One of the last photos of late Queen Elizabeth taken at Balmoral days before her death up for award

One of the last public pictures of the late Queen is among the photographs up for an award to be decided by public vote.

Twenty pictures taken between January 1 and December 31 2022 have been nominated for Photo of the Year at the annual UK Picture Editors Guild Awards.

An image of the late Queen smiling beside a fire at Balmoral, before meeting the newly appointed prime minister Liz Truss on September 6 is among the contenders. The monarch died at the estate on September 8.

Another picture of her on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June caught the eye of judges, along with photographs of Prince Louis covering his ears during a flypast.

There are also images of new monarch King Charles carrying out his duties, footballer Lionel Messi holding the World Cup and the conflict in Ukraine.

Pictures of the country sweltering in 40C heat last summer and a photograph of a Just Stop Oil protester are among the other nominees.

A spokesman for the UK Picture Editors Guild Awards said: “Photographers working on behalf of the press risk their lives in war zones and bring us the news as it breaks.

“Their work fills the pages of the newspapers daily and so often their work goes unrecognised.”

Those who register to vote before September 3 will get the chance to win a two-night stay in a London hotel.

The awards will be held at the Honourable Artillery Company grounds in the City of London on October 16, and people can vote here: https://imago.ws/IMAGOPhotographoftheyear.