From Digital Camera World · · 3m
Sam Ryder's train gig wins event photography's biggest prize
A candid shot of the singer performing on a Glastonbury-bound train takes the overall award at the 12th annual Event Photography Awards.
In brief
A candid shot of the singer performing on a Glastonbury-bound train takes the overall award at the 12th annual Event Photography Awards. David Parry's impromptu performance photo beat over 2,300 entries from 20 countries to win the Event Photography Awards 2026 and £1,000. Originally reported by Digital Camera World.
Train performance wins big
David Parry's photo of singer Sam Ryder performing on a train to Glastonbury won the overall prize at the 12th annual Event Photography Awards, beating over 2,300 entries from 20 countries.
Parry takes home £1,000
The photographer received a check for £1,000 (approximately US$1,350) from Philip Atkins, CEO of Off To Work, who founded the awards in 2014.
Trainline campaign backdrop
Ryder's surprise performance was part of the 'I came by train' campaign supported by the Trainline app, which encouraged sustainable travel to the festival.
Over 250 guests at ceremony
The awards ceremony took place at Central Hall Westminster in London, where guests viewed around 140 shortlisted photographs before and after the event.
Marc James debuts with honors
First-time entrant Marc James won Event Photographer of the Year, overall runner-up, and took the Behind the Scenes category with his photo 'Headless Chicken', earning £1,000.
New Black and White Award
German photographer Afra Gethoeffer-Gruetz won the inaugural Black and White Award, sponsored by Digital Camera magazine, for a close-up of Evan Seinfeld from the band Biohazard.
Luke Dyson wins twice again
Event and live music photographer Luke Dyson won the Brand Activations and Music Events Concerts categories, making him the only person to win the overall prize twice.
Anthony Black wins amateur trophy
Anthony Black won the Best Amateur trophy outright after being a joint winner last year, entering excellent images across several categories.
People's Choice goes to Praed
Mac Praed's 'Leap of Faith' won the Peoples' Choice Award, voted by guests at the ceremony, and was also runner-up in the Music Events Audiences category.
18 core categories plus new award
The Event Photography Awards comprise 18 core categories plus the new Black and White Award introduced for 2026, alongside the inaugural Event Photographer of the Year accolade.
Not-for-profit competition
The Event Photography Awards is a not-for-profit competition founded to highlight the importance of great photography to the international events industry.
Global reach and scale
Over 2,300 images from photographers in more than 20 countries were entered in the 2026 awards, demonstrating the competition's international appeal.
Founded in 2014
Philip Atkins established the Event Photography Awards in 2014 through his event staffing and recruitment agency Off To Work.
The big picture
David Parry's impromptu performance photo beat over 2,300 entries from 20 countries to win the Event Photography Awards 2026 and £1,000.
