The UK-China International Photography Competition, run by the University’s Manchester China Institute (MCI) and Creative Manchester, is back for the fourth consecutive year.

The competition, which promotes mutual understanding in UK-China relations through the celebration of our common humanity, is this year themed around “The Feeling of Home”. The competition is a fantastic example of how creative expression can be the bridge between building mutual understanding and empathy between different cultures. The overall aim is to engage with both the local and international communities in Manchester through the medium of art, and in the process, celebrate our own unique cultures, whilst highlighting our shared commonalities. The MCI hope to embrace the notion that, although the meaning of home may differ based on the individual, in the international era “the global village” extends beyond the borders of any one nation, place, or framed border on the wall.

In this year’s competition, entrants are asked to use a smartphone camera to capture a moment which evokes a feeling associated with home – whatever that might mean. This could be a particular person, an emotion or a specific place; anything which conjures that unique feeling. Anyone may participate in the competition providing their photo was taken in either the UK or China over the past 12 months.

The competition launched on 1 March 2022 and closes on 10 May 2022. The top 30 photos will be exhibited at a gallery space in Manchester for one month. While the UK and China winners will be announced at the opening ceremony, there will also be an ongoing vote for the People’s Choice Award during the exhibition, with the winning entry announced at the end of the exhibition.

There are two prizes of £1,000 (Best UK/China entry), and an additional prize of £500 (People’s Choice) available. Entrants should submit their photographs by email to creative@manchester.ac.uk, with the subject line “The Feeling of Home”.

To find out more about the competition and the full rules, please take a look at the photography competition web page.