Winners revealed for the Historic Photographer of The Year 2020

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An iconic Victorian landmark, an ancient city lost to destruction and a unique pyramids perspective make up the shortlist of views

On the south side of the Isle of Wight is St Catherine's Oratory, the UK's oldest medieval lighthouse. This image was shortlisted (Image credit: David Oxtaby -)

The winners of the fourth 2020 Historic Photographer of the Year Awards were unveiled today, and Michael Marsh took the overall title for his transfixing capture of the Grade II-listed, Brighton Palace Pier in England.

Historic Photographer of the Year calls on photographers from around the globe to explore and capture the very best historic places and cultural sites that the world has to offer. This year, of course, photographers had to scour their archives to share their most astonishing imagery of those places which dominate our past. 

Despite any lockdown challenges, the Awards attracted record numbers of submissions from amateurs and professionals alike with exceptional shots of stunning historical sites from every corner of the globe. 

Winning image: The Brighton Palace Pier standing in the full force of weather and time

Winning image: The Brighton Palace Pier standing in the full force of weather and time (Image credit: Michael Marsh)

Markus' image of the Taj Mahal is entitled "Stand Out from the Crowd." It was shortlisted in the main competition

Markus' image of the Taj Mahal is entitled "Stand Out from the Crowd." It was shortlisted in the main competition (Image credit: Markus Korenjak)

The Historic England category was won by Adam Burton’s aerial view of St Michael's Church on Somerset’s Burrow Mump.

An aerial view of the beautiful ruin of St Michael's Church won the English History category

An aerial view of the beautiful ruin of St Michael's Church won the English History category (Image credit: Adam Burton)

The newly-launched Where History Happened category run in partnership with television channel Sky HISTORY went to Martin Chamberlain for his sombre shot of the ancient city of Palmyra, captured before the destruction wrought by Syria’s civil war.

This image was a winner in the Where History Happened category, taken before the civil war in Syria

This image was a winner in the Where History Happened category, taken before the civil war in Syria (Image credit: Martin Chamberlain)

Commenting on the Awards, judge Dan Snow said: “Historic Photographer of the Year shines a light on the fascinating beauty of the world’s historical sites. These cultural monuments stand as testament to the incredible stories that took place all around us. The call for photographers to comb through their archives saw everything from abandoned urban landscapes and utterly transporting shots of the world's greatest cultural locations to Arthurian captures of historical wonders cloaked in other-worldly mists.”

The Awards are run by Trip Historic. If history is your hobby, then check out all the winners here.

Lauren Scott
Lauren Scott
Freelance contributor/former Managing Editor

Lauren is a writer, reviewer, and photographer with ten years of experience in the camera industry. She's the former Managing Editor of Digital Camera World, and previously served as Editor of Digital Photographer magazine, Technique editor for PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, and Deputy Editor of our sister publication, Digital Camera Magazine. An experienced journalist and freelance photographer, Lauren also has bylines at Tech Radar, Space.com, Canon Europe, PCGamesN, T3, Stuff, and British Airways' in-flight magazine. When she's not testing gear for DCW, she's probably in the kitchen testing yet another new curry recipe or walking in the Cotswolds with her Flat-coated Retriever.