The Bank of England has opened a two-month nomination process that will lead to a new face appearing on £20 notes to ‘celebrate Britain’s achievements in the visual arts’.
The RPS has urged the public to select a character from the photographic field, saying that a ‘UK photographer or photographic scientist is well placed to be selected’.
The RPS suggests William Henry Fox Talbot, Sir Cecil Beaton and Julia Margaret Cameron as possible choices.
RPS director general Michael Pritchard added: ‘Photography has been the defining medium of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, and it’s inconceivable that a photographer or someone connected with photography would not be chosen as the face of the new £20 banknote.
‘If you own or use a camera, or enjoy looking at photographs, think about who you would like to see on the £20 note and nominate that person.
‘And let the Society know by emailing director@rps.org so we can keep the UK photography community updated.’
The chosen character will be announced in spring 2016, and the new £20 note is expected to appear within 3-5 years.
On its website, the Bank of England says: ‘The visual arts is broadly defined and covers architects, artists, ceramicists, craftspeople, designers, fashion designers, filmmakers, photographers, printmakers and sculptors.
‘These areas form part of our everyday lives, from the buildings around us to the artwork that inspires us, the clothes we wear and the objects we use.’
The Bank of England stresses that its decision will be based on the strength of the contribution of the nominees, not on the number of times they were nominated.
It is possible to nominate more than one individual.
The public can make nominations via the Bank of England website, or by post to: The Banknote Education Team, Bank of England, Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8AH.
The nominations process closes on 19 July 2015.
For further details see the RPS website.
