Young Railway Photographer of the Year: Best pictures showcasing Britain's railways

The National Railway Museum is celebrating the best young railway photographers. We took a look at some of the entries.

There were more than 300 entries in the competition for the best young railway photographers.

The competition, organised by the National Railway Museum and the Railway Photographic Society, is a nationwide search to find the UK’s most promising railway photographers aged 25 or under.

This year’s theme was ‘Railway 200’, tying in with 2025’s nationwide celebration of the bicentenary of the modern railway.

Shortlisted entries are now on display in special exhibitions at the National Railway Museum, in York, until January, and at Locomotion, in Shildon, County Durham, until August.

Best image was awarded to Dale Bristo, 18, from St Helens, for his striking and dynamic photograph of a Merseyrail Class 777, which was taken at Liverpool Central station on the underground Wirral line platform.

Judges’ picks included Imogen Dixon, 11, from York, whose selfie-style snapshot captured a moment of excitement from a carriage window as her train passed Roseberry Topping in North Yorkshire.

Young Railway Photographer of the Year is the brainchild of John Hillier, Secretary of the Railway Photographic Society, who helped judge the entries. He said: “The standard of entries this year has been truly exceptional, not just in technical skill but in creativity and imagination.

"It’s inspiring to see the next generation capturing the spirit of the railways in such original ways.”