Viewing Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize at National Portrait Gallery

The Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize, held at London’s National Portrait Gallery, is a powerful celebration of contemporary portrait photography. One of the world’s most prestigious and competitive photography awards, it honors both established and emerging photographers, with a broad and inclusive definition of portraiture that emphasizes personal identity. This year, more than 5,900 images were submitted by over 2,000 photographers from around the globe. After rigorous judging by the panel — artists Sunil Gupta and Tim Walker, art historian and author Katy Hessel, and the NPG’s Sabina Jaskot-Gill, 54 works by 51 photographers were selected for the final exhibition.


At a special ceremony last week, the top prize of £15,000 was awarded to Martina Holmberg for her portrait Mel, from her series The Outside of the Inside. The photo sensitively captures Mel, a burn survivor, in a contemplative state, highlighting themes of resilience, identity, and the diversity of human appearance. Second place (£3,000) went to Luan Davide Gray for We Dare to Hug, an intimate black-and-white image of two older men embracing while third prize (£2,000) was awarded to Byron Mohammad Hamzah for Jaidi Playing, documenting stateless youth in Sabah. In addition, an £8,000 commission was granted to Hollie Fernando for her work Boss Morris, a portrait exploring gender and folk tradition.

The Taylor Wessing Prize continues to provide a vital platform for voices and stories that might otherwise remain unseen — reinforcing photography’s power to document, humanize, and challenge societal norms.