The National Portrait Gallery’s National Photographic Portrait Prize 2015 will close Monday 8 June 2015, this is the last week to visit the exhibition in Canberra and vote for your favourite portrait in the People’s Choice.
People’s Choice voters will go into the draw to win two nights at the Crowne Plaza in Canberra, a VIP tour of the Portrait Gallery, and a Curatoreum voucher or copy of The Companion.
There have been more than 8,000 votes for the People’s Choice this year with voting available both at the Portrait Gallery and online. The winner will be announced on Monday 15 June via portrait.gov.au.
The annual prize is the Portrait Gallery’s most popular exhibition, promoting the very best in contemporary photographic portraiture by both professional and aspiring Australian photographers. Each year, the exhibition travels to galleries around the country to show Australians living in regional areas the great work being produced by photographers in this country.
This year’s Prize attracted a staggering 2400 entries – the most ever received. Judges Angus Trumble, National Portrait Gallery Director, Dr Christopher Chapman, National Portrait Gallery Senior Curator, and guest judge, acclaimed Australian photographer Nikki Toole, selected the final 44 portraits that make up the exhibition.
The winner for 2015, Melbourne photographer Hoda Afshar, was a unanimous choice by the three judges. Her work Portrait of Ali 2014, depicts a young Iranian boy in the mountainous terrain of Northern Iran. The Portrait Gallery was thrilled to award Ms Afshar the $25,000 prize for the most outstanding photographic portrait selected from the 44 finalists. The full list of finalists is available at portrait.gov.au/exhibitions/national-photographic-portrait-prize-2015.
The National Photographic Portrait Prize will travel to Artspace Mackay, Cairns Regional Gallery, Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, and Rockhampton Regional Art Gallery over the next year.
