In collaboration with the Illuminated River Foundation, Thames Festival Trust is excited to announce a brand-new video category for 2026 as part of its annual photography competition, Thames Lens. With video becoming one of the most powerful ways we consume and share stories, this new category marks a bold step forward, allowing new ways for all photographers and videographers to engage with the River Thames in today’s digital world.
Spanning nine bridges from London Bridge to Lambeth Bridge, Illuminated River is the world’s longest public art commission. An orchestrated series of artworks using LED lights brings the city’s bridges to life, transforming the River Thames at night.
Thames Lens encourages photographers and videographers to explore and capture moving and still images of the River Thames. To consider the river’s place at the heart of the capital city and to record the diverse ways in which we interact with it.
The Illuminated River Foundation will sponsor two prizes for this new category: one open to third-year photography students at Ravensbourne University, and another open to the general public. Both will invite participants to capture the bridges on video using any device, from smartphones to professional cameras.
Trustee of Illuminated River Foundation Sarah Gaventa comments: For centuries, the Thames has been a muse for painters, poets, and in more recent times, photographers, filmmakers, and digital creators. It is the heart of the city, framed by iconic landmarks and alive with stories from throughout history. By day it inspires reflection and memory; by night it dazzles with striking beauty. We’re delighted to introduce this new Thames Lens category which embraces the evolving ways we experience media and will help to capture the subtle play of light across the bridges and the powerful ways people connect with the installation.
Thames Lens is an annual photography competition, now in its 20th year. In addition to the new video category with the Illuminated River Foundation, the competition has five categories for photographers to respond to: ‘River City’, ‘River of Life’, ‘River People’, ‘Working River’ and Photojournalism. The competition winners are shown as part of the annual Totally Thames festival in September 2026. Thames Lens is delivered in partnership with the Port of London Authority. Thames Festival Trust gratefully acknowledges their sponsorship. | 
