In a convincing show of photographic superiority, members of the House of Lords scooped four of the top five entries as selected by the panel of judges. The overall winner was Lord Greenway, whose atmospheric backlit image of a tugboat bringing a cargo ship into port was a firm favourite on the panel. The other four finalists were Baroness Floella Benjamin, Lord Birt, Lord Crathorne and Sir David Amess.

The competition, which is open to serving MPs and members of the House of Lords, attracted dozens of entries from across the political spectrum, and was judged the renowned Press Photographer, Professor Dr Michael Maloney OBE, John Walshe, Vice President of Nikon Europe, and Nigel Atherton, Editor of Amateur Photographer Magazine.

Commenting on the competition John Walshe said, “Nikon are delighted to have supported the 2018 All Party Parliamentary Photography competition and exhibition. I think all of us know the incredible abilities of everyone within Westminster to be able to present and interpret events from a different perspective and it’s great to see that they have been able to apply the same skills within a photographic context to produce some incredibly creative images.”

Dr Mike Maloney added: “It never ceases to amaze me, the photographic talent that hides in the Palace of Westminster. I have been chairing this competition for the past 18 years, and a number of [the entries] are really outstanding. Some of the entrants are consistently so good that I said I would offer them a job on my old newspaper the Daily Mirror!”

AP Editor Nigel Atherton was impressed by the variety of subjects covered. ‘The pictures give a fascinating glimpse into the busy and varied lives that our MPs and parliamentarians lead when they aren’t debating the issues of the day in Parliament itself.’

Each of the five finalists received a £100 donation from Nikon to a charity of their choice.

Here are a selection of the winning and shortlisted entries:

The winning image. Lord Greenway's atmospheric backlit mage of a tugboat and cargo ship was the unanimous favourite of the judges

The winning image. Lord Greenway’s atmospheric backlit mage of a tugboat and cargo ship was the unanimous favourite of the judges

The judges liked this image by Baroness Floella Benjamin for its sense of joy and spontaneity.

The judges liked this image by Baroness Floella Benjamin for its sense of joy and spontaneity.

This evocative coastal sunset by Lord Birt really makes you want to be there.

This evocative coastal sunset by Lord Birt really makes you want to be there.

This aerial dog portrait by Sir David Amess raised a smile among all of the judges

This quirky dog portrait by Sir David Amess raised a smile among all of the judges

The most technically accomplished entry, this close up of a horse's eye by Lord Crathorne is beautifully lit and incredibly detailed.

The most technically accomplished entry, this close up of a horse’s eye by Lord Crathorne is beautifully lit and incredibly detailed.

Close, but no cigar

These entries failed to make the top five but were among those judged to be worthy of inclusion in the exhibition.

This travel portrait by Tim Loughton missed out on a top five spot by a whisker

This travel portrait by Tim Loughton missed out on a top five spot by a whisker

You don't see many pictures of slugs, do you? This one by Kit Malthouse is very colourful and detailed

You don’t see many pictures of slugs, do you? This one by Kit Malthouse is very colourful and detailed

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, by Elizabeth Truss

Nice light on Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, by Elizabeth Truss

A pleasant pastoral scene by Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

A pleasant pastoral scene by Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport