Call for Entries: Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2022

The annual Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize is a truly international competition, that celebrates the very best in contemporary portrait photography. It attracts entries from photographers - both amateur and professional - from all over the world.

The National Portrait Gallery in London issued the Call for Entries for the 2022 competition earlier this month.

Submissions are invited by the deadline of 5pm on 31 May 2022 via a brand new digital platform, specially developed for this year’s Prize.

The winner of the competition receives a prize of £15,000. In addition, the judges, at their discretion, will award cash prizes to one or more of the shortlisted photographers.

Call for Entries

Who can enter?

• Photographers must have been 18 years of age or over on 1 January 2022.

What can you enter?

• Each photographer can submit up to six photographs.
• Every photograph has to be a portrait
• Each image must be saved as a JPG/JPEG and be 3 MB or smaller.

What does it cost to enter?

• Each entry costs £20.00 per portrait (i.e. NOT per photographer)
• If you make the second round: All costs incurred by postal/courier services (including customs charges and any import duties) must be paid for in advance by the photographer
• Plus the cost of insurance for the exhibit (see Rule 1.17)
• All debit/credit card details must be completed and the expiry date must be at least two months after the date of entry.

Note: If your second round entry incurs unpaid costs its delivery will be rejected by the NPG,

How to enter?

register for a secure artist account on the Gallery’s new competition platform (www.competitions.npg.org.uk)
• photographers must upload their image(s) via the competition portal.
• photographers must agree to comply with the FULL RULES of the competition e.g.

The photographer or their representatives warrant that they are fully authorised and entitled to enter into the agreements contained in these rules, in respect of all rights in the work including ownership, copyright, moral rights, the rights of the people, names, trademarks, designs or works of art depicted in the photographs, and that no further permissions or conditions are required to deliver these agreements.

• All submissions and payment of entry fees must be completed by 17.00 on Tuesday 31 May 2022 (UK time).
• Model release forms - required if selected for the exhibition
• The model release form will state that the photographer has full permission to enter and reproduce an image of the person/s featured in the photograph. 
• If a selected photograph contains an image of a minor (person under the age of 18) then photographers will be required to submit a minor release form signed by the parent or legal guardian of the minor.
• TIFF file required for the exhibition catalogue and marketing
• delivery of photograph(s) for the second round of judging must be received at the collection point between 20 - 24 June 2022 - whether delivered in person or by post/courier.
• Pay attention to the Rules!

The Gallery reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify and remove any entry that does not comply with the rules at any stage of the competition.

How are entries judged

The prize winners and exhibition selection is judged on an equal and anonymous basis. 

• first round: judging panel views digital images
• second round: judging from photographs produced by photographer - if selected for the second round.

Where is the Exhibition?

For the second year, the exhibition will take place at the arts hub Cromwell Place, London from 27 October – 18 December 2022, while the National Portrait Gallery building in St Martin’s Place is closed until 2023 for major redevelopment works.

In 2021 the exhibition was held at Cromwell Place and featured a total of 54 portraits from 25 artists.

REFERENCE

You can view past exhibits and winners on this blog - under the label Taylor Wessing Prize

National Portrait Gallery not reopening - until 2023

The National Portrait Gallery is now closed for three years - until at least Spring 2023.

However there is some GOOD NEWS - SEE BELOW! - concerning:

• Inspiring People Project
• Collaborations with regional museums and galleries on future displays of key works
• The Really Good News re.
• David Hockney exhibition
• BP Portrait Award

No more portraits on view at NPG Gallery for 3 years

It was always intended that the Gallery would close for its ambitious rebuilding project at the end of June 2020. So the announcement yesterday that the Gallery will not now be reopening for the rest of June came as no surprised - but means no more portraits for three years!

My concern right now is how  the pandemic will affect the length of the building project. 

• It might start on time - and it may not. 
• It might take the original planned length of time - but it may not 

In addition, my career experience (of major building projects taking three years) is that if it's a big project on a major site with major access issues then the project very often slips and is often not finished by the target date. That's not me being negative - that's just me relaying my experience of such projects - and I've known a few!  (I'm also wondering whether the cut through from Cass Arts to the back of the National Gallery will remain open for the duration)

So be aware and prepare for the fact it MAY be more than three years before we can visit the National Portrait Gallery again

Inspiring People Project 

When we do we'll be entering via a different entrance - located on the north side of the building and looking across a more spacious area and up Charing Cross Road.

The new entrance looking north up Charing Cross Road

direction of approach to new entrance to the National Portrait Gallery

You can see more about the building project on the NPG website - see Inspiring People. It will be biggest ever development since the building in St Martin’s Place opened in 1896.

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2019 - less submissions, more series and fewer photographers

There are four significant differences in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2019 - which has had an enthusiastic following in the past - which has wavered this year.

• LESS photos were submitted this year (3,700) compared to the two previous years. That's a 17% reduction compared to 2018. However it's 35% down on two years ago. One has to ask what has happened?
• 2018:  4,462; 
• 2017:  5,717 
• MORE series were selected for exhibition (13) - compared to 4 in 2018 and just 18 photos in 2017.
• As a direct result of showing more series, FEWER photographers have had the opportunity to raise their profile for their photography in this leading photographic portrait competition and exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.
• 2019:  31 photographers - represents a reduction of 38%
• 2018:  49 photographers
• 2017:  50 photographers
• the exhibition emphasises diversity - almost to the point where it dominates the exhibition

Finally, fewer photographic portraits were hung in the exhibition - just 55 compared to 57 in 2018 and 59 in 2017. This difference is less significant - but it is significant that artificial screens have had to be introduced into the Porter Gallery in order to hang the photographs properly. After all series require they are hung as a series!

However first the Prizes and then the Analysis.
The exhibition is on in the Porter Gallery at the National Portrait Gallery from 7 November 2019 – 16 February 2020. Unlike the BP Portrait Award this is not free entry and tickets are priced at

• full price tickets from £6 with concessions from £5
• £3 tickets for under 25s on Fridays
• £3 tickets for concessions and over 60s Monday - Wednesday 10:00-11:00am
• Free for members (that's me until the Gallery closes next year!)

at the press preview of the exhibition - with the photographers

Extra artificial walls in the Porter Gallery

Prizewinners

This is a photography exhibition with a decent set of prizes - sponsored by Taylor Wessing.

First Prize (£15,000):
Gail and Beaux; Mom (our last one) from the series Goldie (Mother) by Pat Martin

It's always good to see an older person being the subject which has won a prize. I had a suspicion Pat Martin would be the winner of the First Prize when I saw he had two photos shortlisted for the prizes.

I loved the photo of Pat's mother wearing her chihuahua T shirt with her chihuahua Beaux - who now lives with Pat.

Pat Martin with Mom (our last one) and Gail and Beaux;  from the series Goldie (Mother)

This was a great series of photos (see below). Pat told me he finds he spends more time now photographing older people.

Shortlist for £15,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2018 + Exhibiting Photographers

The annual Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize is one of the most prestigious photography awards in the world.

For the 2018 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize - and Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery:

• 4,462 submissions were entered by 1,973 photographers from 70 countries. 
• 57 portraits from 49 photographers have been selected for display (1.27% and 2.48% of submissions and photographers respectively)
• 4 submissions are a series; and
• 4 photographers have been shortlisted for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2018, the international photography award organised by the National Portrait Gallery, London. and sponsored by the law firm Taylor Wessing

This post is about the shortlisted artists and also lists the names of the photographers selected for the exhibition.

The Competition

The competition is open to everyone aged 18 and over from around the world. Photographers are encouraged to interpret portrait in its widest sense of photography concerned with portraying people with an emphasis on their identity as individuals.

Competition is INTENSE just to get selected for the exhibition. Moreover this competition has an enthusiastic international following. So to get shortlisted as well must feel like the most tremendous achievement for any photographer.

Like the BP Portrait Prize, the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize offers an important internationally recognised platform for professionals, emerging artists and amateurs alike to show their work - except in this instance the portrait are contemporary photographic portraits.

All submissions are judged anonymously. The exhibition typically displays a wide diversity of styles which reflect both cultural preferences and the individual styles of the photographers submitting entries and their approach to portraiture.

Photographers were again encouraged to submit works as a series in addition to stand-alone portraits, and there was no minimum size requirement for prints.

• The winner of the first prize will receive £15,000. 
• The second prize winner receives £3,000 and 
• the third prize £2,000.  

The prizes for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2018 will be announced on Tuesday 16 October 2018 at 19.00

Shortlist for Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2018

The shortlisted portraits include

• two photographs of women living in London
• a double portrait of a pair of shoppers taken in England’s capital. 
• photographs of a London mother holding her baby; 
• two photographs of children living in Africa
• a child from a remote village in the jungle of Sierra Leone’s Eastern Province; 
• a series on the all-female teams of drum majorettes in South Africa’s Western Province

Breach of rules - Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

This is about a competition where the organisers and Jury allowed an entry which breached the rules to remain in the competition and win two prizes.

One of the things I do when writing about art competitions is I aim to make the process more accessible for those wanting to enter and further their careers and/or achievements.

To that end I do three things:

• I aim to unpick and make the call for entries a bit more accessible for people entering for the first time
• I try to show those thinking about entering what the standard of work is in the exhibition - and the competition they're up against.

I've had much praise over the years from people around the world for making that effort - which is NOT why I do it - but it's always nice to know that my efforts are appreciated.

The third thing I do is the subject of this blog post.

Basically, I speak up for those who may feel they maybe can't when things happen which really shouldn't happen in terms of the conduct of the competition.

I don't like doing this - but I do think it's necessary.

This post is about how to undermine confidence in competitions 

• BY allowing an entry which breaches the rules to remain in the competition 
• AND win not one but two prizes!

One of Them Is a Human #1 (Erica: Erato Ishiguro Symbiotic Human-Robot Interaction Project) by Maija Tammi

Maija Tammi's project, One of Them Is a Human #1, is a series of photographs that places androids alongside one human, asking what it means to be alive.

A photo of an android was submitted as an entry into the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

The portrait is not of a human, but the National Portrait Gallery decided to keep it in the competition anyway. In a statement they say (my bold):

“The Gallery has decided not to disqualify this portrait though accepts it is in breach of the rules. The rules are reviewed every year and this issue will be taken into consideration for next year. This portrait was part of 'One of Them Is a Human #1', a broader series which presents androids alongside one human. It was felt that the subject of this portrait, while not human, is a representation of a human figure and makes a powerful statement as a work of art in its questioning of what it is to be alive or human and asks challenging questions about portraiture. The ambiguity of this portrait makes it particularly compelling.

We review the competition rules each year and as part of this will discuss whether they need to be changed in light of the selection of 'One of Them Is a Human #1' for this year’s exhibition. The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize is dedicated to showcasing the best in contemporary portraiture. There are occasions when particularly compelling portraits raise interesting questions about the genre of portraiture, and these may be included at the judges’ discretion

The Judges also shortlisted the photograph which then went on to win

• the third prize of £2,000
• the John Kobal New Work Award and a £5,000 prize for a photographer under 35.

Maija Tammi with her awards

So a total of £7,000 (presumably in part funded by competition entry fees) was awarded for an entry which breached the rules and was ineligible for entry.

I'll now go on to explain why, in my opinion, this should not have happened.

César Dezfuli wins £15,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

Winner of the £15,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017
César Dezfuli being interviewed about his portrait of 16 year old Amadou Sumaila

It's extremely gratifying that the two photographs of refugees won the first and second prize in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Competition 2017 over the photograph of the android which to my mind was technically in breach of the rules of the competition and should have been eliminated.

I'm very much NOT a fan of competitions which change the rules after they have taken the money from those people who submit entries. It's just not fair or decent - and some might argue it's not legal either.

I'm actually going to split this post in two and deal with:

• the first two prizes and the exhibition in this post
• the entry which won third prize and the reason why, in my opinion, this was a clear breach of the rules - and what needs to happen to prevent this happening again in a post tomorrow. 

This aside.....

The competition had 5,717 submissions from 2,423 photographers living in 66 countries.  Those on the walls of the exhibition are as international as those submitting their photos for consideration by the jury.

The jury considering the entries has nothing other than the title to go on. All entries are anonymous as both the name of the photographer and the person who is portrayed. 

This year for the first time those entering work were allowed to submit digital entries for the first sift which will have much reduced expenses in relation to postage and packing for those living overseas. It also means that the jury can spend longer on those that make it through to the second sift.

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 - First Prize

Amadou Sumalia by César Dezfuli
From the series Passengers
Inkjet print, August 2016

The £15,000 prize went to César Dezfuli for his photograph of 16 year old Amadou Sumalia from Mali. He was later transferred to a reception centre in Italy.

It comes from his series of photos called "Passengers". This documented in 118 photographs (click the link to see other photographs in the series) about the migrants on a boat who came from Mali, Gambia, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Most will have been economic migrants fleeing poverty.

It was taken very shortly after Amadou had been rescued from the Mediterranean, 20 miles off the Libyan coast along with 100+ other men. When compared with the rest of the photographs taken it's clear why this one was selected for this competition.

César Dezfuli

• Age: born in Madrid on 10 January 1991
• Nationality: Spanish-Persian origins
• Occupation: freelance journalist and documentary photographer - focuses on issues of migration, identity and human rights
• Current home: Madrid
• Education: graduated in journalism and audio-visual communication from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain followed by a postgraduate qualification in photojournalism. 
• Previous appearances in this award: None
• Website: http://www.cesardezfuli.com

His work documenting human rights issues has been published in numerous magazines and has been seen in group exhibitions in 2017 including First Prize in the Head On Photo Festival 2017 Portrait Category, and awards at the International Photographer of the Year Awards and the Moscow Foto Awards.

César told me that he'd been working on a freelance basis, following a project to rescue people who were at risk in the Mediterranean as they try to reach Europe.

‘I think Amadou’s portrait stands out because of the emotions it transmits. He had just been rescued by a European vessel, apparently fulfilling his dream. However, his look and his attitude show fear, mistrust and uncertainty, as well as determination and strength.’

Judges Comments: 

Against the balance and precision of Dezfuli’s composition, the directness of Sumaila’s gaze is striking and unsettling. The portrait powerfully conveys his loss, solitude and determination.

My comments: It's much smaller than I imagined but amazingly arresting.

Second Prize

Winner of the £3,000 Second Prize 
Abbie Traylor with her award and her photograph Fleeing Mosul
From the series Women in war: Life after ISIS
Colour coupler print, November 2016

Abbie Trayler-Smith won the £3,000 Second Prize.  Abbie is a Documentary and Portrait Photographer who was working on an assignment for Oxfam when she took the photograph. She was at the Hasan Sham camp for internally displaced people in northern Iraq when a convoy of buses had just arrived, bringing people to safety from the intense fighting in Mosul.

‘I remember seeing the shock and bewilderment in the woman’s face as she looked out at the camp from the window. It made me shudder to imagine what living under ISIS must have been like.’

Abbie told me that the woman is now in Baghdad with her husband.  Her family have returned to Mosul but her sister had both her legs blown off when their home was bombed in Mosul.

• Age: born 20 May 1977
• Nationality: born and raised in South Wales
• Education: - 
• Occupation: documentary and portrait photographer. Her work covers women’s rights, social development and the aftermath of conflict for national newspapers, charities and NGOs. She spent eight years as a photographer with The Daily Telegraph, covering world events such as the Darfur conflict, the Iraq war and the Asian tsunami, before deciding to go freelance in 2007. Her work has been seen in numerous publications and in group exhibitions and has also won awards
• Current home: based in London
• Clients: wide variety of clients including Time, The Sunday Times, The Independent Review, Marie-Claire, Tatler, Monocle, Vice, Oxfam, Save The Children, IRC, UNICEF, Sony and BBC worldwide.
• Previous appearances in this award: The Big O, won 4th prize in The National Portrait Gallery’s 2010 Taylor Wessing Prize.
• Website: http://www.abbietraylersmith.com

Abbie Trayler-Smith (b.1977) studied law at King’s College London. In her photographic career

Judges’ comments: 

The colour and texture of the portrait has a painterly quality, created by the mud-streaked glass through which the young woman is framed. Her haunting expression quietly suggests the unimaginable horrors of life under occupation.

My comments: I really liked this photo and hoped it would do well. The drips on the window of the bus seem to act as a metaphor for the situation at some many different levels.  Also while she is undoubtedly traumatised by her situation, there seemed to me to be a certain element of curiosity about what lay out the window which comes from being moved from where you have lived all your life.  Is it going to be any better?

Exhibition

One of the interesting things about the exhibition is how it has changed since both the Director of the NPG and the Curator of Photography have changed (following their respective retirements).

One of the first notes I made was "no twins and no gingers". I think I'd begun to assume these were perennial features of photographic competitions - but obviously not.

There's a very powerful wall about the America of 2016/17 which was excellent which I am now euphemistically referring to as the "portrait of America". The two photos either end of the left hand wall are of the "wall" between Mexico and the USA. Inbetween are photographs of the American election.  On the right are two photographs of individuals with iconic emblems of the 'real American'.

Portrait of America

Alan Mozes followed the campaign trail for two months at the end for Vanity Fair and his portraits of both Clinton and Obama made the cut.

Alan Mozes with his portraits of Clinton and Obama

Alice Schoolcraft graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Photographic Arts with First Class Honours at the University of Westminster in London. She is half Swedish and half American and went to stay with her (never met before) American family and found that their values and activities were very different from those she has been brought up with. She photographed some of the curious things they got up to and called the series The Other Side.

Curiosity about people’s personal lives is a driving force in my work and by employing detailed study I want to provide the viewer with the feeling that they know the people in my photographs personally without ever having met them.

Halo by Alice Schoolcraftinkjet print
The dog is wearing a necklace and is standing behind a chair which has a dress on it
Somebody is behind the dog and has put their hands through the arms of the dress

There are also very few celebrities this year - of the bling variety. Instead we have artists as subjects - Jack Vettriano (who was at the preview this morning), Maggi Hambling and AA Gill who has subsequently died.  Plus one of David Cameron looking fairly harassed a few days before the Referendum result - and his resignation.

Jack Vettriano (on the right) in front of the photo portrait of him
by Ian Mcilgorm (on the left)

David Cameron adjusting his tie prior to his formal portrait photo by Charles Bibby

Young people and what they get up seemed to be a recurrent theme of this year's exhibition. The exhibition also felt rather more international than it has hitherto.

Young people around the world

More young people from around the world

Four boys who feature in one of the portrait photos (top left)
Minecrafting by Hania Farrell - which is actually two portraits in one

Judging Panel

This year’s judging panel was

• Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Chair (Director, National Portrait Gallery, London); 
• David Campany (Writer, Curator and Artist); 
• Tim Eyles, Managing Partner, Taylor Wessing LLP; 
• Sabina Jaskot-Gill (Associate Curator, Photographs, National Portrait Gallery, London); 
• Fiona Shields (Head of Photography, The Guardian) and 
• Gillian Wearing (Artist.)

More about the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize

The posts below contain images of past prizewinning portraits.

• Prizewinners - Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Competition 2015
• David Titlow wins Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2014
• Spencer Murphy wins Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize 2013
• Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013 - Shortlist announced
• Review: Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012
• Review: Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011
• Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 - prizewinners

£15,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 - Shortlist announced

The three works shortlisted for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 include photographs of

• a migrant rescued in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast; 
• a Japanese android called Erica; and 
• a girl fleeing ISIS in Mosul, Iraq

The shortlisted portraits and photographers are:

• Amadou Sumaila by César Dezfuli
• One of Them Is a Human #1 by Maija Tammi (Erica: Erato Ishiguro Symbiotic Human-Robot Interaction Project.) 
• Fleeing Mosul from the series Women in War: Life After ISIS by Abbie Trayler-Smith

Three shortlisted photographic portraits
From left) Amadou Sumaila by César Dezfuli
One of Them Is a Human #1 (Erica: Erato Ishiguro Symbiotic Human-Robot Interaction Project) by Maija Tammi
Fleeing Mosul from the series Women in War: Life After ISIS by Abbie Trayler-Smith

Here's more about the photographers and their selected photographs.

The exhibition is at the National Portrait Gallery from 16th November 2017 until 4th February 2018

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 - Shortlist

This year the major international photography award - for portrait photography - organised by the National Portrait Gallery, London is celebrating the tenth anniversary of Taylor Wessing's sponsorship.

The prizes

• The Prize for winning the competition is £15,000. 
• The judges, at their discretion, will also award cash prizes to one or more shortlisted photographers. (The second Prize winner receives £3,000 and the Third Prize £2,000.)
• The People’s Pick allows exhibition visitors the opportunity to vote for their favourite portrait in the show.

The prizes for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 and the winner of the sixth John Kobal New Work Award will be announced on Tuesday 14 November 2017 at 19.00.

The competition

5,717 submissions entered by 2,423 photographers from 66 countries. A total of 59 portraits from 50 artists were selected for display, in which 18 were part of a series.

Photographers were again encouraged to submit works as a series in addition to stand-alone portraits, and there was no minimum size requirement for prints.

Judging Panel

This year’s judging panel was

• Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Chair (Director, National Portrait Gallery, London); 
• David Campany (Writer, Curator and Artist); 
• Tim Eyles, Managing Partner, Taylor Wessing LLP; 
• Sabina Jaskot-Gill (Associate Curator, Photographs, National Portrait Gallery, London); 
• Fiona Shields (Head of Photography, The Guardian) and 
• Gillian Wearing (Artist.)

Their choice gives me a certain sense of "other worldliness" about the prize - and maybe this was the intention of the judges curating the exhibition and their choice.

Alternatively maybe this is an expression of contemporary themes and interests of today's photographers.

Just three photographic portraits have been shortlisted.

César Dezfuli

Age: born in Madrid on 10 January 1991
Nationality: Spanish-Persian origins
Occupation: journalist and documentary photographer - focuses on issues of migration, identity and human rights
Current home: Madrid
Education: Double Degree in Journalism and Media Studies
Previous appearances in this award:  None
Website: http://www.cesardezfuli.com

Amadou Sumaila © César Dezfuli;

The sitter Amadou Sumaila was photographed in the Mediterranean Sea, in international Waters 20 nautical miles off the Libyan coast. He has since been transferred from a rescue vessel to a temporary reception centre for migrants in Italy. The portrait was taken as part of Dezfuli’s work as a freelancer, documenting the search and rescue of migrants on board an NGO vessel in the Central Mediterranean Route.

Maija Tammi 

Age: born 5th June 1985
Nationality: Finnish
Occupation: regularly works with scientists; background in photojournalism - photographs engage with science and aesthetics. 
Art education: Masters in visual journalism ; currently working on her studio art-based doctoral thesis at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Helsinki, Finland.
Previous appearances in this award: None
Website: http://www.maijatammi.com
Exhibitions: exhibited in Europe, North America and Asia.

One of Them Is a Human #1Series: (Erica: Erato Ishiguro Symbiotic Human-Robot Interaction Project.)© Maija Tammi;

Tammy’s photograph portrays Erica, an android from Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories. One of Them Is a Human #1 is part of a broader series which presents androids alongside one human and asks questions about what it means to be alive. The photograph was taken at Ishiguro Laboratory, Department of Systems Innovation at Osaka University, in an experiment room where researchers work with Erica. 

“I had half an hour with Erica and a young researcher in which to take the photograph. The researcher told me that Erica had said that she finds Pokemon Go scarier than artificial intelligence.”

Abbie Trayler-Smith

Age: born 20 May 1977
Nationality: born and raised in South Wales
Education: - 
Occupation: documentary and portrait photographer. Her work covers women’s rights, social development and the aftermath of conflict.

spent eight years as a photographer with The Daily Telegraph, covering world events such as the Darfur conflict, the Iraq war and the Asian tsunami, before deciding to go freelance in 2007.

Current home: based in London
Clients: wide variety of clients including Time, The Sunday Times, The Independent Review, Marie-Claire, Tatler, Monocle, Vice, Oxfam, Save The Children, IRC, UNICEF, Sony and BBC worldwide.
Previous appearances in this award:  The Big O, won 4th prize in The National Portrait Gallery’s 2010 Taylor Wessing Prize.
Website: http://www.abbietraylersmith.com

Fleeing Mosul
from the series Women in War: Life After ISIS© Abbie Trayler-Smith

Her shortlisted photograph was shot outside Hasan Sham IDP camp in Northern Iraq. Trayler-Smith was there undertaking a commission for Oxfam documenting the camp where the charity was providing aid, talking to women who had lived under ISIS who were prepared to be photographed. A convoy of buses arrived from Mosul, bringing people to safety who had escaped the battle just hours before.

"I just remember seeing her face looking out at the camp and the shock and the bewilderment in her’s and other’s faces and it made me shudder to imagine what living under ISIS had been like. To me the uncertainty in her face echoes the faces of people having to flee their homes around the world and references a global feeling of insecurity."

More about the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize

The posts below contain images of past prizewinning portraits.

• Prizewinners - Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Competition 2015
• David Titlow wins Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2014
• Spencer Murphy wins Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize 2013
• Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013 - Shortlist announced
• Review: Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012
• Review: Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011
• Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 - prizewinners

£15,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2016 - Call for Entries

From painting portraits of people to photographing people as portraits...

This post is about the Call for Entries for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2016.  The competition is open to anyone aged 18 years old or older. The First Prize is £15,000 and the exhibition displays some of very best contemporary portrait photographs by photographers from all around the world.

It's an exhibition I very much enjoy seeing every year and the standard is very high. No wonder then that it attracts entries from lots of different countries

Below I've highlighted a summary of what you need to know to enter - and the links to the full terms and conditions of entry and how to register and submit your entry.

The deadline for submission of entries is 23.59 on Tuesday 5 July 2016.

The exhibition for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2016 will run at the National Portrait Gallery from 17 November 2016 to 26 February 2017. It will then tour to venues around the UK.
The photos in this post are of works selected for the exhibition last year. You can see the prizewinning photos in my reviews of the prizewinners and exhibitions in the posts listed at the end.

Faces from the exhibition

Eligibility

Who can enter?

Photographer must:

• be 18 years of age or over as at 1 January 2015
• not be a previous winner of the Prize (like BP Portrait Award you are no longer eligible to enter if you win)

Some of the photographic portraits are of famous people
These typically are taken while on an assignment

What photographs are eligible?

What's interesting about this competition is it provides us with a definition of a photo.

It's a requirement that all photos entered must be portraits and it defines a portrait as follows

‘Portrait’ may be interpreted in its widest sense, of ‘photography concerned with portraying people with an emphasis on their identity as individuals’.

This is a link to the 2016 Rules

Other requirements of the work are that it should be:

Prizewinners - Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Competition 2015

A view of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize Exhibition 2015 showing three prizewinners

First Prize (£12,000): David Stewart

Back in 2008 David Stewart created a portrait photograph of five girls about to start their GCSEs titled Five Girls, Four Cartons, Three Cups (subtitle 'United by hair').

Last night he won the £12,000 First Prize in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2015 with a follow-up group portrait of the same five girls just after graduating from university with the more prosaic title of Five Girls 2014.  The hair is still pretty prominent!

It's the 16th time one of his photos has been selected for this exhibition.

David Stewart, Winner of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2015
with Five Girls 2014
with smartphones, coffee cups and sushi and salad cartons - and equal emphasis on the hair
Prizewinning portrait © David Stewart | This photo © Katherine Tyrrell

Here's the photograph proper minus reflections

Five Girls 2014 by David Stewart© David Stewart 

Compare it to the photograph taken in 2008 (below) - which was shown at the Taylor Wessing Exhibition in 2008.

In 2014, he's repeated the Five Girls (sat in the same order with the same pose) plus four cartons and three cups - but the type of food and drink they like has changed even if the obsession with good-looking hair has not!

‘I have always had a fascination with the way people interact – or, in this case, fail to interact, which inspired the photograph of this group of girls. While the girls are physically very close and their style and clothing highlight their membership of the same peer group, there is an element of distance between them.’ 

His daughter is the one in blue in both photographs.

Five Girls, Four Cartons, Three Cups
© David Stewart
pre GCSEs in a burger bar - with small pink phones

I hope he - and the girls - continue to do repeat this photograph at intervals. It's got the same universal appeal as the "7 Up" series of television programmes - of seeing people grow up in an image.

Plus we've all done "repeated photographs" - I know I have!

Name: David Stewart
Age: b.1958
Nationality: David is from Lancashire
Current home: London
Current occupation: He works on both working in advertising and fine art photography in commercial commissions and personal projects.
Art / Photography Education: Blackpool and The Fylde College
Exhibitions:
Previous prizes: his 2007 Taylor Wessing entry, "Alice & Fish," featuring his 14-year-old daughter, was shortlisted for the overall prize.
Website:

• http://www.davidstewwwart.com (which is a cute way of resolving the problem of a visual artist with a common name!)
• Wikipedia entry

Represented by: see website

The Exhibition

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2015 exhibition is on display at the National Portrait Gallery from tomorrow (12 November 2015) to 21 February 2016.

This annual portrait  competition began in 1993 and over time has grown to become one of the most prestigious photography awards in the world. It's regarded as a very important platform for portrait photographers as it showcases new work by some of the most exciting and cutting-edge contemporary photographers - both young and old, professionals and amateurs.

Below are more details about the other prizewinners

Tomorrow I comment on the exhibition generally - which is very different this year.

Other Prizewinners

David Titlow wins Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2014

The photograph which won the £12,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize for 2014 is Konrad Lars Hastings Titlow by David Titlow.

Exhibition

The photographs of the prizewinners highlighted below can be seen as part of the competition's exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery which opened today and closes on 22 February 2015.

59 portraits have been selected for the exhibition from 4,193 submissions entered by 1,793 photographers.  (This competition is even more popular than the BP Portrait Award!). It seems to me that this competition becomes more international with every year that passes.

(This) showcases the work of some of the most exciting contemporary photographers from around the world, including emerging talent, established professionals, photography students and gifted amateurs.

Prizewinners

I spoke with each of the prizewinners yesterday and this post contains the winning images and information about each photograph and the photographer - plus some views of the exhibition.  For recommendations as to how to get a photograph into this exhibition please take a look at last year's review - cited below.

Winner of the 2014 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize - £12,000

Konrad Lars Hastings Titlow
Copyright: David Titlow

The winning photograph reminds me very much of the chiaroscuro lighting seen in paintings by Caravaggio and other artists. It also has a lovely flow between the subjects.

However it wasn't set up. David's account of how it came about indicates the photo was taken very quickly. The subject is his son being introduced to a dog on the morning after the night before - which was a big party to celebrate Midsummer - on the longest day - on the farm of his Swedish girlfriend's parents (in Sweden).  They go every year - but this was the first time they'd been with their new born son.  His son has just been handed to a group of relatives and friends.

The light in the photograph is coming from the left - as it does in many classical paintings. He adjusted his camera to minimise the noise in what would be a photograph in low light.

In the foreground are the beer cans which have not yet been cleared away. The baby is outlined in rim lighting and is sitting on the knee of his girlfriend's sister. Another friend's eyes are seen peering over the top of the dog's neck. In the background is a Larsen like wall paper in very subdued light.

In summary it is both a totally natural moment and a very complex image with many of the attributes of a fine art painting.  David took lots of photos and when reviewing them this one jumped out straight away as "special".

David Titlow with his portrait of his son being introduced to a dog on a Midsummer morning in Sweden

David Titlow (b. 1963) works as a photographer in fashion and advertising. He has exhibited widely and has been commissioned by numerous magazines and newspapers, including The Guardian, The Sunday Telegraph, Vice and Vanity Fair. Originally a musician from Halesworth in Suffolk, Titlow switched to photography in the early nineties and has since worked in the industry.

David maintains a daily photo blog called Die Rache. He's represented by Skinny Dip.

John Kobal New Work Award - £4,000 

This is an Award given to a photographer under thirty whose work has been selected for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition. It's the second most valuable prize being worth a cash prize of £4,000 plus a commission to photograph a sitter connected with the UK film industry for the National Portrait Gallery Collection.

The John Kobal New Work Award has been awarded to Laura Pannack for her photograph Chayla at Shul, a portrait of a young Jewish girl.

Chayla at Shul 
Copyright: Laura Pannack

Spencer Murphy wins Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize 2013

Spencer Murphy has won the £12,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013 with a photograph of Katie Walsh, an Irish jockey who came third in the Grand National 2012 and is probably one of the best, if not the best, female jump jockeys currently riding in the UK.

Winner of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013
Spencer Murphy with his portrait of jump jockey Katie Walsh

He was also shortlisted for last year's Prize and won Third Prize.  He's had work in the exhibition on six previous occasions.  Quality counts every time! It's a not uncommon pattern to these things for people who get shortlisted and win prizes despite the fact that the entries for this Prize are judged anonymously.  The most the judges can ask to know is the title - they have absolutely no other information.

The winning portrait and the rest of the prizewinners and other selected artists are on show to the public in the new 2013 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from Thursday 14 November 2013 until 9 February 2014.

Prizewinners - Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Competition 2013
at the National Portrait Gallery

You can see some of the selected works on the website (it's a pity you can't see them all!).

In 2013, 2,435 photographers who range from amateurs to established professionals entered 5,410.  (Figures for 2012 were 2,350 photographers and 5,340 entries - so a slight increase on both counts).

You can also download the technical details of the selected works. I've highlighted these under the prizewinners.

You can read details of the backgrounds of the shortlisted artists/prizewinners in my previous post Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013 - Shortlist announced

The competition was judged from original prints by:

• Sandy Nairne Director, National Portrait Gallery, London (Chair); 
• Kate Bush Head of Barbican Art Galleries; 
• Suki Dhanda Photographer; 
• Tim Eyles UK Managing Partner, Taylor Wessing; 
• Terence Pepper Head of Photographs Collection, National Portrait Gallery; 
• Rebecca Valentine Photographic Agent

What follows covers:

• details of the prizewinners
• comments on the exhibition
• tips for photographers wanting to enter next year or in the future
• links to past reviews of this exhibition on this blog

Prizewinners

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013 - Shortlist announced

The photographs and photographers on the Shortlist for the £12,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013 have been announced.

The following four photographers have been shortlisted for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013:

• Anoush Abrar for Kofi Annan
• Dorothee Deiss for The Twins
• Spencer Murphy for Katie Walsh
• Giles Price for Kumbh Mela Pilgrim - Mamta Dubey and infant

The Exhibition opens to the public on Thursday 14 November and will be on display in the Porter Gallery at the National Portrait Gallery, London until 9 February 2013, admission £3.

This year 5,410 photographs by 2,435 photographers were entered for the Taylor Wessing Prize - by photographers from all over the world.  This is an increase of 85 entries on last year.

It also means that only just over 1% of the works submitted will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery.

I cover this prize and exhibition because the picture-making abilities of some of the photographers is sometimes better than that of the portrait painters - and it's good to look at what the competition is up to!

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013  Shortlist

Review: Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012

Jordi Ruiz Cirera
with Margarita Teichroeb in the background

Spanish reportage photographer Jordi Ruiz Cirera (Found on the Road) has won the £12,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 with his  photograph of Margarita Teichroeb.

28 year old Jorge is Spanish and has been based in London ever since he came here to do his MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication.

His photograph is one of a series (Menonos) of photographic portraits of the Mennonite community in Bolivia. This series was developed as a reportage project for his MA degree.  The photo was taken on a digital 35mm Canon 5D mkII, using only available light.

I asked him why he chose this particular photograph of Margarita and he told me because it was his favourite photograph of all the ones he had taken (some 30 or so).  He took her picture at the home she shares with her mother and sister in the Swift Current Colony in Bolivia.As a community, the Menonites live with no cars, telephones, electricity or modern utilities and consequently photography is not a normal part of their lives, is usually forbidden and hence most were very awkward and often looked away from the camera.  In this photograph, she sits centre stage and looks directly at the camera - although her shyness comes across with the hand across her mouth and through the expression in her eyes.

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012
First Prize: Margarita Teichroeb
© Jordi Ruiz Cirera

The reason I like the photograph is that for me it tells a story of a person just in that look.  There is both context and character and a backstory plus an overwhelming sense of a real person rather than just an interesting image.

Jorge is currently employed as Photographer in Residence on a year long commission for Historic Royal Palaces.  This year he also won a Deutsche Bank Award in Photography with the University of the Arts London this year.  He plans to continue his career in documentary and reportage photography.

The Prizewinning Photographers