One of These Four Portrait Photographers Will Win Over $20,000

The National Portrait Gallery within the United Kingdom has unveiled the 4 finalists for its Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026. One of the 4 photographers will win the grand prize, taking dwelling £15,000, or simply over $20,200.

The Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize, previously the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize, celebrates the work of proficient younger, newbie, {and professional} photographers every year. The 4 finalists plus the work of over 50 different chosen photographers shall be showcased on the National Portrait Gallery in London, England, from November 5, 2026, via January 17, 2027.

The 2026 judging panel, which incorporates broadcast and creator Emma Dabiri FRSL, photographer Nadine Ijewere, photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney, and National Portrait Gallery Senior Curator Brandei Estes, picked the finalists amongst a discipline of 1,338 proficient photographers.

Without additional ado, the 4 finalists are James Clifford Kent, Marcie Docherty, Katie Hitchcock-Smith, and Max Pattenden. A specific work from every of the 4 photographers is featured beneath, alongside extra details about every photographer and their collection.

James Clifford Kent — ‘Yuma’

James Clifford Kent, born in South London, has been chosen for his collection, Yuma. For the previous 20 years, Kent has used images to doc his time spent in Cuba, the place he started educating on the University of Havana in his 20s.

Kent captured the photograph beneath, Neisser, Pinar del Río, Cuba, final 12 months when he returned to Cuba to work on a documentary movie. The topic, 16-year-old Neisser, is an aspiring pentathlete.

Kent describes the picture as “the most emotive” he has captured in his 20-year profession, noting that Neisser’s excellence as a fencer is a major supply of satisfaction for his father, who was within the room when the portrait was taken.

Marcie Docherty — ‘In Pursuit of Muscle’

Marcie Docherty acquired her begin with images at a really younger age, studying the craft and creating pictures at dwelling together with her father in a makeshift darkroom.

Docherty nonetheless works in analog images. In her award-winning collection, In Pursuit of Muscle, Docherty investigates how masculinity is constructed and carried out.

Katie Hitchcock-Smith — ‘Tajine Westerns’

Raised in Boston, Katie Hitchcock-Smith is a multi-talented adventurer, author, and photographer. She has traveled all around the world, from the North Pole to the Amazon rainforest, and makes use of images to doc the individuals and locations she explores.

The portrait beneath reveals Nour and Mohmed in jap Morocco. Hitchcock-Smith arrange a Western-themed photoshoot for her newfound pals, combining conventional American cowboy epics with Moroccan fashion.

Max Pattenden — ‘Men May Come and Men May Go, But I Go On Forever’

24-year-old British photographer Max Pattenden acquired his begin with images in vogue advertising. He then enrolled in a images program on the University of Plymouth and hasn’t regarded again since. Pattenden was really a part of the National Portrait Gallery’s Photo Portrait Now program in partnership with the University of Plymouth.

Pattenden takes a story method to images, citing a love of photobooks and expansive tasks. This specific photograph reveals 10-year-old Havannah, a resident of the small village of Lee Moor. Pattenden was there chasing a stunning fog that accentuated the village’s uncommon panorama when he met Havannah and her household, recognizing the younger lady’s “timeless” look.

Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026

As talked about, the winner, to be unveiled in November, will obtain £15,000. However, second place can even obtain £3,000, and fourth place £2,000. One of the 4 shortlisted photographers can even earn an £8,000 fee. The chosen photographer will create an art work that shall be added to the world’s largest assortment of portraiture on the National Portrait Gallery.

“Congratulations to the shortlisted artists for this year’s Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize. My fellow judges and I were wholly impressed by the talent and creativity of the submissions and, as always, we’re thankful for the sitters and stories from around the world that we are so privileged to welcome to the Gallery as part of the Photo Portrait Prize exhibition,” says Brandei Estes.

Additional pictures from this 12 months’s competitors are featured within the gallery beneath.

“This year’s Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize draws extraordinary photographic talent from more than 50 countries. In our first year as a transatlantic law firm, we’re honored to have spent 19 years standing alongside a Prize whose international reach and ambition match our own. Our collaboration has created a fantastic showcase for the world’s greatest artists,” provides Shane Gleghorn, Winston Taylor Europe and Middle East Managing Partner.

Image creditNational Portrait Gallery. Individual photographers are credited within the captions.