The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled the shortlisted photographers for the prestigious Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2025. The highly anticipated announcement precedes the exhibition, showcasing 54 exceptional works by 51 talented photographers, which will run from 13 November 2025 to 8 February 2026 at the National Portrait Gallery. The winner of the coveted prize will be revealed on 11 November 2025.
This renowned international competition is open to photographers worldwide, aged 18 and over, and celebrates the pinnacle of contemporary portrait photography. Entrants are encouraged to explore the concept of ‘portrait’ in its broadest sense, focusing on portraying individuals and emphasising their unique identities.
The esteemed judging panel for 2025 comprised leading figures in the photography world: photographer and educator Sunil Gupta; art historian, curator, and writer Katy Hessel; Sabina Jaskot-Gill, Senior Curator of Photography at the National Portrait Gallery; and celebrated photographer Tim Walker.
The selection process was rigorous, with the judges carefully reviewing a staggering 5,910 submissions from 2,054 photographers. The four shortlisted photographers who have risen to the top are:
- Hollie Fernando for Boss Morris – from the series Hoydenish
- Luan Davide Gray for We Dare to Hug – from the series Call Me by Your Name
- Byron Mohammad Hamzah for Jaidi Playing – from the series Bunga dan Tembok (The Flower and The Wall: The Stateless Youths of Semporna)
- Martina Holmberg for Mel – from the series The Outside of the Inside
The winner of the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2025 will receive £15,000, with second and third place prizes of £3,000 and £2,000 respectively. In addition, one of the shortlisted photographers will be awarded a commission worth £8,000, supported by Taylor Wessing, to create an artwork that will become part of the National Portrait Gallery’s world-renowned collection of portraiture.
Meet the Shortlisted Photographers:
Hollie Fernando
Based in London and Brighton, Hollie Fernando is a photographer and director whose work draws inspiration from the natural world and classical painting, particularly pre-Raphaelite portraits. She masterfully blends these influences with a unique, dreamlike vision and a vibrant use of colour. Fernando has worked with a diverse range of clients, including Adidas, Barbour, BAFTA, Dickies, and Gucci.
Her shortlisted portrait, Boss Morris, is part of her series Hoydenish and explores the evolving gender dynamics within Morris dancing, a traditional English folk dance historically dominated by men. Boss Morris is an all-female Morris side based in Stroud. The photograph depicts the group adorned in folkloric attire and makeup, huddled together in a group portrait. Set against a natural backdrop, the image evokes pre-Raphaelite muses and the portraits of Julia Margaret Cameron. The juxtaposition of their hyper-feminine, traditional costumes with the somewhat unconventional placement of flora and fauna across their faces creates a powerful and energetic image that captures the spirit, creativity, and ambition of the subjects.
Luan Davide Gray
Luan Davide Gray is a fine art photographer based in London. With a degree in Visual Communication from the University of Brighton and over 20 years of experience as a hairstylist and creative image consultant, Gray explores the unseen and emotionally raw layers of identity. His work often focuses on themes of intimacy, marginalisation, and the moments of beauty found within everyday acts of survival.
Gray’s portraits have been featured in Photo Vogue Italia, and his current work explores the visible invisibility of homelessness. His shortlisted portrait, We Dare to Hug, is part of the photographic series Call Me by Your Name, created to illustrate that love transcends form, face, and name.
This black and white portrait captures a tender embrace between two men in their 60s, conveying a quiet story of trust, love, and the passage of time. It depicts a moment of mature intimacy, defying conventional representations of physical closeness as one man gently holds the other’s bare chest, kissing him on the cheek. The image evokes sculpture through its composition and its use of light and shadow to create areas of contrast and connection between the sitters and their interlocking bodies.
Byron Mohammad Hamzah
Byron Mohammad Hamzah is a doctor and photographic artist based in Malaysia and the UK. He holds an MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the University of Arts London, and his work has been featured in the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2023, the Paris Photo Carte Blanche Award, and the Europe Queer Photo Festival 2022. He was also a winner in the 2020 Portrait of Britain Photography Awards.
For the past two years, Hamzah has volunteered as an art and photography teacher with an NGO in Sabah, East Malaysia, providing free schooling for stateless and marginalised youth, particularly from the Bajau Laut ethnic group. Working in Semporna, a coastal town with a large Bajau Laut population, Hamzah began documenting the lives of the local youths and their community as part of a collaborative photographic and documentary project.
His shortlisted portrait, Jaidi Playing, captures a moment of tranquility within a tumultuous and uncertain existence. Jaidi is one of the stateless children who attends the free school where Hamzah teaches. The gentle portrait depicts Jaidi’s head cradled in the hands of another child, capturing a moment of respite amidst challenging circumstances. Despite the injustices they face, the project encapsulates the spirit of these young people: resilient, colourful, and full of hope and pride.
Martina Holmberg
Martina Holmberg is a freelance photographer and writer based in Stockholm. Her interest in photography began early, inspired by accompanying her father as he developed his own prints and photos. Holmberg’s work has been published, awarded, and exhibited internationally, including in the Sony World Photography Awards 2020, the Tokyo International Foto Awards 2023, the New York Photography Awards 2024, and the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers 2024.
Holmberg’s work focuses on portraying people’s living conditions around the world, often those of women. Her shortlisted portrait, Mel, is part of her project The Outside of the Inside, a photography series documenting people with facial and physical differences that fall outside of the norm. The series is a tribute to the rich diversity of appearances and aims to increase visibility for the discrimination experienced by those with physical differences.
The portrait shows Mel, a burn survivor, gazing thoughtfully out of a window, reminiscent of a princess looking out from her tower. Lost in a daydream, the image immediately captures the imagination, prompting viewers to wonder about her thoughts and her story. At the age of two, Mel and her sister were waiting in the car while their mother made a quick purchase. When she returned, the car was on fire. Tragically, Mel’s sister died in the accident; Mel survived with severe burns.
Exhibition Details:
Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2025
- Dates: 13 November 2025 – 8 February 2026
- Location: National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE
- Tickets: From £9.50, £5 tickets available for those 25 and under on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
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