We have had a brilliant selection of entries for this year’s photo competition – sponsored by Hidden History Travel & Archaeology – with images that have taken us on journeys through history and around the world. From pictures offering new perspectives of famous heritage sites to shots of lesser-known archaeological gems, the impressive array of photos submitted for this year’s competition highlights the many different ways we experience and explore the past. Archaeological photographer Adam Stanford of AS Geospatial Surveys (ASGS), served as our judge and cast his expert eye over the entries. The results were announced at the Current Archaeology Awards ceremony on 1 March.
This year’s overall winner is Pawel Zygmunt’s photo, ‘The Ancient World’, which shows the Hill of Tara, in County Meath, Ireland.
The winning photo was on display at the CA Live! 2025 conference at the UCL Institute of Education in London, alongside our three runners-up (presented here in alphabetical order).
First we have Greg Metro’s photo of the Meroë Pyramids, in Sudan. This image combines 100 photos taken over the course of an hour, placing the famous Kushite burial sites against a backdrop of the sky just before sunrise.
Another of the runners-up is Mathew Browne, with a photo of the Neolithic chambered tomb of Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire, UK, captured under a colourful sky during a geomagnetic storm in May 2024.
The third runner-up is Rashi Mehrotra, whose photo shows the Ponte Sant’Angelo crossing the River Tiber in Rome with St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City beyond.
Well done to the winners, and thank you to all who entered; we’ve loved seeing your work. Keep an eye out for details about the CWA Photo Competition 2026, coming later this year. We look forward to seeing your entries!
