Welsh photographer aiming for national photography award glory

Stephen Price

A celebrated Welsh photographer is in the running for one of the UK’s most prestigious photography prizes, and is calling on the Welsh public to lend her their votes.

Joann Randles, from Carmarthen, is one of Wales’ most exciting young photographers, whose work documents Welsh folk, dance and culture today,

Joanne has been shortlisted in the coveted UK Picture Editors Guild Awards – continuing her quest to document Wales in all its diversity, this time focusing on the nation’s vibrant Ukrainian community.

The picture is one of 21 chosen by a panel of judges from which the public can vote for their photograph of the year at the annual awards ceremony.

Joann’s image captures a stoic portrait of 15-year-old Ukrainian refugee Mariia-Anastasiia Mikulska ahead of Ukraine’s 34th Independence Day on August 24, 2025.

Celebrations in Kyiv were naturally subdued at the time, with only official ceremonies planned due to ongoing security threats.

Around the world, displaced Ukrainians like 15-year-old Mariia-Anastasiia Mikulska and her mother, Natalia, now living in Wales after fleeing Lviv, observed the day far from home in Swansea, where Joann captured the now famous image.

“For us, Independence Day is the greatest holiday, says Natalia. We lost so much, but found safety and support here. That, too, is a small victory.” Though separated from loved ones, including two sons still in Ukraine, Natalia adds, “Against the background of all the tragic things that led us here, we are still happy this is also a small victory over the enemy who wanted to destroy us all, scare us, and deprive us of our future.”

The shortlist also includes several poignant pictures illustrating major moments in 2025, including the aftermath of the terrorist attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester in October.

Other works include migrants preparing to board a dinghy to cross the English Channel from France, protesters waving Union and St George’s England flags during the Unite The Kingdom rally in central London last September, and 89-year-old Ursula Pethick being arrested for displaying messages of support for Palestine Action in a Parliament Square protest last August.

A photo of golf star Rory McIlroy celebrating after winning the Ryder Cup was also included, as well as an image featuring the Princess of Wales and a snap of Larry the Cat at 10 Downing Street during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Rounding out the list was a photo of 89-year-old Ursula Pethick being arrested at the Palestine Action protest in August, and a picture taken at Pope Francis’ funeral.

Joann told Nation Cymru: “I’m absolutely delighted to be shortlisted in the ‘Picture of the Year’ category at the UK Picture Editors’ Guild Awards 2026.

“Finding out I had been shortlisted came as a complete surprise and I couldn’t be prouder. To have my work recognised among so many outstanding press photographers from across the UK is incredibly rewarding.

“Photography is all about capturing moments and telling stories, so it means a great deal to have this image acknowledged by such a respected panel of picture editors and industry professionals.”

Passion

Joann Randles showed her latest body of work at the National Botanic Garden of Wales back in April, bringing together an exhibition of moving photographs depicting Welsh cultural life in all its potent beauty.

Randles is famously the first photographic journalist to have represented Wales at the Festival Interceltique Lorient, and her moving images were shown as part of the EuroCeltic Art exhibition, at the Palais des Congrès in the centre of Lorient in 2025. She is a multi award-winning Welsh press photographer based in Swansea, known for her compelling portraiture and evocative storytelling.

Born in Carmarthen and raised along the Pembrokeshire coastline in Tenby and Saundersfoot, Joann’s creative roots run deep. Her passion for the arts began in early childhood and has since developed into a distinctive career that not only champions Welsh identity but also elevates press photography to an expressive and artful discipline.

With a family lineage that stretches back generations in Wales, Joann’s connection to her homeland is intrinsic to her work. Her photographic practice reflects a profound sense of place, culture, and heritage, celebrating the richness of Welsh life through powerful visual narratives.

Working predominantly on location and often in challenging conditions, Joann operates solo on her photoshoots, mastering natural and artificial light with the precision of a painter.

A defining feature of Joann’s work is her specialist role as a professional press photographer, a field that demands not only artistic vision but also rigorous adherence to journalistic ethics, making her an ideal candidate for a documenter of Wales today.

Unlike many forms of contemporary photography, where digital manipulation is commonplace, press images must maintain factual integrity. This means that all of Joann’s portraits captured entirely in-camera. Only minimal post-processing adjustments are permitted, such as subtle colour correction, cropping, and removal of dust spots.

This restriction places a premium on technical skill, precision, and timing. Joann must “get it right in-camera” in the moment, relying on her mastery of lighting, composition, and subject engagement, often under intense time pressure or unpredictable environmental conditions.

It is this commitment to truth, paired with an unmistakably artistic eye, that makes her work so distinctive within the press photography genre.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Joann expanded her visual storytelling practice, bringing her background in filmmaking into sharper focus through still imagery. Her striking photographs from this period gained wide recognition, and her work has since been exhibited in renowned institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), and featured in leading national and international media outlets.

Joann is especially celebrated for her ongoing work documenting Welsh folk dance and the cultural life of Wales. Her portraits vibrantly express the traditions, identities, and communities of her nation, making Welsh culture accessible to global audiences through the universal language of visual storytelling.

Voting for the award closes at noon on June 10 and the winner will be announced on June 30. Votes can be cast at pictureeditorsguildawards.co.uk

See more of Joann’s work here or via Instagram.