Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2025

A striking iteration of this annual exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery featuring the shortlisted works in this year’s photo portrait prize.

As ever there were some stunning images and themes of old age and disability seemed to emerge such as Donato Telesca's stunning photograph from above of a Parolympian weightlifter. Can I have my usual moan about reflective glass on photographs? I would have loved to show you an image of Luan Davide Gray's "We Dare to Hug" showing a tender older gay couple but the reflection means you see more of me and the other people and works in the show than the picture itself.

My favourite this year was Timon Benson's "About to Leave" of his father shown here just before he moved back to Kenya, pictured through his living room window. Other shout outs to Tom Parker's picture of three Mongolian contortionist girls creating great shapes, Tamsyn Warde's picture of a small child, Benji, in a pub with his favourite dog which captures the moment after he woke up and Harry Borden's picture of Sir Keir Starmer taken through a glass table and reporters phones recording the event at a press conference which gave a sense of the pressurised environment.

At times I felt the subject took precedence over the photographer in the selection of the works. A prize for photographers should focus on their skill not the subject.

Closes 8 February 2026


Review

Guardian


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