Photography student celebrates landmark success on national stage

University of Gloucestershire student Annabel Lee-Ellis has achieved a milestone success at a national award ceremony showcasing and celebrating the best of the UK photojournalism industry.

Annabel (main image) and her dad, Paul, have become the first father and daughter in the history of the long-running UK Picture Editors Guild to both win Highly Commended Awards at its annual ceremony in the same year.

Annabel, who is working towards a degree in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, took the Highly Commended Award for the second year in a row in the Nikon Student Photographer of the Year category at this year’s ceremony in London.

Her father Paul, a professional photographer with the French international news agency, AFP, won the same award in the Canon Sports Photographer of the Year category.

The Picture Editors Guild Awards is an annual competition in which major UK picture editors choose the best images submitted over the last year by the national and regional press, agencies, and freelance photographers.

Annabel won the Highly Commended Award from the Picture Editors Guild – formed in 1977 – for her moving image (below) of a woman holding a Ukrainian flag at a vigil in her hometown of Liverpool.

Annabel said: “I am very pleased to have been highly commended in my category along with my dad in his. He is my biggest inspiration, so for us both to have been recognised by the esteemed panel is really lovely and encouraging for my career ambitions.”

Paul Roberts, Academic Course Leader: Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, said: “The course team are exceptionally proud that Annabel has won a Highly Commended Award for the second year in a row in the Student Photographer of The Year category in the UK Picture Editors Guild Awards.

“The UK Picture Editors Guild Awards are incredibly competitive, so for Annabel to have been recognised for the second year in a row is a huge testament to her talent behind the lens and her dedication to her studies.

“We’re thrilled that Annabel’s striking photograph made such a strong impression on the judging panel, as it did on us, and it provides further evidence that, like her father, she is destined for a rewarding career in the world of photojournalism.”

The University’s BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography course scored more than 90% for learning opportunities in the 2023 National Student Survey.