Bauer Media Outdoor supports Historic England’s ‘Picturing High Streets’ photography competition

Bauer Media Outdoor announced a new partnership with Historic England to support their ‘Picturing High Streets’ national photography competition.

Historic England, in conjunction with Photoworks, announced a major national photography competition, ‘Picturing High Streets’, inviting people to look at the high street as never before, charting and celebrating the history and experiences of the people and places that make up an often-overlooked fixture in all our lives.

Over the next 12 months, people are encouraged to respond to a fortnightly challenge that uncovers the secret life of the high street, posting their photographs on Instagram using #PicturingHighStreets. From celebrating local high street heroes that make our places so special, capturing favourite hangouts and meeting places, to recording the hidden heritage of our high streets, the most evocative photographs will be featured on the @PicturingHighStreets Instagram channel.

A selection of photographs submitted before 21 December 2022 will form an outdoor exhibition opening in spring 2023 across Bauer Media Outdoor’s digital Out of Home screens, outdoor exhibition panels and shop windows on high streets across England.

These photographs - alongside a selection of others submitted from January 2023 onwards - will also enter the Historic England Archive, the nation’s archive for England’s historic buildings, archaeology, and social history.

Designer and retail expert Wayne Hemingway will join the renowned artist Camille Walala, best known for her large-scale murals that transform public spaces, as judges to help choose the winning images to go into the national touring exhibition. Ben Hope, Marketing Director at Bauer Media Outdoor and Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, will also take part in the judging.

Bauer Media Outdoor’s Chief Marketing Officer, Martin Corke, said: “We’re so excited to support this major photography project to showcase what makes our high streets so special. Our medium is perfectly placed to bring art to communities up and down the country, and we’re looking forward to sharing the successful images with millions of people across England.”

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: “High streets are at the heart of communities. We know their future feels uncertain and high streets are facing a pivotal moment in their long history. It’s time to get out there, rediscover our high streets, and tell the stories behind the shopfronts.”

Follow @PicturingHighStreets on Instagram and post your pictures using #PicturingHighStreets. The national outdoor exhibition will open in spring 2023.