Britain's Queen Elizabeth said she was 'inspired' by photos of life under lockdown that showed people separated but smiling, worshipping at a distance and cheering the National Health Service.
The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, launched the project and 30,000 photographers answered the call. The 100 best became part of the Hold Still exhibition which launched on Monday.
The images explore three themes: Helpers and Heroes; Your New Normal; and Acts of Kindness.
"It was with great pleasure that I had the opportunity to look through a number of the portraits that made the final 100 images for the Hold Still photography project," Queen Elizabeth said.
“The Duchess of Cambridge and I were inspired to see how the photographs have captured the resilience of the British people at such a challenging time, whether that is through celebrating front-line workers, recognising community spirit or showing the efforts of individuals supporting those in need.
“The Duchess of Cambridge and I send our best wishes and congratulations to all those who submitted a portrait to the project.”
Kate – the wife of Prince William and a keen photographer herself – and other members of the judging panel assessed the images on the emotions and experiences they convey rather than on their photographic quality or technical expertise.
“I felt really strongly that I wanted to try to create a portrait of the nation, that captures the fears and the hopes and the feelings of the nation at this really extraordinary time. As a record, I suppose, for the years to come,” the duchess said.
“The thing that I think has struck me going through all of these images is how difficult and diverse everyone's experience of Covid-19 has been.
“No one story is the same, everyone's is unique. It's like a huge roller coaster of emotions, but I suppose that's what everyone has experienced. It's a reflection of what everyone's been through at this time.”
