Hold Still: capturing the spirit of a nation under lockdown

Launched in May, Hold Still invited participants to submit photographs under three themes: ‘Helpers and Heroes’, ‘Your New Normal’ and ‘Acts of Kindness’ over six weeks between May and June. The project sought to capture an intimate record of this exceptional period of history through a broad range of experiences. From virtual birthday celebrations to community clapping for NHS workers, images recorded the hope and devastation, humour and resilience, community and isolation present during the pandemic.

The open call resulted in 31,598 submissions sent from across the UK, from Oban in Argyll, Scotland to Delabole in Cornwall from entrants ranging in age from four to 75 years old.

The judging panel, which comprised The Duchess of Cambridge, National Portrait Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan, author and broadcaster Lemn Sissay, Chief Nursing Officer for England Ruth May, and photographer Maryam Wahid, had the unenviable task of whittling the selection down to 100 final photographs. Images were assessed on the emotions and experiences they conveyed rather than on their photographic merit or technical expertise.

‘I’ve been so overwhelmed by the public’s response to Hold Still; the quality of the images has been extraordinary, and the poignancy and the stories behind the images have been equally as moving as well,’ the Duchess of Cambridge said.

‘We have been astounded by the huge number of incredible photographs that have been submitted to the Hold Still project, Cullinan said in a statement of the selection process. ‘We hope that through this project we really will capture a portrait of our nation, reflecting our collective and individual experiences during these unprecedented times.’

INFORMATION
The ’Hold Still’ digital exhibition is available to view online at npg.org.uk