Celebrating 25 Years: Our Community in Focus Photo Competition

To celebrate our 25th anniversary, which takes place in 2026, we’re launching our first-ever photo competition and inviting you to show us what "community" truly means to you.

The "Community in Focus" photo competition is open to all charities, community groups, and CICs in Kent and Medway. We want to see authentic, powerful images that capture the spirit of your organisation's work and the people you serve. The most compelling photos will be featured on our new website, helping us tell the story of the incredible work happening across our county as we look forward to our milestone year.

This competition and its prizes are made possible by our generous sponsor, Warners Solicitors. As a leading law firm with a strong heritage in Kent, Warners has been providing high-quality legal services to individuals and businesses from their offices in Tonbridge and Sevenoaks for over 200 years. Their commitment to the local community makes them the perfect partner for this initiative.

Who can enter?

This competition is for any charity, Community Interest Company (CIC), or voluntary group in Kent and Medway with an income below £3 million.

We welcome submissions from anyone associated with your organisation - be it a staff member, volunteer, beneficiary, or trustee. You don’t need to be a professional photographer; we’re looking for genuine moments that reflect your community.

How to enter

Ready to share your story? The entry criteria are:

• Photos must represent "community" for your organisation.
• Photos must be taken in Kent and Medway within the last 3 years.
• Photos must be in high-resolution JPEG or TIFF format (minimum 300dpi, recommended file size at least 1MB).
• Entrants/those in the photos must live in Kent and Medway and you must seek explicit permission from everyone shown in the images, especially if including volunteers or beneficiaries.
• Be accompanied with a short description (50-100 words) to tell us the story behind the image.

Complete our online form to submit your photo and details. Make sure you have consent from any identifiable people in your photo!

Before submitting an entry, make sure you have read our top tips below and the competition terms and conditions.

The deadline for submissions is Friday 31st October.

What is the prize?

We have some great prizes to celebrate the best entries:

• Overall winner: A half-day professional photography session* with renowned local photographer Graham Baker and a £200 donation to their charity or community group.
• Two runners-up: £200 donation each.

All winners will also receive a framed print of their photo and a prominent feature in our online gallery.

A shortlist of photos will feature in our online gallery. They will also be used on our new website, in promotional materials and in 25th anniversary publications and events.

Meet our judges

Entries will be carefully reviewed and selected by our panel of judges, each bringing a unique perspective and expertise:

• Arthur Edwards MBE: As The Sun's royal photographer since 1977, Arthur has captured iconic and intimate images of the Royal Family for decades. He has covered over 200 official tours in more than 120 countries and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to newspapers. His work is celebrated for its ability to capture candid moments and reveal the true personalities behind the crown.
• Graham Baker: A leading Kent-based brand and commercial photographer with over 15 years of experience, Graham is known for helping businesses and professionals tell their story through compelling visual content. He is a qualified member of The Guild of Photographers and The Societies of Photographers, with numerous awards to his name.
• Tim McHugo: Tim is a solicitor in the Commercial Property team at Warners Solicitors. 
• Catherine Glover: Our Chief Executive at Kent Community Foundation, Catherine has over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector and a strong passion for community-led action. Her early career experience with a community-based disability organisation sparked a lifelong commitment to championing grassroots organisations.

Top tips for taking great "community" photos

• Focus on people: Capture real interactions and emotions (with clear consent!).
• Tell a story: Think about what your photo says about your organisation’s impact.
• Show action: Illustrate your services or people engaged in meaningful activities.
• Be authentic: A genuine moment is often more impactful than a perfectly staged shot.
• Technical quality: Aim for sharp, well-lit images that are high-resolution enough for both web and print (minimum 300dpi). Read how to find out your photo’s DPI here. A clean camera lens makes a big difference!

                o Please supply images in the highest quality (usually the original file/biggest file size) possible. The file size per photo must be at least 1MB. We recommend sending files as JPEG or PNG. Please do not send us photos in a Word Document or PDF.

                 o Portrait or landscape (or square) images are all acceptable but please don’t crop images or put them in shapes.

Need technical help? Contact Hannah Hayfield at hannah@kentcf.org.uk

Enter here before Friday 31st October. 

Read T&Cs here. 

This competition is kindly supported by Warners Solicitors.

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*Details about the photography prize

The half-day photography session (up to 4 hours) with Graham Baker will be a single visit and cannot be split into multiple sessions. As a guide, the session would typically include:

• Lifestyle on-location team/individual photography.
• "Behind the scenes" or "working shots" at your office or venue.
• All usable photographs supplied, with post-processing/editing included at no extra charge.
• A full, perpetual, and worldwide commercial usage license, allowing you to copy, modify, print, distribute, and repurpose the images without restrictions.
• If appropriate, 360-degree photography of your working space or venue.
• A case study on Graham's blog, highlighting the winning organisation and the shoot.

The brief will be flexible and guided by what would be most useful for the winning organisation.