‘Life on Earth’ at Blackburn Cathedral

To coincide with the installation of Luke Jerram's incredible globally acclaimed Gaia, Blackburn Cathedral is hosting a nationwide Photography Competition, and the theme is 'Life on Earth'.

The winners and shortlisted entries will be on display in a special exhibition between 6th October and 16th November 2025.

Photographers of all ages and skill levels from anywhere in the United Kingdom are invited to enter this competition to be in with a chance of winning a cash prize and seeing their image displayed in the prestigious exhibition at Blackburn Cathedral.

* Theme : ‘Life on Earth’.

The only requirement is that your image should represent 'life on earth' in some form. Please note that entrants are free to interpret this theme as they wish when entering - for example:

It could be caterpillar on a leaf, a drone shot of a bustling city, a lion on the prowl in the African savannah, a busy protest, the beauty of a sunset or a street scene in a faraway land - the opportunities are literally endless!

All your image must do is represent 'life on earth'.

* Judging
The esteemed judging panel, to be announced shortly, will consider images according to criteria comprising:

• Interpretation and application of the competition theme
• Technical skills
• Artistic merit
• Originality

* People’s Choice Award
One image will also be selected from the shortlisted entries as a 'People's Choice Award' through visitor voting during the six-week exhibition.

A similar competition and exhibition held in 2024, welcomed over 50,000 guests with more than 10,000 votes cast.