Featured Exhibition - Taylor Wessing Portraits

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 in November’s featured exhibition.

This hugely popular competition’s shortlisted entries and winners will be on display at the national Portrait Gallery in London from 8 November 2012 until 17 February 2013.

With a £12,000 prize for the winner, this is one of the most established Portrait based competitions out there. This means that there are bound to be some really stunning images at this exhibition.

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 will showcase the work of some of the most talented emerging young photographers, alongside that of established professionals, photography students and gifted amateurs. Selected anonymously from an open competition, the diversity of styles reflects the international mix of entrants as well as the range of approaches to the portrait genre, encompassing editorial, advertising and fine art images. The judges have selected 60 portraits for the exhibition from 5,340 submissions entered by 2,352 photographers.


As well as the first-prize winner, above, and three runners-up, the exhibition will feature the John Kobal New Work Award. New for 2012 this will be awarded to a photographer under the age of 30 selected for the exhibition. The winning photographer will receive a cash prize of £4,000 to include undertaking a commission from the Gallery to photograph a sitter connected with the UK film industry.

With its substantial prize fund and high-profile exhibition and tour, the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize continues the Gallery’s long tradition of championing the very best contemporary portrait photography.

Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London says: ‘The submissions to the 2012 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize were outstanding, and it was hard for the jury to come to a final decision. I am very excited by the shortlist and hope that the exhibition will further debate around the strengths of photographic portraiture today.’

The exhibition will cost £2 to get in. For more information, visit the National Portrait Gallery website.