LONDON.- The annual Portrait of Britain exhibition will be taking place across the country in September, and today British Journal of Photography has announced the 200 shortlisted images. The winning 100 images will be revealed at the end of August in time for the launch of the exhibition, which opens on the 1st September.

Each year Portrait of Britain takes place across JCDecaux's national channel of digital screens with 100 portraits of the British public displayed in rail, retail, and roadside locations in cities nationwide This year all 200 shortlisted images will also be printed in a book published by Hoxton Mini Press and released on the 6th September at a special event.

“Who are we? It’s a simple enough question, yet not so easy to answer beyond some basic assumptions. Talk about a country – in this case, one going through some serious soul-searching – then the question is more loaded. The 200 photographs in this book don’t provide any easy answers. But in a period during which we are constantly fed the narrative of a country divided, they provide a timely reminder that a nation is made up of individuals, not just the sum of our tribal interests. Each portrait is a story in itself. And collectively they present an alternative to the political rhetoric, a human face that gives some nuance to the picture of who we are.” - Simon Bainbridge, Editorial Director, British Journal of Photography.

“It seems almost impossible to define what it is to be British nowadays. Yet these images, in all their diversity, captured by photographers as varied as their subject, reflect something of the richness of this nation and remind us of what there is to be celebrated. Each portrait is both surprising and intimate and in its own way, tells a small story. Some are newly born, others dying, some hopeful, others fearful. We hope the book is a powerful snapshot of a moment in our shared history that stands the test of time.” - Martin Usbourne, Co-Founder, Hoxton Mini Press.

Now in its third year the exhibition has been gaining momentum each year, attracting thousands of entries from amateur and professional photographers. The images were judged by Simon Bainbridge, Editorial Director, British Journal of Photography; Caroline Hunter, Picture Editor, Guardian Weekend Magazine; Olivia Arthur, Magnum Photographer; and Martin Usborne, who is the Co-Founder of Hoxton Mini Press.

The shortlisted photographers can be found in the Portrait of Britain gallery here. -