Every year the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon hosts an Annual Documentary Photography Open exhibition. This year, members of the general public are invited to submit their photographs on the theme of ‘This Is Me’ - a theme intended to explore who the people are living, working and passing through North Devon today. The museum welcomes submissions from anyone wanting to make their contribution to what will be a colourful living portrait of our region.

The Annual Documentary Photography Open is open to amateur and professional photographers alike and for the first time this year includes a digital category for 14-18 year olds. The exhibition will also include a selection of historic photographs by James Ravilious from the museum’s own collection. James Ravilious was a British photographer commissioned to document rural life in North Devon from the late 1970s through to 1990. Many of his images are now considered iconic and the museum’s annual Documentary Photography Open is a way of keeping a local tradition alive. The ‘Selfies to Self-Aware Portrait Project' by Pilton Community College, facilitated by photographic artist Carole Evans and funded by the Richard and Siobhan Coward Foundation Fund, will also be on display.

All photographs submitted must have been taken in North Devon within the last two years. Entries can be submitted online via the museum’s website where full terms and conditions are available to view and download.

Alison Mills, Director of the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon, says, “In a world that is constantly changing and where people are constantly moving, we are asking members of the public to reflect on those aspects of themselves that remain the same and make them feel uniquely themselves. The theme lends itself to self-portraiture but other interpretations of the theme are welcome. We hope that this is a theme that will speak particularly to our young people, and we can’t wait to unveil what promises to be a fascinating exhibition that will appeal to everyone.”

The deadline for submitting entries is 11 April. The Annual Documentary Photography Open exhibition will open on 25 April and runs until 20 June 2026. Entries can be submitted online via the museum's website: barnstaplemuseum.org.uk.

The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm. Entrance is free.

Image: Bert Heard, builder, in his workshop. July 1983, Arscotts, Dolton. James Ravilious © Beaford Arts