One of These Four Portrait Photographers Will Win Over $20,000
The National Portrait Gallery in the United Kingdom has unveiled the four finalists for its Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026. One of the four photographers will win the grand prize, taking home £15,000, or just over $20,200.
The Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize, formerly the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize, celebrates the work of talented young, amateur, and professional photographers each year. The four finalists plus the work of over 50 other selected photographers will be showcased at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England, from November 5, 2026, through January 17, 2027.
The 2026 judging panel, which includes broadcast and author Emma Dabiri FRSL, photographer Nadine Ijewere, photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney, and National Portrait Gallery Senior Curator Brandei Estes, picked the finalists among a field of 1,338 talented photographers.
Without further ado, the four finalists are James Clifford Kent, Marcie Docherty, Katie Hitchcock-Smith, and Max Pattenden. A selected work from each of the four photographers is featured below, alongside more information about each photographer and their series.
James Clifford Kent — ‘Yuma’
James Clifford Kent, born in South London, has been selected for his series, Yuma. For the past 20 years, Kent has used photography to document his time spent in Cuba, where he began teaching at the University of Havana in his 20s.
Kent captured the photo below, Neisser, Pinar del Río, Cuba, last year when he returned to Cuba to work on a documentary film. The subject, 16-year-old Neisser, is an aspiring pentathlete.
Kent describes the image as “the most emotive” he has captured in his 20-year career, noting that Neisser’s excellence as a fencer is a significant source of pride for his father, who was in the room when the portrait was taken.
Marcie Docherty — ‘In Pursuit of Muscle’
Marcie Docherty got her start with photography at a very young age, learning the craft and developing photos at home with her father in a makeshift darkroom.
Docherty still works in analog photography. In her award-winning series, In Pursuit of Muscle, Docherty investigates how masculinity is constructed and performed.
Katie Hitchcock-Smith — ‘Tajine Westerns’
Raised in Boston, Katie Hitchcock-Smith is a multi-talented adventurer, writer, and photographer. She has traveled all over the world, from the North Pole to the Amazon rainforest, and uses photography to document the people and places she explores.
The portrait below shows Nour and Mohmed in eastern Morocco. Hitchcock-Smith set up a Western-themed photoshoot for her newfound friends, combining traditional American cowboy epics with Moroccan style.
Max Pattenden — ‘Men May Come and Men May Go, But I Go On Forever’
24-year-old British photographer Max Pattenden got his start with photography in fashion marketing. He then enrolled in a photography program at the University of Plymouth and hasn’t looked back since. Pattenden was actually part of the National Portrait Gallery’s Photo Portrait Now program in partnership with the University of Plymouth.
Pattenden takes a narrative approach to photography, citing a love of photobooks and expansive projects. This particular photo shows 10-year-old Havannah, a resident of the small village of Lee Moor. Pattenden was there chasing a lovely fog that accentuated the village’s unusual landscape when he met Havannah and her family, recognizing the young girl’s “timeless” appearance.
Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026
As mentioned, the winner, to be unveiled in November, will receive £15,000. However, second place will also receive £3,000, and fourth place £2,000. One of the four shortlisted photographers will also earn an £8,000 commission. The chosen photographer will create an artwork that will be added to the world’s largest collection of portraiture at 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 photos from this year’s competition are featured in the gallery below.
“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,” adds Shane Gleghorn, Winston Taylor Europe and Middle East Managing Partner.
Image creditsNational Portrait Gallery. Individual photographers are credited in the captions.
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