RSPH and the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) have unveiled the shortlisted entries for flash points, a photographic competition which explores different health issues, challenges and risks at play throughout each stage of life for people in the UK today.

Judges for the competition included award-winning photographers Chris Steele-Perkins, Sian Davey and Tom Hunter, as well as Professor Stephen Clift, Chair of the Arts and Health Special Interest Group.

Entries were invited from amateur and professional photographers based in the UK with the aim of collating a selection of photographs which document and evoke the interaction between different stages of our lives and our health and wellbeing.

Shirley Cramer CBE, Chief Executive of RSPH, said: “RSPH has a long standing interest and commitment to the arts and health, not just in the therapeutic benefits of arts-based approaches to support the public’s health and wellbeing, but also using the arts as a means of engaging people in a conversation about some of the major challenges to the public’s health.

“Following on from our successful art commission Gin Lane 2016 by artist Thomas Moore, we’re delighted that our flash points competition in partnership with the RPS generated so much interest and such varied submissions. Topics as varied as body image, dementia, and sexual health inspired some of the entries and we hope the selected works capture the breadth and depth of issues which confront people at different stages of life, both for the public and for those working to improve and protect the public’s health.

Dr Michael Pritchard, Chief Executive of RPS, said: “The RPS is delighted to partner with RSPH to bring together photography and public health advocacy in to one exciting exhibition. We were impressed with both the quality and range of images submitted to the flash points competition. The RPS regularly partners with other organisations to use photography to explore subjects ranging from the weather to historic places.”