A striking photograph of a traditional steam locomotive brilliantly illuminated by thousands of colorful disco lights has claimed top honors in the Christmas Parties and Seasonal Events category at the 12th annual Event Photography Awards.
The winning image, which captures a distinctly modern holiday spectacle against the backdrop of a pitch-black English night, was captured by renowned railway and British royal family photographer Jack Boskett. The announcement was made during a gala ceremony held at the historic Central Hall Westminster in the heart of London, where approximately 250 prominent photographers, industry professionals, and guests gathered to celebrate the very best in international event imagery.
The Event Photography Awards, operating as a not-for-profit competition, was originally founded to highlight and elevate the crucial role that high-quality photography plays within the global events industry. Over the years, the competition has grown in both prestige and scale, attracting entries from some of the most talented visual storytellers working in the field today. For the 2026 competition, the stakes were particularly high, with more than 2,300 images submitted from photographers based in over 20 countries around the world.
To accommodate the evolving landscape of event documentation, the 12th edition of the awards featured 18 core categories, alongside the introduction of a brand-new Black & White Award sponsored by Digital Camera magazine. Additionally, organizers introduced the prestigious Event Photographer of the Year accolade, which is bestowed in conjunction with the Best Portfolio award, further cementing the competition’s status as a premier platform for professional recognition in the discipline.
Following the ceremony, Jack Boskett reflected on his unexpected victory and the significance of peer recognition in an era increasingly disrupted by digital shifts.
"It was an absolute shock and I was delighted to win," Boskett said, sharing his immediate reaction to the announcement. "I think this is the fourth year running that I have won an award at the EPAs. Winning makes all the hard work of being a photographer worthwhile, and it’s even harder for photographers to stand out these days because of AI. So when genuine photography wins awards—I’m not just saying me, but everyone else who has won this evening and everybody who was shortlisted—it’s absolutely fantastic to see so many stunning, genuine photographs."
Capturing the Magic of ‘The Boogie Lights Express’
The prize-winning photograph documents a unique seasonal experience operating on the Severn Valley Railway in England, known widely as the Boogie Lights Express. The heritage railway event transforms a classic steam locomotive and its vintage carriages into a mobile celebration through a bespoke sound and light show. According to the railway’s official descriptions, thousands of colored LED lights are meticulously arranged to make the steam train look magical both inside and out, offering a dramatic visual contrast to the dark rural landscape through which it travels.
Designed primarily as a family-oriented holiday event, the experience immerses passengers in a vibrant atmosphere. Travelers are provided with colored LED wristbands that synchronize with the onboard environment, transforming the traditional two-way, 70-minute journey between Kidderminster and Highley stations into an immersive moving disco.
While the atmosphere on board is joyous and celebratory, translating that fleeting, high-speed spectacle into a compelling still image presented a formidable technical challenge for the photographer behind the lens.
"It was a hard shot to take," Boskett explained when discussing the execution of the photograph. "The locomotive is doing about 25 miles an hour in the dark, and you’ve got to focus on having the right camera settings. I cranked up the ISO quite high, but the shutter speed was very low—one-fiftieth of a second. It was literally pitch black and there was no light around me."
The success of the shot ultimately hinged on timing and environmental interaction as the train carved its way through the darkened countryside.
"When the locomotive came through the cutting, through the trees, it just shone and lit up everything around me and looked better than I expected," Boskett recalled. "I wasn’t expecting ‘The Boogie Lights Express’ to win tonight. There were some very, very good photographs in the category, so it was a really nice surprise to come out on top."
To achieve the dramatic exposure required for the nocturnal scene, Boskett utilized high-end professional equipment, shooting with a Nikon Z 9 camera paired with a Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lens set at 70mm. The resulting exposure parameters—configured at 1/50 sec at f/3.2 with an ISO setting of 2000—allowed him to capture the luminous glow of the festive lights against the heavy shadows of the winter night, cementing another milestone in a distinguished career dedicated to capturing the intersection of British heritage and modern celebration.
