We’ve all got gems tucked away in our family albums. Now is the time to share them and win £200 in cash plus other prizes thanks to the competition sponsor Vivid-Pix.
Old photographs tell us so much about our family. It gives us a chance to see people at different stages of their lives perhaps doing the things they loved or marking a special occasion. These faces from the past can inspire us to research their family history and give us clues of where to look.
Whether you have dozens of old family albums handed down to you, or just a small box of photographs, we are encouraging readers to take another look at their collection and share some of their favourite gems.
How to enter the Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine Family Photo Competition
How will winners be selected?
We have chosen six categories for people to submit their photos under and we will be looking for good quality, striking images that capture the imagination. Each entry must be accompanied by no more than 50 words telling us something about the photograph and why you chose it. Don’t worry if you don’t know who the subject is in the image – we all have mystery photographs in our collection – you can just share what the photograph makes you feel or why you love it so much.
As well as character, composition and impact, we will also be judging photographs on the quality of the surviving image so please submit a high-resolution digital copy (see below).
Although there is no cut-off date for how modern the photographs can be, we will score photographs for rarity which will benefit older photographs.
Our judges will select a shortlist of six images for each category based on the image alone. The accompanying description will only be taken into account at the final stage when choosing a winner from the six finalists.
The overall winner will be chosen from the winners of the six categories and will be the image that the judges decide is the most striking. We will be looking for a family photo that would stand out in anyone’s family album.
Win £200, a framed print of your winning photograph and a year's subscription to WDYTYA? Magazine
The winner of each category will receive a beautiful framed professional print of their winning photograph plus a year’s subscription to Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine. There will also be an overall winner who will receive £200 on top of their category prize courtesy of Vivid-Pix the photo editing software specialists. All the winning photographs will appear in a future issue of the magazine along with some of our favourites from the shortlists.
Category one – On holiday
From the moment portable cameras were available, people wanted photographic souvenirs of their favourite holidays. From relaxing on the beach to walking along the promenade we want to see photographs that really capture a holiday or day trip.
Category two – Special occasion
There’s nothing like a wedding to get the cameras out, but any special occasion can be included in this category. It might be Christmas, a golden wedding anniversary or a christening, we don’t mind. We are looking for photos that capture a special moment and make you wish you were there.
Category three – Dressing up
Many of our ancestors will have donned fancy dress at some point in their lives, whether it was for parties, fetes or carnivals. And of course, home-made costumes were often photographed. But it’s not just fancy dress for this category. If you’ve got a photograph of your great grandmother in a glorious hat, send it in!
Category four – Solo photo
We’re looking for a photograph that focuses on just one person here. It could be anything from a studio portrait of a soldier taken as a keepsake for his family to an ancestor playing in the garden or showing off a new car. We’re looking for portraits full of character that leave you wanting to know more about the person in the frame.
Category five – Family together
Whether at home in the garden, or formally posed in a studio, we’re looking for great photographs that capture a family together. Poignant, joyful, funny, endearing – share an image that speaks volumes for the bonds that make a family.
Category six – My family and other animals
Who says our pets aren’t part of our family? We are looking for snaps of your ancestors with their pooches and moggies or perhaps they are riding a donkey or visiting a zoo. The only criteria are that the photograph must include at least one person and at least one animal.
Who can enter?
The competition is open to all residents of the UK, including the Channel Islands, except employees or contractors of Immediate Media and anyone connected with the competition or their direct family members.
How and when can I enter?
Entrants should enter by email only, to familyphotocomp@immediate.co.uk
Images should be attached in a standard picture format (JPEG, PNG, PDF) at least 300dpi at four by six inches (10x15cms). Photos smaller than this may need to be scanned in at 600dpi.
Include your full name, home address and email address and daytime telephone number.
Entrants aged under 18 must state their age with their competition entry and confirm that they have permission to enter from their parent or guardian.
