The Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition (IPE), the world’s longest‑running photography exhibition, returns to London’s Saatchi Gallery on August 7 with its 167th edition. Spanning techniques from wet‑plate collodion to gold‑leaf botanical imagery, this exhibition—held continuously for over a century and a half—demonstrates that photography remains the most incisive language for engaging with the world.
Over 5,200 photographers submitted work, yet only 48 were selected—an acceptance rate of less than 1%. But IPE 167 is far more than a competition: the 113 featured works encompass 19th‑century wet‑plate collodion, film, and thermal imaging, with themes spanning environmental issues, identity, collective memory, and community culture.
Both of this year’s winners are women. American artist Marcy Palmer received the IPE Grand Prize for Seeds of Strength and Resilience—images of historical plant‑based contraceptives embellished with gold leaf, printed on delicate Japanese kozo paper. The gold leaf signifies hope while evoking the spirit of kintsugi: repairing broken objects with precious metal, making cracks part of the beauty.
The Under‑30 Award went to Li‑Ya Chen, a Taiwanese artist based in London. Her work, Stars That Don’t Turn Back, interweaves family archives, historical events, and literature to trace the private memories of three generations of women navigating colonial trauma and everyday life.
Technical experimentation is equally bold. One photographer used wet‑plate collodion to capture residents of a erased uranium‑mining town, processing the plates with water drawn from the river that still runs beneath the town; another photographer, visually impaired, submerged Polaroid prints in saline solution and post‑surgery eye drops, allowing them to decay—the resulting images mirroring the visual disturbances caused by her own eye condition.
Last year’s Saatchi Gallery edition drew over 65,000 visitors. This year’s exhibition is free to enter. Following its London run, IPE 167 will tour to the Museum of Somerset and the Royal Geographical Society.
Exhibition Information:
Dates: August 7 – September 11, 2026
Venue: Saatchi Gallery, London
Admission: Free entry
FAQ
Q: When and where will the 167th IPE take place?
A: The exhibition runs from August 7 to September 11, 2026, at the Saatchi Gallery in London, with free admission.
Q: Who are this year’s two award recipients?
A: The IPE Grand Prize was awarded to American artist Marcy Palmer for Seeds of Strength and Resilience. The Under‑30 Award went to Taiwanese artist Li‑Ya Chen, based in London, for her work Stars That Don’t Turn Back.
Source: Royal Photographic Society
