England’s New Lenses

England’s New Lenses is a photography programme delivered in partnership with Photoworks.

Family sharing their stories and reflecting on photos of ancestors

England’s New Lenses 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.

There are two parts to the program and although part one #UntoldHeritage has now completed and you can view the images on the gallery, we are about to announce the selected artists for part two of the commissions – so keep your eyes peeled.

England's New Lenses: Commissions

Four emerging photographers, between the ages of 18 and 25, have been selected for a PAID commission using English Heritage sites as a creative springboard for a new body of photographic work exploring alternative narratives and new voices of England.

A panel of judges including Stuart Lawrence of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation and artist Mahtab Hussain looked at artwork submissions and selected the four photographers.

The residency will take place from March to May 2021, including research, development, site visits, contact time with a mentor, and production of the artwork.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the selected artists…

England's New Lenses: Untold Heritage

Over the summer we asked you to explore Untold Heritage, thought a number of sub-themes, from your family history (from your immediate family to ancestry and traditions) or more broadly share the untold heritage of your communities (work, industries, places of significance, movements, etc.). To ‘future heritage’, using your camera to explore the current big issues like climate change, lockdown, unemployment, equality and housing.

Through a series of workshops and an open competition, we received hundreds of photos – entries were judged by our panel, with the best being selected for a place in the digital Photoworks Festival in October 2020 and receiving a range of prizes.

We were blown away by the work submitted if you haven’t yet had a look at the winners check them out now.

#UntoldHeritage The Winners

You can still get involved

Every two weeks over summer 2020 we released a new set of resources to help you explore your untold heritage. These resources are still available for you to use to learn and develop your photography skills.

You only need a camera phone – no fancy high-res cameras required. Although the competition is now closed we still want to see your perspective on the heritage that is meaningful to you, so post it on your social media and don’t forget to tag us @eh_shoutoutloud.

View Resources>

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.