Looking Up Snapshot Gallery

Venue Boston
Date 1 Aug - 31 Aug
Event Photography Submission
Decorative cat-shaped weather vane silhouetted against the sky above a tiled rooftop in Boston.

Help Inspire Illuminate 2026!
Have you ever stopped and looked up while walking through Boston?

For Illuminate 2026, we asked the community to help uncover the hidden details that make Boston such a special place.

This year’s parade theme, Looking Up, celebrates the sculptures, carvings, decorative features and architectural details that adorn buildings across the town. Some are centuries old, while others are surprisingly modern. Many are hidden in plain sight.

We asked you to explore Boston with fresh eyes and share your discoveries, as they could help inspire the designs for this year’s Illuminate Parade artworks and be featured on our website.

The deadline has now passed. Photo submissions were open from 1 August to 31 August 2026.

Here are the entries from the community:

Religious building spires in Boston
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
A boat-shaped weather vain above a building with trees behind it
By Nicola Payne
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A weather vain shaped like a cat against a blue sky
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
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A stone, eroded statue of a blindfolded figures holds what appears to be a sword
By Ruth Pigott, Boston Sessions House
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Gargoyle of a human face carved in stone on the Boston stump
By Ruth Pigott of the Boston Stump
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A carved stone face on a historic building
By Nicola Payne
Close up image of Shodfriars Hall's Tudor-esque exterior
By Christopher Lewis, Shodfriars Hall
An ornate building chimney
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
A metal sculpture of a person in a hoop hanging by a tree
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
Stone gargoyle on a building
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
Stone gargoyle on a building
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
A window with an image of a boat in vinyl
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
Stone carved lion atop Boston Session's House
By Bartosz Fedkowicz, Boston Sessions House
Stone carved bust attached to a building
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
Herbert Ingram memorial statue with a seagull sat atop the statue's head
By Ruth Pigott, Herbert Ingram Memorial
Stone carving of a human face by Ruth Pigott of the Boston Stump
By Ruth Pigott of the Boston Stump
Window and roof details of Boston's Sessions House
By Ruth Pigott, Boston Sessions House
Stone carved heading adjoining the Boston Stump building
By Ruth Pigott of the Boston Stump
Turret building with a weather vain atop with a sunset behind
By Bartosz Fedkowicz
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What Are Were we Looking for?

As a guide, we advised that participants might spot:

  • Carved faces in stonework
  • Decorative brickwork or architectural features
  • Weather vanes and rooftop ornaments
  • Wooden carvings and foliage details
  • Sculptures and public artworks
  • Historic building details
  • Modern decorative features
  • Hidden gems you’ve noticed around town

Whether it’s medieval, Victorian, contemporary or something in between, we love seeing the range of submissions!

About Illuminate

Illuminate is Transported’s annual winter lantern parade in Boston. Each year, the event explores a different aspect of the town’s heritage through community creativity, large-scale artwork and public celebration.

Illuminated Griffin lantern puppet held above a crowd at night during Boston’s Illuminate parade

FUNDING

The Illuminate Parade and bespoke artwork creations are made possible through funding from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants, delivered by Transported and supported by Boston Borough Council and the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership StoryTellers NPO programme.

Image Submission Consent

By submitting photographs to the Looking Up Snapshot Gallery, you confirm that you are the photographer or have permission from the photographer to share the images with Transported.

You grant Transported, hosted by the University of Lincoln, permission to use your submitted photographs for purposes connected with the Illuminate Parade and related promotional activities. This may include use on Transported’s website, social media channels, printed materials, exhibitions, reports to funders and other marketing or publicity materials.

You retain ownership of your photographs at all times.

Any personal data submitted through your photo submission will be processed by Transported solely for the administration of this project and in accordance with the University of Lincoln’s Privacy Policy: https://online.lincoln.ac.uk/privacy-policy/

For enquiries, please contact: transported@lincoln.ac.uk