Creative Manchester: International Photography Competition

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Visit now

Creative Manchester: International Photography Competition

21 March-25 April 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

The University of Manchester
Book now

Creativity can have a profound effect on wellbeing – especially in times as uncertain as these. So while you’re cooped up at home, why not get creative with your phone camera, and enter Creative Manchester’s International Photography Competition – you could win £1000.

Presented with the Manchester China Institute at the University of Manchester, this competition asks a simple question: What does family mean to you?

Is it love? Support? Or maybe responsibility? Whatever springs to mind, try to capture it in a photo! Or if, like us, you’ve got a phone chock-a-block with photos, have a rifle through and see if anything jumps out! In either case, this is a great chance to reflect on something that seems more important by the day: family.

The competition is open to anyone resident in the UK or China, and there are TWO top prizes of £1000 / 8,888 RMB up for grabs, besides a People’s Choice Award of £500.

All submissions should be emailed to creative@manchester.ac.uk with the subject line ‘What does family mean to you?’. In the body of the email, you should include an accompanying title and a narrative caption, as well as your name and country of residence.

Before submitting, make sure to check out the full competition rules: manchester.ac.uk/family

Best of luck!

Where to go near Creative Manchester: International Photography Competition

Kong's NQ
Manchester
Restaurant
Kong’s NQ

Kong’s isn’t like other chicken shops. This much-loved Northern Quarter restaurant is all about high-grade ingredients and expert preparation.

Castlefield
Restaurant
Trading Route

Trading Route serves up time-honoured Sunday grub, in a modern Manchester setting. Worth a visit for the expertly-curated soundtrack alone.

Side view of mixed race business colleagues sitting and watching presentation with audience and clapping hands
Theatre
Burnley Youth Theatre

Burnley Youth Theatre is a vibrant youth arts organisation based at our purpose built venue in Burnley, Pennine Lancashire.

Bar pub 3
Leeds
Restaurant
Arcadia Ale House

Arcadia Ale house is a sports bar located in the Headingly area of Leeds with a range of drinks offers throughout the week.

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Pasta Romagna

Pasta Romagna is a family owned, independent restaurant in the heart of the city centre. Bringing you homestyle Italian cuisine since 1982.

wine bar 2
Leeds
Restaurant
Farrands

Farrands is an independent bar located in the heart of Leeds city centre, specialising in a range of fine wine, beer and specialist cocktails.

Restaurant
Leeds
Shop
George and Joseph Cheesemongers

George and Joseph is Leeds’ only specialist cheesemongers, serving some of the city’s best cheese from its home in Chapel Allerton since 2013

Wine bar
Leeds
Restaurant
Wayward Wines

Selling natural wines since before it was cool (well, 2017), this tiny suburban wine house is so much more than just a bar.

Beer shop
Leeds
Shop
Caspar’s Bottle Shop

Independent craft beer and spirits den Caspars Bottle Shop is a quirky Chapel Allerton favourite that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Dry Dock
Leeds
Restaurant
Dry Dock

Dry Dock has carved out a reputation as a fixture for students and locals alike over the last thirty plus years

What's on: Literature

a poster advertising Ferlinghetti Day 2026. The text reads
LiteratureHebden Bridge
Ferlinghetti Day UK 2026

An annual celebration of the life and work of poet, artist and bookseller Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

Free entry

Culture Guides

A busy image created using generative AI. The image depicts a man at the centre with grey hair and rosy cheeks, surrounding him are fairies that appear to be created in his own image with multiple limbs and unique bodily proportions. Around them are hundreds of vials, microscopes and dated scientific equipment.
Exhibitions

Spring has sprung a wealth of great exhibitions in the North West, from intimate photographic shows to huge installations.

Theatre

Closer, riskier, more immediate. Our small-scale theatre picks stretch from unsettling fables about nationhood to the inner workings of a mind trying to hold itself together.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

Fatoumata Diawara by Alun Be.
Music

This month’s live music picks move between ambitious new work, grassroots celebrations and a few memorable settings.

Food and Drink in the North

Spring has arrived, bringing with it al fresco dining and a rush of high-profile food and drink-related events in Manchester.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.