Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013, National Portrait Gallery, London

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013, National Portrait Gallery, London

From over 5,000 submissions by nearly 2,500 photographers, judges have whittled down the entries to this year’s Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize to just 60 pieces, now on display at the National Portrait Gallery until 9 February 2014. Featuring works from artists across the globe with subjects ranging far and wide, both commended pieces and the winning portrait by Kent photographer, Spencer Murphy, will be in key position to explore and admire.

Scooping up the £12,000 award at the London award ceremony on 12 November, Spencer Murphy captured his winning snap at Kempton Park whilst shooting a series of jump jockeys’ portraits for Channel 4’s The Original Extreme Sport campaign. Depicting jockey Katie Walsh, grubby and exhausted from the demands of her challenging sport, Murphy captures both her femininity and toughness of spirit in one emotive and unforgettable shot. This will form the seventh occasion that the London-based photographer has been exhibited at the Gallery’s annual photographic exhibition, having claimed third prize for his portrait of actor Mark Rylance last year.

Other prize winners in this year’s exhibition include Giles Price, who received the £3,000 second prize for Kumbh Mela Pilgrim Mamta Dubey and infant, taken at the 2013 Kumb Mela Festival in Allahabad in India, third prize winner Anoush Abrar for Kofi Annan, of the Ghanian diplomat, and Dorothee Deiss’ hyper-real portrait of The twins in their bath robes, which took fourth prize.

The John Kobal New Work Award 2013 also forms the last of the prizes featured at this year’s event and was awarded this year to Hana Knizova for her portrait of identical twins, Elza and Nellie, from the series Family Matters, showing her fascination with the similarities, differences and mutual close attachments between twins.

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, until 9 February 2014, National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE.

Credits
1. Katie Walsh by Spencer Murphy © Spencer Murphy.