Hold Still Gallery

A Portrait Of Our Nation In 2020

Past display archive
22 June - 6 August 2023

Hold Still was an ambitious community project created as a unique collective portrait of the UK during lockdown.

Along with our Patron, the Princess of Wales, we invited people of all ages to submit a photographic portrait, taken in a six-week period during May and June 2020, focussed on three core themes – Helpers and Heroes, Your New Normal and Acts of Kindness.

Over 31,000 submissions were received from across the country, with entrants ranging from 4 to 75 years-old. From these, a panel of judges selected 100 portraits, which now feature in this digital display in the Spotlight Space.

The final 100 portraits

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A one-year-old boy pressing their left palm against a window that is kissed by their great-grandmother
1/100 Glass Kisses by Steph James - Cowfold, West Sussex
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Ward host eating lunch in her scrubs
2/100 Gimba: The Ward Host by Hassan Akkad - London
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Mother and her young son looking through a window
3/100 Amanda and Her Son Terrence by Zak Waters - Folkestone, Kent
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Close-crop colour portrait of a young girl with a rainbow lighting up the left side of her face
4/100 Rainbow Reflection by H. De Klerk (aged 14 years) - Hertfordshire
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Close-crop black and white portrait of a father hugging his young daughter
5/100 Be Safe Daddy X by Ceri A. Edwards - Newport, South Wales
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Colour portrait of a grandfather pushing his wife in a wheelchair with their granddaughter on her lap
6/100 Grandma + Grandad = Love by Diane Bartholomew Magalhaes - Kent
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A grandmother and her granddaughter meet through a window, their finger tips touching the glass
7/100 Dadi's Love by Simran Janjua - London
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Close-crop black and white portrait of a grandmother greeting her granddaughter with a hug, the girl's mother stands behind her.
8/100 Where’s Grandpa? by Roni Liyanage - London
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A father makes bread with his young son
9/100 Making Bread by James Webb - Colne, Cambridgeshire
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Woman sitting on a window sill behind a sheer curtain
10/100 Loss of Lifestyle Not of Life by N - UK
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Colour portrait of masked care worker assisting an elderly man
11/100 Care Worker by Karwai Tang - Elstree, Hertfordshire
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Colour portrait of a young child sitting in a shopping trolley in front of a  row of empty shelves
12/100 Empty by Julie Thiberg - Hitchin, Hertfordshire
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Black and white portrait of the photographer's grandmother standing behind a window and holding up a photograph of her and her husband during their honeymoon decades earlier
13/100 Through the Window by Claud Minchin - Chester, Cheshire
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Colour portrait of two masked nurses holding up photographs of themselves smiling
14/100 We Always Wear a Smile by Jill Bowler And Trevor Edwards - Preston
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Colour portrait of a young child pressed against a window looking at her father through the glass
15/100 Shielding Mila by Lynda Sneddon - Falkirk
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Colour portrait of a street sweeper wearing yellow hi-vis
16/100 Essential by Christopher Cox - Oban, Argyll and Bute
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17/100 This Is What Broken Looks Like by Ceri Daniel - Bridgend
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Colour portrait of a priest viewed from behind, the church pews empty save for photographs of the congregation
18/100 Prayers For Our Community by the Revd. Tim Hayward And Beth Hayward - Bunbury, Cheshire
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Colour portrait of an elderly man speaking to his daughter on the phone through a window, another man stands beside the woman
19/100 Last Precious Moments by Kris Tanyag and Sue Hicks - Chichester, West Sussex
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Full-length colour portrait of Sir Thomas Moore standing with his zimmer frame
20/100 Captain Tom Moore by Terry Harris Marston - Moretaine, Bedfordshire
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Black and white half-length portrait of three masked men standing in a row viewed from the side
21/100 Heart Broken by Kamrul Hasan - London
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Colour portrait of an elderly woman viewed through a window
22/100 ‘Keep Smiling Through. Just Like You Always Do. ‘Til the Blue Skies Drive the Dark Clouds Far Away by Jessica Sommerville - Rotherham, South Yorkshire
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Colour half-length portrait of a young man gazing downwards
23/100 Just One More Night Shift by Angharad Bache - Aberystwyth
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Colour portrait of a young boy having his hair shaved by his father
24/100 Home Hair by Karni Arieli - Bristol
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Black and white portrait of an elderly lady seen through a window holding up a memory book, given to her for her 100th birthday
25/100 Behind the Glass by Lyndsey Adams - Thorpe Audlin, West Yorkshire
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Colour portrait of an elderly couple clapping hands together outside
26/100 Clapping Together for the NHS by Tricia Gilmore - Belfast
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Colour portrait of the photographer's young daughter wearing a nurse's outfit
27/100 Thank You by Wendy Huson - Liverpool, Merseyside
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Colour portrait of a nurse wearing PPE
28/100 Melanie, March 2020 by Johannah Churchill - London
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Colour portrait of a yougn woman greeting an elderly man through the window
29/100 Generations Apart by Julie Aoulad-Ali and Kamal Riyani - Wilsden, West Yorkshire
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Colour portrait of a young girl seen from the side drawing a rainbow on a window
30/100 Rainbow by Helen Pugh - Edinburgh
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Black and white portrait of a masked woman holding her new born child during the pandemic
31/100 The First Kiss by Ali Harris and Leigh Harris - Lincoln
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Colour portrait of an elderly woman sitting in a wheelchair with a carer, seen from a distance
32/100 Granny's 90th by Georgia Koronka - Chichester, West Sussex
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Colour portrait of a mother using a laptop with one daughter working on her own laptop and a younger daughter sitting at the end of the table
33/100 Home-Schooling Going Great by Ania Wilk-Lawton - Purley, Croydon
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Close-cropped portrait of a young girl through an opaque pane of glass
34/100 Biba Behind Glass by Simon Murphy - Glasgow
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Colour portrait of a man wearing a suit sitting watching a funeral on a computer screen
35/100 Funeral Heartbreak by Bonnie Sapsford and Fiona Grant-Macdonald - Cockermouth, Cumbria
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Colour portrait of a young man stirring a large cooking pot on a stove
36/100 Feeding the Vulnerable by Alexandra Beeley - Middleton, Greater Manchester
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Black and white portrait of a young child sitting on his mother's lap and being treated by two nurses
37/100 Franck's Fight by Anna Hewitt - Bristol
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Colour portrait of a family standing outside their home covered in rainbow drawings
38/100 On Your Doorstep by Kenny Glover - Liverpool, Merseyside
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Colour portrait of a couple dressed for a wedding and embracing with their two children watching on
39/100 Lockdown Wedding by Donna Duke Llande - Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire
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Black and white half-length portrait of nurse
40/100 At the End of a Shift by Neil Palmer - Reading, Berkshire
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Colour portrait of a young heavily pregnant woman sitting on a bed with a dog lying beside her
41/100 Laura by Fran Monks - via Zoom From Oxford
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Colour half-length portrait of a man wiping his eye
42/100 Justin, From the Outside In by Sara Lincoln - London
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Colour portrait of a young child walking with crutches and on prosthetic legs
43/100 Tony Hudgell's 10k Walk for Evelina London by David Tett - Kent
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Colour portrait of a young child drawing a rainbow on a concrete driveway with chalk
44/100 Street Artist at Work by Victoria Stokes - Carshalton, London
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Colour portrait of an ambulance worker holding a mug of tea
45/100 A Cup of Tea Always Brings a Smile by Mrs Annette Baker - Wickford, Essex
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Black and white portrait of a man having his hair trimmed by a woman
46/100 Short Cut by Kate Ainger and Coni - Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
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Colour portrait of an elderly woman playing a game with a young girl who stands on the other side of a closed window
47/100 Distanced Gaming by Tracey Philbey - Brackley, Northamptonshire
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Colour portrait of an orthopaedic consultant and his surgical trainee wearing masks with smiles drawn on them
48/100 haPPE by Imogen Johnston - Liverpool, Merseyside
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Colour portrait of a young girl fallen asleep in bed, her grandmother is seen on a screen next to her
49/100 Bedtime Stories With Grandma by Laura Macey - Tongham, Surrey
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Colour portrait of a group of seven socially distanced women standing outside
50/100 Eid-Ul-Fitr 2020 by Roshni Haque - Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire
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Black and white head and shoulder portrait of a woman, viewed from the side, gazing out of a window
51/100 The Look of Lockdown by Carlotta Cutrupi - London
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Colour portrait of a family of three, man, wife and daughter, seen through a pane of glass
52/100 Ruth, David and Scarlet In Lockdown by Sarah Weal - Lewes, East Sussex
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Colour head and shoulder portrait of an NHS midwife wearing PPE
53/100 Joanna in PPE by Harry Hall - Cambridge
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Colour portrait of a young boy sitting on a bed in low light viewed from the side
54/100 My Only Friend by Rah Petherbridge - Croydon, London
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Colour half-length portrait of a young girl with eye glasses holding a sheet of paper that has Class of 2020 written on it
55/100 Cancelled by Niaz Maleknia - Primrose Hill, London
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Black and white portrait of two young children sitting outside on a narrow balcony enjoying the sunshine
56/100 Outdoor Space by Val Azisi - Lee-On-The-Solent, Hampshire
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Colour half-length portrait of two oncology pharmacists facing eachother and dressed in PPE viewed in profile
57/100 All in This Together by Joyce Duah - London
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Colour image of a large rainbow seen from above with children lying on their back around it
58/100 Over the Rainbow by Chris Taylor - Sheringham, Norfolk
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Colour full-length portrait of a woman seen through an open door inside their home
59/100 Ilaw Ng Tahanan by Romina Amor Rabe - Eastbourne, East Sussex
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Colour portrait of a man dressed as Spiderman doing a somersault in front of children who watch him from the window of their house
60/100 Stockport Spider Men Bringing Smiles to Children in Lockdown by Jason Baird - Stockport
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Black and white portrait of a mother running down a street with her two children
61/100 Birthday Lockdown by Kate Sargent and Rachel Scarfe - Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
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Colour portrait of a young girl being carried by a nurse
62/100 You're in Safe Hands by Lisa Miller - Glasgow
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Colour photograph of brutalist block of flats with two men just visible in one of the many windows
63/100 Lockdown Life: Paul & Simon by Rebecca Douglas - Margate, Kent
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Colour portrait of a young woman holding a young child in her arms, a British flag hangs behind them
64/100 Holding Tight by Katy Rudd and Joe Wyer - Redhill, Surrey
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Colour portrait of a nurse and a young girl dressed as a nurse doing a fist bump
65/100 One Team by Matt Utton and Jennifer O'Sullivan - Hainault, London
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Black and white portrait of a man, seen from behind, embracing his wife who faces the viewer as they embrace
66/100 Isolated Together by Dr. Ben Timmis - Emsworth, Hampshire
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Colour portrait of a father holding his son up in the air, arms extended
67/100 Our Hero's Surprise Return! by Jenni Norfolk - Titchfield, Hampshire
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Colour portrait of a young child seen from behind opaque glass doors that he is prising open
68/100 I-Spy by Rory Trappe - Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd
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Colour portrait of a mother and her son sitting at a table doing school work
69/100 School by Marcela (aged 17 years) - Dagenham, London
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Black and white close-cropped image of a young girl with her hands over her mouth
70/100 I Can't Breathe by Papajgun (Jamal Yussuff-Adelakun) - Edinburgh
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Colour portrait of twin boys seen through opaque glass, just before their 18th birthdays
71/100 Joe and Duke Brooks, locked down, a few days before their 18th birthday by Sarah M Lee - London
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Colour portrait of a young girl standing in front of a brick wall
72/100 Lockdown 2020 Rainbow Wall by Rachel Louise Pugh - Knypersley, Staffordshire Moorlands
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Colour three-quarter-length portrait of a Hazardous Area Response Team paramedic dressed in his uniform
73/100 From One Frontline to Another... by Steve Jenkins - Stonehouse, Gloucestershire
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Colour portrait of a man holding a baby and drawing on the window he is seen through
74/100 Neil & Sienna by Lisa Bennett - Leytonstone, London
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Colour portrait of a young girl sitting at a table drawing, a paper cut out of her grandmother sits next to her
75/100 Never Without Her Grandma by Melanie Lowis - Teddington, London
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Black and white full-length portrait of a male hospital medic seen sitting in a chair looking at the viewer
76/100 End of a Night Shift by Kyle David Tallett FRPS - Ashford, Kent
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Colour portrait of a postman wearing fancy dress while doing his rounds during the pandemic
77/100 Everyday Hero by Arnhel De Serra - London
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Close-cropped colour portrait of a tearful-looking woman with short hair
78/100 Without Help, Without Hope by Lisa Lawley - Poole, Dorset
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Colour portrait of a young woman seen clapping outside her home with other neighbours seen in the background also clapping on their doorsteps
79/100 Annemarie Plas, founder of ‘Clap For Our Carers’, at the last clap by Amanda Summons - South West London
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Black and white portrait of a young girl with long hair and the shadow of a hand cast over her face
80/100 Waving to the Outside World by Primrose (aged 12 years) - South Brent, Devon
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Colour portrait of an elderly woman wearing a tiara and a sash with 100 on it sitting in front of a computer screen
81/100 Mum's 100th Birthday Lockdown Chat by Anita Reilly - Southampton, Hampshire
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Colour head and shoulder portrait of a young woman dressed in a nurse's uniform seen through a pane of glass with drops of water on it
82/100 The Struggle by Joy (aged 15 years) - Nottingham
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Colour portrait of a mother, seated, and her daughter, standing, making scrubs in their workshop during the pandemic
83/100 In the Workroom of Suzanna and Florence Sweryda by Alun Callender - Brighton, East Sussex
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Close-cropped colour image of two elderly people holding hands
84/100 Forever Holding Hands by Hayley Evans - Worthing, West Sussex
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A series of nine black and white images, in rows of three, mixing headshots of students and collage
85/100 In School: Still Here by students from Maiden Erlegh School (aged 13-15 years) - Reading
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ITU worker dressed in PPE examining medical records
86/100 Behind Closed Doors by Alexander Scott - Middlesbrough
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Colour portrait of an elderly couple standing outside their home, behind a hedge, with a Union Jack flag hanging above the front door.
87/100 Mick and Mavis by Chris Frazer Smith - Ashwell, Hertfordshire
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Colour three-quarter-length portrait of a young man wearing a white plastic apron and blue disposable gloves
88/100 Sami by Grey Hutton - London
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Colour portrait of two young children sitting on a wall outside their house clapping for the NHS
89/100 Clapping for Mummy & Daddy (Our Heroes) by Nicole Paige Walters - Southampton, Hampshire
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Full-length black and while portrait of a woman in a crowd of demonstrators holding up a sign that reads: Be on the right side of history.
90/100 Akuac by Anastasia Orlando - London
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Colour three-quarter-length portrait of a man standing outside holding a large rhubarb plant
91/100 The Gardener by Phoebe Costard - Berkshire
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Colour portrait of a grandmother hugging her granddaughter through protective plastic sheeting
92/100 Long-Awaited Cuddle by Lesley Garven - Auchinleck, East Ayrshire
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Colour portrait of a woman sitting on a chair in a garden with a glass in her hand, her young son pees on the plants in the background
93/100 We're Really Lucky to Have a Garden by Robert Coyle - Sale, Manchester
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Close-cropped black and white portrait of an elderly man wearing a face mask
94/100 In Family We Trust by Nina Robinson - Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire
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Colour portrait of a woman wearing a blue top touching a child's drawing of a person pinned to a red wall
95/100 Virtual Hug by Daphney Wilson - Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
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Colour portrait of a young woman using a sewing machine to sew surgical gowns
96/100 PPE Volunteer by Joe Newman - London
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Colour portrait of a health worker dressed in PPE crouching against a wall taking a moment to rest before getting back to work
97/100 Hero by Glenn Dene - Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
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Colour portrait of a young girl in a living room dressed in a ballet dress and doing a ballet class over zoom as her mother looks on, sitting on a sofa
98/100 Sister Attending Online Ballet Class by Vedant (aged 12 years) - London
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Full-length colour portrait of a couple, dressed smartly in 1940s clothes, standing outside their home with bunting and a Union Jack flag hanging from the house
99/100 A Brief Period of Rejoicing by Jocelyn Murgatroyd - Delabole, Cornwall
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Black and white portrait of a young boy sitting on a third-floor balcony doing his school work
100/100 Higher Learning by Claudia Burton - London