Scratch Race Qualifying Round at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, in London. Photo: Alex Broadway / BPPA
  • Queen Elizabeth II's corgis Sandy and Muick in Windsor shortly before her funeral cortege arrives for the final drive to St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in September 2022. Photo: Jonathan Buckmaster / BPPA
    Queen Elizabeth II's corgis Sandy and Muick in Windsor shortly before her funeral cortege arrives for the final drive to St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in September 2022. Photo: Jonathan Buckmaster / BPPA
  • Christina Wassen of Germany in action during the diving at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Photo: Molly Darlington / BPPA
    Christina Wassen of Germany in action during the diving at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Photo: Molly Darlington / BPPA
  • People observe Tashlich by the East River in Brooklyn, New York in September 2021. Photo: Adam Gray / BPPA
    People observe Tashlich by the East River in Brooklyn, New York in September 2021. Photo: Adam Gray / BPPA
  • Geronimo the alpaca, who had tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, is taken from Shepherds Close Farm, Gloucestershire, to be put down. Photo: Andrew Lloyd / BPPA
    Geronimo the alpaca, who had tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, is taken from Shepherds Close Farm, Gloucestershire, to be put down. Photo: Andrew Lloyd / BPPA
  • Rain starts to fall in Piccadilly Circus, London after the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. Photo: Paul Marriott / BPPA
    Rain starts to fall in Piccadilly Circus, London after the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. Photo: Paul Marriott / BPPA
  • Liz Truss and her husband Hugh O'Leary wave outside No 10 Downing Street, London, after she became prime minister in September 2022. It turned out to be a short-lived tenure. Photo: Aaron Chown / BPPA
    Liz Truss and her husband Hugh O'Leary wave outside No 10 Downing Street, London, after she became prime minister in September 2022. It turned out to be a short-lived tenure. Photo: Aaron Chown / BPPA
  • Beatrice Maria Vio of Italy celebrates after beating Jingjing Zhou of China during wheelchair fencing at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in August 2021. Photo: Molly Darlington / BPPA
    Beatrice Maria Vio of Italy celebrates after beating Jingjing Zhou of China during wheelchair fencing at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in August 2021. Photo: Molly Darlington / BPPA
  • Police officers protect the Manchester United team bus as it arrives for a match against Everton, at Goodison Park in Liverpool in October 2022. Photo: Oli Scarff / BPPA
    Police officers protect the Manchester United team bus as it arrives for a match against Everton, at Goodison Park in Liverpool in October 2022. Photo: Oli Scarff / BPPA
  • A model in an advertisement appears to step on shoppers near Oxford Circus, London during the annual Black Friday sale event in November 2021. Photo: Leon Neal / BPPA
    A model in an advertisement appears to step on shoppers near Oxford Circus, London during the annual Black Friday sale event in November 2021. Photo: Leon Neal / BPPA
  • Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds perform at All Points East festival at Victoria Park, east London. Photo: Ash Knotek / BPPA
    Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds perform at All Points East festival at Victoria Park, east London. Photo: Ash Knotek / BPPA
  • The Clipper Yacht Race off the coast of Greencastle, Ireland. Photo: Jason Bye / BPPA
    The Clipper Yacht Race off the coast of Greencastle, Ireland. Photo: Jason Bye / BPPA
  • Life Guards, a unit of the Household Cavalry, stand guard outside the Palace of Westminster, London at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral procession in September 2022. Photo: Ben Stansall / BPPA
    Life Guards, a unit of the Household Cavalry, stand guard outside the Palace of Westminster, London at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral procession in September 2022. Photo: Ben Stansall / BPPA

Arts & Culture

BPPA Assignments 2023: The best press photography on London's South Bank

Curated by industry veterans, the event exhibits the top 100 photographs from BPPA members

Marwa Hassan
Marwa Hassan

May 23, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

The British Press Photographers’ Association has opened its annual exhibition, Assignments 2023 – The BPPA Exhibition, on London’s South Bank.

The event shows a curated selection of the top 100 photographs from BPPA members, providing an insight into the current state of press photography.

Five industry figures were selected as curators this year: photojournalist Phil Coburn, Talar Kalajian from Agence France-Presse, The Telegraph's Matthew Fearn, photojournalist Alan Crowhurst, and Freddie Sloan of Hello magazine.

They have put together a collection of images that capture stories from July 2021 to spring 2023, covering a wide range of subjects, from sports and entertainment to politics and protests, as well as portraits of royals, celebrities, and depictions of global events.

The BPPA, founded in the mid-1980s, says its mission is to uphold the highest ethical, technical, and creative standards within the industry, and that Assignments 2023 – The BPPA Exhibition reflects this continuing commitment.

The exhibition, which began on May 19, runs until Sunday.

Updated: May 23, 2023, 12:00 PM
Photography