Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2026
Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2026 is now open for entries!
The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2026, the leading international photographic portrait competition has been recently opened for entries and like every year celebrates and promote the very best in contemporary portrait photography.
Short description
The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2026, photography competition that showcases the work of talented young photographers, gifted amateurs and established professionals in the very best of contemporary photography, now is calling for entries!
The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, stands as a beacon of excellence within the realm of contemporary portrait photography. This esteemed international competition, hosted by the National Portrait Gallery , celebrates the art of capturing the essence of humanity through the lens. It not only showcases the talents of young, emerging photographers but also honors the contributions of gifted amateurs and the unparalleled skill of established professionals. The prize is synonymous with diversity and creativity, offering a panoramic view of modern society through portraits that range from meticulously planned commissions to the spontaneous intimacy of shots capturing friends and family in moments of unguarded emotion.
The competition celebrates a diverse range of images and tells the fascinating stories behind the creation of works, from formal commissioned portraits to more spontaneous and intimate moments capturing friends and family. The selected images, many of which are on display for the first time, explore both traditional and contemporary approaches to the photographic portrait whilst capturing a range of characters, moods and locations.
The photographs must be portraits. Portrait may be interpreted in its widest sense, of "photography concerned with portraying people with an emphasis on their identity as individuals".
Photographers may submit up to 6 individual portraits or portraits in a series. A ‘series’ may mean either a group of separate portraits around a particular theme, or a number of pictures that when shown together combine to make up a single portrait work. The judges may choose to display a series in its entirety within the exhibition.
All photographs must have been taken by the entrant from life after 1 January 2025.
All images will be viewed by a panel of judges and the entrants who are successful in the first round will be notified if their work has been selected for the second round of judging by 7 May 2026. Only if the Photographer’s work has been selected for the second round of judging will they need to organise the delivery of their photograph(s) to the collection point between 26 May – 2 June 2026.
Submission requirements:
➜ Each image must be saved as a JPG/JPEG and be 3MB or smaller. They must be no larger than 1015 x 760mm and 20 kilos in weight (there are no limitations on how small a work can be). The image may be smaller than the paper size.
➜ Photographs can be black and white or colour. All photographs must be printed on paper (however, if the artistic process requires it, they may be printed on metal or other suitable surfaces).
➜ Photographers selected for the exhibition will need to provide the Gallery with a Tiff file of their photograph for use in the catalogue and exhibition marketing campaign. This Tiff file should be 3600px on the shortest side
Who may enter?
The competition is open to photographers from around the world, aged 18 and over.
Prize:
The winner will receive £15,000, the second prize winner will receive £3,000, and the third prize winner will receive is £2,000.
Entry fees:
Each entry costs £22. The maximum number of entries per artist is 6.
