Capturing Cambridge – for charity – in twelve iconic pictures

Every year, Cambridge University Press & Assessment creates a charity calendar, which is printed and sold to raise money for Cambridge's chosen charity partner.

For 2025, all proceeds will go to Book Aid International.

Order your copy of Cambridge Charity Calendar 2025

Red Poll cattle resting at the Mill Pond. Photographer: Gauri Dhayagude
Red Poll cattle resting at the Mill Pond. Photographer: Gauri Dhayagude

The Cambridge Charity Calendar 2025 is now available in-store or online from our Cambridge University Press Bookshop , which is located at 1 Trinity Street, Cambridge. It's a site where books have been sold since the 1580s, making it the oldest bookshop site in the world.

To source photos for the Cambridge Charity Calendar 2025, we ran a public photography competition for the first time in 2024. Together with the wider University, we invited members of the public as well as colleagues, students and Cambridge alumni to send us their best photos of the city. We received hundreds of photos in response – many of them beautiful, creative and moving.

Cambridge is a highly photographed city, meaning it can be a challenge to capture it in ways that feel novel and exciting. As the pictures in the new charity calendar make clear, there are still many photographers who live in – or pass through – Cambridge who take photos that stand out.

What sights were highlighted in the Cambridge Charity Calendar 2025?

Greenery around a window at a Cambridge college

Photo by: Annie Zhang

In selecting the photos to feature in the new calendar, the judges wanted to highlight images of Cambridge that offer fresh ways of observing the city and the University. The new calendar is a combination of photos of less frequently visited places, or of less conventional perspectives of familiar sights, with classic shots that never lose their charm.

For instance, the 2025 calendar highlights several colleges that visitors to the city might not always reach – including Newnham College (June) and Girton College (March). It also shows a distinctive interior shot of King’s College Chapel (December), as well as a unique picture of Clare College (January). The judges also made sure to include images that capture the culture and ambience of the city, including one of Trinity Street (October) – replete with posters advertising various community and artistic events – and one of cows relaxing near the Mill Pond (July), which is a sight that many who have spent time in Cambridge will know well.

The photography competition judges included celebrated local photographer Martin Bond of A Cambridge Diary, along with a diverse group of Cambridge staff spanning many different ages and backgrounds.

Visit Cambridge with Cambridge Charity Calendar 2025

Jerwood Library, Trinity Hall. Photographer: Maggie Lan

St Johns Street, railings infront of All Saints Garden. Photographer: Alan Bennett

Newnham College, facing towards Clough Hall. Photographer: Joseph Kai Lok Li

Emily Davies Court at Girton College. Photographer: Jakaria Uddin

“I’ve taken thousands of photographs of Cambridge over the years. Yet this city is an enduringly beautiful and vibrant place, and from the perspective of a photographer, that means there is always a new sight or story to capture here.

It was great fun to be involved in selecting the winning photos from the photography competition to be included in the Cambridge Charity Calendar 2025. We unearthed some real gems from among a strong collection of entries.”
Photographer Martin Bond

“We’re all really proud of the new charity calendar. Not only are the images beautiful, but the calendar itself is also a special product for the bookshop. All proceeds from the calendar will go to Cambridge’s charity partner Book Aid International. Cambridge has been donating books to schools and libraries in need via Book Aid International for over 30 years – so it’s wonderful to be able to continue our tradition of supporting their work.”
Alastair Lynn, Business Lead at the Cambridge University Press Bookshop

A spotlight on Book Aid International

A ceiling window in a Cambridge building

Photo by: Annie Zhang

Book Aid International is a UK registered charity that works to provide access to books for people in low-income countries. The charity distributes 1.2 million books per year.

Cambridge has been donating books to schools and libraries in need via Book Aid International for over 30 years. Book Aid’s relationships with local partners mean that books are carefully selected and sent exactly where they’re needed – often reaching parts of the world that would otherwise lack these materials.

Our charity calendar builds on our work to support Book Aid, being a fundraising initiative that will help further literacy and education worldwide.

Wildflower meadow at King's College. Photographer: Umit Demirbaga
Wildflower meadow at King's College. Photographer: Umit Demirbaga

Heidi Mulvey, Cambridge’s Head of Community Engagement, said:

“Every two years, Cambridge invites our colleagues to choose new charity partners. In 2022, they chose Book Aid International. Although we had been working together already for many years, the formal adoption of Book Aid as a charity partner meant we could build on our existing collaboration to create an even greater positive impact.

“Charity partners receive a donation each year and also benefit from colleague fundraising, which we match.”

Alison Tweed, Chief Executive of Book Aid International, said:

“We are delighted that Cambridge University Press & Assessment is choosing to support Book Aid International through the sale of its beautiful 2025 calendars. This is another great example of the many exciting ways in which Cambridge, together with its amazing staff, are raising funds to support Book Aid International as their International Charity Partner.

“Proceeds from the sale of the calendar will support our ‘Books to Go’ programme which in 2023 set up a lending library at Warazo Primary School in Kenya, providing 2,000 storybooks and readers that children can take home in the book bags provided by the project. This programme will continue in 2024 with another lending library at Mumbani Primary School, and we look forward to rolling it out across more schools in the future.

“Thank you, Cambridge, for this wonderful support for our work making books and reading accessible to all.’’

brown brick building beside road during daytime

Many thanks to the talented contributors whose photos make up the Cambridge Charity Calendar 2025 – Alan Bennett, Sofia Stoyanova, Jakaria Uddin, Edward Reynolds, Joseph Kai Lok Li, Gauri Dhayagude, Tim Gillett, Umit Demirbaga, and Maggie Lan.

And for any current or aspiring photographers: keep an eye out for next year’s photo competition! We can't wait to see your beautiful pictures of Cambridge.