England’s New Lenses

In partnership with Photoworks, we are launching the Untold Heritage photography call as part of our England’s New Lenses Programme. Follow #UntoldHeritage to find out more.

Untold Heritage is your chance to explore your heritage through photography, to tell the stories that get left out of the history books, and to help us discover alternative narratives of our history.

We want you to explore your heritage and the ‘heritage of the future’, documenting the people, places, and communities that have shaped you and your life, and the heritage you want to hand down to future generations.

We want to see your take on our themes. This could be exploring your family history (from your immediate family to ancestry and traditions) or more broadly sharing the untold heritage of your communities (work, industries, places of significance, movements, etc.).

You might even want to explore ‘future heritage’, using your camera to explore the current big issues like climate change, lockdown, unemployment, equality and housing.

There are a couple of ways to get involved, but either way you can enter your photos inspired by the themes over the next couple of months. Our favourite entries will be shared across our Instagram and website, as well as Photoworks and English Heritage channels.

Entries submitted to this website will also be judged by our panel, with the best being selected for a place in the digital Photoworks Festival in October 2020 and a chance to win a number of other prizes, including mentoring opportunities for one photographer whose photo engages with the theme in the most creative way.

We can’t wait to see the work you create – telling your stories, inspired by your heritage!

How to get involved

Every two weeks we will release a new theme and a set of resources to help you explore it.

You will have two weeks to use your imagination to create your response.

You only need a camera phone to take part – no fancy high-res cameras required. We are looking at the creativity and how you respond to the theme. We want to see your perspective on the heritage that is meaningful to you, not how many pixels there are in your photo, or how many hours you spent on Photoshop!

We will share the theme and resources here and across social media, so keep your eyes peeled!

View Themes >

How to enter your photos

To submit your photos you have two options (you can do one or both):

Option 1

Share your photographs of your Untold Heritage with us on Instagram or Twitter by using #UntoldHeritage and tagging @ehshoutoutloud and @photoworks_uk

Option 2

Enter your Untold Heritage photo into the judging for the chance to be included in the Photoworks Festival by submitting it on this site

Submit your entry >

Photoworks workshop

Just after we launch each new theme Photoworks will also host an interactive online workshop. There are limited spaces available, so you need to book quickly, but we will have a waiting list once the original places fill up.

These workshops will be led by artist Alejandra Carles-Tolra and are only open to those aged between 13 and 18.

Each workshop will focus on a different sub-theme revealed just before the session by our channels and Photoworks. The workshops will introduce creative approaches to photography, helping you develop your ideas, with an introduction to some photographic processes – suitable for beginners and seasoned photographers alike.

You will need a camera or phone to take photos with, and a laptop and internet to join the live workshop and then upload your images to Dropbox to share with fellow participants.

Dates: 17 July, 31 July, 14 August, 28 August
Time: 4pm – 6pm (BST)
Cost: Free (book in advance)

Book your space >

Shout Out Loud is partnering with Photoworks to deliver the England’s New Lenses ‘Untold Heritage’ project.

Photoworks champions photography for everyone. We are an international platform, global in reach, and have provided opportunities for artists and audiences since 1995. We do not have a physical venue, but our online channels are always open. Our programme brings new experiences to audiences and opens up new ways to encounter photography.
Photoworks is a registered charity and the only organisation with a national remit for photography in England. Our work is supported by public funding through Arts Council England’s National Portfolio.

Untold Heritage and England’s New Lenses are part of Shout Out Loud, English Heritage’s national youth engagement programme. Shout Out Loud is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Kick The Dust programme. Untold Heritage and England’s New Lenses are additional Kick The Dust activity funded by DCMS through the Youth Accelerator Fund.