Nominate your inspirational female photographer today!

“I come across so many amazing women in photography, and yet their voice is nowhere near as powerful as their male counterparts,” says Del Barrett, vice-president of The Royal Photographic Society. “We are working to ensure that there are no barriers in photography. Hundred Heroines is a major step towards this, raising public awareness of the excellent work being created by women globally.”

Inspired by the 100-year anniversary of women’s suffrage in the UK, Hundred Heroines invites members of the public to nominate inspirational female photographers. Nominations are open until 30 September, then a panel of judges, chaired by photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg, will pick out the top 100 photographers. An exhibition of their work will go on show next year, and each one will receive a specially-minted medal named after Margaret Harker – the first female professor of photography in the UK, and the first female president of The Royal Photographic Society.

Lorna © Alice Fisher

Hundred Heroines is supported by Helen Pankhurst, the great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst. Speaking about the initiative, Pankhurst said: “What a wonderful way to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage. If my grandmother and great– grandmother were able to come back and look at the world today, I think they would be heartened by much of the progress in women’s rights.

“However, they would also be spurring us on, highlighting how much we still have to do – given ongoing levels of gender inequality in almost all spheres – including in the world of photography.”

To make your nomination, click here https://www.rps.org/100-heroines/nominate-here Alternatively, nominate via Instagram by tagging the project handle @RPS100Heroines with a comment explaining your choice

Daphne and Edgar, 2016 © Jooney Woodward
Ayan, 11 years old, Gargara IDP Camp, Somaliland, 2015 © Felicity McCabe
Between the Cracks, 2014 © Loreal Prystaj
Diane Smyth

Diane Smyth is the editor of BJP, returning for a second stint on staff in 2023 - after 15 years on the team until 2019. As a freelancer, she has written for The Guardian, FT Weekend Magazine, Creative Review, Aperture, FOAM, Aesthetica and Apollo. She has also curated exhibitions for institutions such as The Photographers Gallery and Lianzhou Foto Festival. You can follow her on instagram @dismy