The Queen on Monday congratulated entrants to Hold Still, a photography project launched by the Duchess of Cambridge to capture a snapshot of the nation in coronavirus lockdown.
The project received more than 30,000 submissions, from which Catherine and four other judges picked 100 final images that will be published online by the National Portrait Gallery on Monday.
“The Duchess of Cambridge and I were inspired to see how the photographs have captured the resilience of the British people at such a challenging time, whether that is through celebrating frontline workers, recognising community spirit or showing the efforts of individuals supporting those in need,” the Queen said in a letter to entrants.
Today the final 100 images for #HoldStill2020 have been unveiled.
The Queen has sent a message of congratulations to the 31,598 people who submitted an image to the project. pic.twitter.com/7RfHvT4jSp
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 14, 2020
Since its launch in May, the project invited people of all ages from across Britain to submit a photographic portrait they had taken during the COVID-19 lockdown that started in March.
Focused on three main themes: Helpers and Heroes, Your New Normal and Acts of Kindness, some of the photographs will also go on show in towns and cities across Britain later in the year.
Introducing, the final 100 portraits.
The images present a unique record of our shared and individual experiences during this extraordinary period of history, conveying humour and grief, creativity and kindness, tragedy and hope.
Read the stories: https://t.co/yn9rmErfVv pic.twitter.com/M7PwfwKpbH— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) September 14, 2020
Catherine – wife of Prince William and a keen photographer herself – and other members of the panel assessed the images on the emotions and experiences they convey rather than on their photographic quality or technical expertise.
– Reuters