The prize starts out as an open competition where anybody from established professionals to students and talented amateurs, can put their photographic achievements forward to be judged. This year the competition received around 6,000 submissions, with a solid mix of approaches to the genre of portraiture. Of those 6,000 submissions, 60 portraits have been chosen, by a panel of judges, which will now appear in an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.
The exhibition begins on the 11th November, and runs right through to 20th February next year.
As well as the main awards for the Photographic Portrait Prize, which is sponsored by the Taylor Wessing international law firm, there will also be an award made by ELLE magazine. Known as the ELLE Commission, the prize is awarded to one outstanding photographer who will then be commissioned to shoot a feature story for ELLE magazine.
With a lot going on, this exhibition is always definitely worth a visit. For anyone interested in photography it is a great chance to get up close and personal with a range of works from professional and amateur photographers who are devoted to the genre of portraiture.