One of the best ways to gain inspiration for your photography and exploring different styles is by experiencing and viewing the work of other photographers and artists. We’ve put together a selection of the best exhibitions on around the UK during 2023 to see photography; including exhibitions that present photographs alongside other disciplines.
Below, you’ll find the information you need including dates, location and ticket details to plan your trips.
We will be updating this page with the latest information regularly, so be sure to check back!
Best Photography Exhibitions to see in 2023
- Astronomy Photographer of the Year, National Maritime Museum
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year 58, Natural History Museum
- Bird Photographer of the Year 2022, touring
- Hannah Starkey, The Hepworth Wakefield
- FORMAT23, Derby
- Landscape Photographer of the Year, touring
- International Photography Exhibition 164, RPS Gallery
- Headstrong: Women and Empowerment, Centre for British Photography
- Platinum Prenotations, Paul Hill, Centre for British Photography
- Living the Dream, Fujifilm House of Photography
- The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023, The Photographers’ Gallery
- Yevonde: Life and Colour, National Portrait Gallery
- Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm, National Portrait Gallery
- Photie Man: 50 Years of Tom Wood, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
- Taylor Wessing Photography Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery
- Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year
- Sony World Photography Awards 2023
- Travel Photographer of the Year
Astronomy Photographer of the Year 14
National Maritime Museum, London
- On now until 13 August 2023
- Open daily 10am – 5pm
- Tickets: £10 adults, £6.50 concessions
- Park Row, London, England SE10 9NF
Astronomy Photographer of the Year is an annual exhibition showcasing the world’s greatest space photography.
The exhibition at the National Maritime Museum will feature over 100 photographs including this year’s winning images alongside a series of shortlisted photographs on brilliant lightbox displays.
Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition
Disconnection Event © Gerald Rhemann. Planets, Comets & Asteroids Winner and Overall Winner
Tivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, Khomas, Namibia, 25 December 2021
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 58
- On now until 2 July 2023
- Monday – Sunday, 10am-5:50pm
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
- Tickets: from £17
Discover the natural world in all its wonder and diversity at the newly redesigned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, where 100 remarkable photographs illustrate the precious beauty of our planet. We have been given a sneak peek of the shortlisted photographs that hope to win the grand title prize.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 58 exhibition
© Laurent Ballesta, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021
Bird Photographer of the Year 2022
- Upcoming: The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature – Florida (USA) – 5th Jan 2024 – 30th Apr 2024
An exhibition of 70-80 of the winning images will go on an international tour.
More dates and venues to be confirmed.
Hannah Starkey
The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, Yorkshire
- On now until 30 April 2023
- Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm
- Tickets: £10-12, FREE for Members
- Gallery Walk, Wakefield, England WF1 5AW
The Hepworth Wakefield will present the first major survey of British photographer Hannah Starkey, tracing the development of her work across two decades. Throughout her career, Starkey’s meticulously choreographed photographs have determinedly engaged with how women are represented in contemporary culture, an issue which is now centre stage.
On display will be photographs from Starkey’s graduation show in 1997 that immediately brought her widespread acclaim, through to a newly commissioned body of work that will be created with young women in Wakefield in 2022.
Hannah Starkey at The Hepworth Wakefield
Hannah Starkey, Untitled, May 1997, 1997 framed c-type print mounted on aluminium 122 x 162 cm © Hannah Starkey. Courtesy Maureen Paley, London
FORMAT23
Format International Photography Festival, Derby
- 17 March – 9 April 2023
For the eleventh edition of FORMAT International Photography Festival, visitors will be welcomed back to the city of Derby, following an online hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic. To celebrate, discover and question What Photography Can Be. Founded in 2004, FORMAT has helped place the UK photography scene on the international cultural map, making it a must-attend event.
FORMAT23 runs throughout Derby, in the city’s museums, art galleries and historic, pop-up and renovated spaces and buildings. There are over 30 exhibitions, including portraits of some of Derbys residents in the exhibition A Perfect Sentence by Oliver Chanarin at the Museum of Making; an archive of images from Derby’s club and dance scene through the 60’s at Déda and an outdoor exhibition which highlights the most loved areas and people of England’s high streets – including Derby.
Landscape Photographer of the Year
Tour dates:
- Liverpool Street Station – 7th – 22nd March 2023
- London Bridge Station – 23rd March – 6th April 2023
- Waterloo Station, London – 7th – 21st April 2023
Landscape Photographer of the Year celebrates the wonder of the British landscape and showcases the work of many talented photographers.
Landscape Photographer of the Year exhibition
International Photography Exhibition 164
RPS Gallery, Bristol
- 28 January – 7 May 2023
- Monday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
- The Royal Photographic Society, RPS House, 337 Paintworks, Arnos Vale, Bristol, BS4 3AR
- Free
The RPS International Photography Exhibition returns with its 164th edition showcasing powerful stories and highlighting important themes.
RPS International Photography Exhibition 164
Liz Hingley’s Kitchen Court Hearing from the RPS’s International Photography Exhibition 163
Headstrong: Women and Empowerment
The Centre for British Photography, London
- 26 January – 23 April 2023
- Jermyn Street, London
- Free
Specially curated for the Centre for British Photography by the advocacy group, Fast Forward: Women in Photography, Headstrong presents self-portraits by women that explore a range of contemporary issues. Fast Forward; Women in Photography is a research project based at University for the Creative Arts.
Platinum Prenotations, Paul Hill
The Centre for British Photography, London
- 26 January – 23 April 2023
- Jermyn Street, London
- Free
For the past 18 months, Hill has been working with Studio of Light at Loughborough University. Specifically the photographic research and development expertise of Alan Duncan and Ben Dolman, who have devised an innovative approach to platinum-palladium printing by uniting the 19th century historical process with contemporary image making.
Paul Hill has produced a limited edition set of platinum-palladium prints of some of his most recognised and seminal images which will be for sale. Prized for their rich, subtle tonal quality, wealth of fine detail and stability, platinum-palladium prints are at the summit of traditional photographic printing.
Living the Dream
Fujifilm House of Photography
- 9 March – 7 May 2023
- Monday – Wednesday 11:00am-7:00pm, Thursday – Saturday 11:00am – 8:00pm, Sunday 12:00pm – 6:00pm
- 8-9 Long Acre, Covent Garden, WC2E 9LH
- Free
UK Black Female Photographers community (UKBFTOG) takes centre stage at the Fujifilm House of Photography in London with an exhibition titled Living the Dream.
Using photography’s unique power as an instrument to empower women, the exhibition brings together 51 talented Black female photographers of different levels in celebration of culture, creativity and womanhood.
Right Where We Belong by Amaani Oluwa. Amaani explores themes of soft femininity and playfulness which are not often associated with the world’s outlook of a black girl. London-based with an academic background in Creative Direction, Amaani uses her lens to tell stories inspired by those around her by translating these into visual concepts, mainly portraiture.
The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023
The Photographers’ Gallery
- 3 March – 11 June 2023
- 16-18 Ramillies Street, London W1F 7LW
- Monday-Wednesday and Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-6pm, Thursday and Friday 10am – 8pm.
- Tickets: £8 / £5 Concession (Free for Members) – Advance Booking Online £6.50 / £4 Concession
The four international artists shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023 Bieke Depoorter, Samuel Fosso, Arthur Jafa and Frida Orupabo will be on display within the annual exhibition
Yevonde: Life and Colour
National Portrait Gallery
- 22 June – 15 October 2023
- Open Daily: 10:30am – 6pm, Friday & Saturday 10:30am – 9pm
- Tickets: £5 for under 30s, £15/17, concessions available. Members go free
- St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE
The first exhibition to open as part of the Gallery’s 2023 programme will explore the life and career of the twentieth century photographer, Yevonde, who pioneered the use of colour photography in the 1930s. Yevonde: Life and Colour will survey the portraits and still-life works that the artist produced throughout her sixty year career, positioning Yevonde as a trailblazer in the history of British portrait photography. Supported by the CHANEL Culture Fund.
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm
National Portrait Gallery
- 28 June – 1 October 2023
- Open Daily: 10:30am – 6pm, Friday & Saturday 10:30am – 9pm
- Tickets: £5 for under 30s, £22/24.50, concessions available. Members go free
- St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm will share, for the first time, an extraordinary archive of rediscovered and never-before-seen photographs taken by Paul McCartney. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm
Photie Man: 50 Years of Tom Wood
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
- 20 May 2023 – 7 January 2024
- Tuesday – Sunday, and Bank Holidays, 10am-4pm
- Tickets: £2-9
- William Brown St , Liverpool, United Kingdom, L3 8EL
In the first major retrospective of Tom Wood in Liverpool, ‘Photie Man’ celebrates the internationally-acclaimed Irish artist by showcasing his iconic images of Liverpool and bringing together his work from across all decades. Including some never seen before photographs and film work.
Photie Man: 50 Years of Tom Wood
Taylor Wessing Photography Portrait Prize
National Portrait Gallery
- 9 November 2023 – 25 February 2024
- Open Daily: 10:30am – 6pm, Friday & Saturday 10:30am – 9pm
- Tickets: info TBC
- St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE
The Gallery’s annual Photographic Portrait Prize will be renamed the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize to mark the exhibition’s return to the Gallery after two years at Cromwell Place. As one of the leading photography awards in the world, the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize showcases the work of some of the most exciting and cutting-edge contemporary photographers.
Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2022
RPS Gallery, Bristol
- 2023 dates TBC
- The Royal Photographic Society, RPS House, 337 Paintworks, Arnos Vale, Bristol, BS4 3AR.
- Free
Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year
© Debdatta Chakraborty | Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2022
Travel Photographer of the Year
- 2023 exhibition information to come
Sony World Photography Awards
Somerset House
- 14 April – 1 May 2023
- Weekdays: 11:00am to 9:00pm, Weekends: 11:00am to 8:00pm, Bank Holiday (1 May): 11:00am to 6:00pm
- Strand, London WC2R 1LA
- Standard ticket: £15, Children under 12 and disabled companions: Free. Concessions available
Doris Maria Lara Caballero, age 31, is a migrant from Department Cortés, Honduras. She takes a portrait of herself at the Enrique Romero Municipal Gymnasium in Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico on 30 April 2021. Series Name: Migrantes. © Adam Ferguson, Australia, Photographer of the Year, Professional, Portraiture, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
Francesca Woodman and Julia Margaret Cameron: Portraits to Dream in
National Portrait Gallery
- Opening in Spring 2024
Further reading
Best photography competitions to enter in 2023
Best photography books of 2022
22 ways to spark your creativity
