Series description
Buried Treasure is a documentary project rooted in the former mining village of Horden in the north east of England, born from the revelation that a founding family myth — a supposedly fatal mining accident — had been fabricated. Using a hybrid visual language, contemporary photography, family archives, charcoal drawings and performative gestures are drawn upon to explore inherited trauma, social mobility and the fragility of collective memory in post-industrial Britain.
Andrei, Man of Steel
Andrei (47) is an immigrant from Brashov, Romania. He moved from London to Horden in 2018, drawn by the lower cost of living. He works in construction to provide for his wife, who is disabled, and their three children. He was photographed close to where the photographer's family lived until the 1950s.
© Ed Alcock, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Morgan and Jacc, Caught in the Rain
‘It’s alright here. It’s like New York, but a bit more miserable. Full of road men — gang members and that,’ says Morgan (13). Jacc and Morgan are students at Dean Academy, the local comprehensive school, and were photographed on their way home in the rain.
© Ed Alcock, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Pip, Pennies and Sunshine
Pip Fallow poses with pennies in his eyes, a reference to a story about his father, who was assumed dead as a small child, only to wake with pennies placed in his eye sockets. Pip left school without qualifications on the day the mine closed. He is self-taught and has become a writer and community campaigner.
© Ed Alcock, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Amy, Inked
Amy was photographed in the numbered streets, explaining that she ‘moved here to escape from a difficult situation at home.’
© Ed Alcock, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Spread your Wings
‘Spread your wings’ is written on this girl's T-shirt. These two girls were playing outside a row of closed-down shops on a summer evening.
© Ed Alcock, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Everlasting Love
The last remaining gravestone in Horden's former graveyard bears the words ‘Everlasting love.’ Generations of mining families were buried here, including members of the photographer's family. Many of the burial records had been lost until recently. According to local legend, the other gravestones were used as the foundation for a local road.
© Ed Alcock, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Father Kyle, Walking the Numbered Streets
Father Kyle, the reverend for Horden and the local area, walks the numbered streets that surround his church. Kyle had recently located previously lost graveyard records that detail the burial of hundreds of mining families, including members of the photographer's family. The burial site has now become a piece of poorly maintained common land.
© Ed Alcock, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Gerald and Billy
‘I'm probably the only fan of Margaret Thatcher you'll find around here. She wasn't scared of making enemies. Politicians these days are terrified to offend.’ Gerald and Billy were waiting at the bus stop. Billy is a descendant of the pit ponies that were used to haul heavy coal tubs and wagons along underground tracks, replacing or supplementing human labour.
© Ed Alcock, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards