• © Rob Palmer. The mahi-mahi, 2019. National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020 - Overall winner. Josh Niland, head chef and owner of Saint Peter restaurant, is reinventing what can be done with fish, and – most importantly – with every part of the fish, in a huge effort to drastically reduce wastage. His trailblazing work has received enormous praise from the likes of Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson.
    © Rob Palmer. The mahi-mahi, 2019. National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020 - Overall winner. Josh Niland, head chef and owner of Saint Peter restaurant, is reinventing what can be done with fish, and – most importantly – with every part of the fish, in a huge effort to drastically reduce wastage. His trailblazing work has received enormous praise from the likes of Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson.
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National Photographic Portrait Prize call for entries

11 December 2020

Entries are now open for the 14th annual National Photographic Portrait Prize. Titled Living Memory, the name acknowledges the year’s seismic events. With a focus on photographic portraiture from Australia's professional and aspiring visual artists, images shot after are 23 October 2019 are now being accepted.

National Portrait Gallery (NPG) Director Karen Quinlan AM said: "The National Photographic Portrait Prize (NPPP) is known for capturing the uniquely Australian experience and spirit in any given year, and this year has been extraordinary.  We want to mark this important period in our history with a special edition of the NPPP. For the first time in the history of the NPPP, we are inviting photographers to consider the concept of Living Memory with a special focus on 2020."

The competition is open until 11:59pm (AEDT) on Tuesday, 2 March 2021, and offers a first prize of $30,000 for the entry judged to be the most outstanding portrait. There’s also $5,000 up for grabs for People’s Choice along with a ColorEdge CG2730 27" monitor valued at $3,245 for Highly Commended, and $2,000 for the Art Handlers' Award.

© Klarissa Dempsey. Wonder, 2019. "This portrait is of my daughter Tayla. High-spirited, mischievous, intelligent, curious: these are some of the words that come to mind while thinking of her. Tayla always asks questions and needs to know the ‘why’; I love that about her. I love that she is one of the kindest souls you will ever meet, with the most caring heart. This moment was captured on country homelands, where Tayla spends her time playing endlessly with her brothers and sister and cousins, riding bikes, walking to the creeks, playing with the dogs and being carefree."
© Klarissa Dempsey. Wonder, 2019. People's Choice winner 2020. "This portrait is of my daughter Tayla. High-spirited, mischievous, intelligent, curious: these are some of the words that come to mind while thinking of her. Tayla always asks questions and needs to know the ‘why’; I love that about her. I love that she is one of the kindest souls you will ever meet, with the most caring heart. This moment was captured on country homelands, where Tayla spends her time playing endlessly with her brothers and sister and cousins, riding bikes, walking to the creeks, playing with the dogs and being carefree."

The extraordinary times come with extra support for our artistic community. As a result, the exhibition will:

  • feature significantly more finalist works than usual;
  • include a supporting payment for every finalist;
  • run for longer (31 July – 7 November 2021); and
  • in addition to the usual suite of prizes, include mentorship opportunities awarded to selected finalists to support career aspirations.

Information on entering can be found by clicking this link.

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