Rules
1 | Photographers
1.1 Photographers must have been 18 years of age or over on 1 January 2022.
1.2 Each photographer can submit up to six photographs.
1.3 Previous first prize-winners, since and including 2008, are not eligible to enter the competition.
1.4 All submissions and payment of entry fees must be completed by 18.00 on Tuesday 31 May 2022 (UK time).
1.5 The photographer or their representatives warrant that they are fully authorised and entitled to enter into the agreements contained in these rules, in respect of all rights in the work including ownership, copyright, moral rights, the rights of the people, names, trademarks, designs or works of art depicted in the photographs, and that no further permissions or conditions are required to deliver these agreements.
1.6 There are two rounds of judging; the first will take place digitally where the Photographer will be required to upload their image(s) at the entry stage. Photographers who are selected for the exhibition will be required to submit biographical information and further details about their portrait. They will also be required to upload a model release form and (where applicable) a minor release form
1.7 The model release form will state that the photographer has full permission to enter and reproduce an image of the person/s featured in the photograph. If a selected photograph contains an image of a minor (person under the age of 18) then photographers will be required to submit a minor release form signed by the parent or legal guardian of the minor.
1.8 The photographer or their representatives agree that the photographs submitted may be exhibited as part of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition at any venue.
1.9 The photographer or their representatives agree unconditionally that the National Portrait Gallery may reproduce any exhibited photographs for the purposes of marketing, promotion, discussion and education in direct connection with the Photographic Portrait Prize and exhibition, in all media worldwide including the exhibition catalogue and subsequent publications, posters, the Internet (including social media) and within television documentaries, and may license these specific, limited rights to others only for the same purposes. The Gallery may also reproduce any exhibited photographs on postcards, exhibition posters, and in the exhibition catalogue. The Gallery also reserves the right to reproduce selected images for core non–commercial purposes, for example in the Past Exhibitions page of the Gallery website, indefinitely, as a public record. The processes of the competition may be filmed, and entering the competition constitutes agreement for a portrait to be included in such filming, whether broadcast or not.
1.10 Photographers selected for the exhibition will need to provide the Gallery with a Tiff file of their photograph for use in the catalogue and exhibition marketing campaign.
1.11 The photographer will be credited for the use of their work, wherever practicable, as the Photographic Portrait Prize exists in part to raise the profile of the exhibiting artists.
1.12 The Gallery reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify and remove any entry that does not comply with the rules at any stage of the competition.
1.13 By submitting your Entry, you confirm that your Entry is your own original work, is not defamatory and does not infringe any UK laws or third-party rights, and that there are no conflicting agreements in place that restrict usage of your Entry. You also confirm that you are the sole owner of the copyright in the Entry.
1.14 Any Entry that is not in accordance with these rules or any Entry containing false, fraudulent, incomplete, defamatory or misleading information will be void and entitle The Gallery to exclude the Entry from the competition at any time.
1.15 The Gallery reserves the right to draw on external advice about the content of titles or supporting narrative if these contain sensitive, contentious or disputed information.
1.16 The photographer or their representatives agree that the Gallery is entitled to pass on the contact details of the photographer or their representatives to the exhibition sponsor, Taylor Wessing, solely for the purpose of enabling Taylor Wessing to make enquiries about purchasing or commissioning photographs from the photographer.
1.17 The responsibility for damage or loss, however caused, is the responsibility of the photographer. Photographers are therefore advised to arrange adequate insurance cover against such risks. The sponsor, the touring venues or the National Portrait Gallery shall not be liable for any loss or damage, whether or not caused by their negligence.
1.18 Employees of the National Portrait Gallery and sponsors are not eligible to enter the Prize.
1.19 No work previously submitted for the competition is eligible for resubmission.
1.20 It is also a condition on entering the competition that the artist agrees that visitors to the Gallery are permitted to take photographs without flash of their work for personal, non-commercial use during the run of the exhibition. The Gallery will install notices indicating that photography without flash is permitted provided it is for personal, non-commercial use but will not be liable if any images of the work, taken by visitors, are exploited commercially.
1.21 The National Portrait Gallery is committed to protecting your privacy. For information on how your personal data will be processed, please refer to the Gallery’s Privacy Notice. https://www.npg.org.uk/footer/privacy-cookies.php
2 | Registration and Digital Upload of Image(s)
2.1 Please note that the first round of judging is completed digitally.
2.2 Entrants will be required to register for a secure artist account on the Gallery’s new competition platform (www.competitions.npg.org.uk). Through this account, entrants will be able to submit up to 6 digital images for the first round of judging.
2.3 Photographers will be able to access their account at any time. They will also be able to update and amend an artwork as well as making additional submissions, up to the 6 permitted, until the competition deadline at 17.00 on Tuesday 31 May 2022 (UK time).
2.3 Each image must be saved as a JPG/JPEG and be 3 MB or smaller.
2.4 Entrants whose payments cannot be cashed will be disqualified.
2.5 All debit/credit card details must be completed and the expiry date must be at least two months after the date of entry.
2.6 All entrants will be notified if their work has been selected for the second round of judging by 13 June 2022.
3 | Delivery
3.1 Only if the Photographer’s work has been selected for the second round of judging will they need to organise the delivery of their photograph(s) to the collection point between 20 – 24 June 2022.
3.2 All photographs, whether delivered in person or by post/courier, must be received by Friday 24 June 2022.
3.3 Entrants who deliver their photograph(s) in person during 20 – 24 June 2022 will be given receipt of entry at the time of delivery. Receipt of entries delivered by post or courier cannot be confirmed. Applicants requiring proof of delivery are advised to use a recorded delivery service.
3.4 All costs incurred by postal/courier services (including customs charges and any import duties) must be paid for in advance by the photographer. The National Portrait Gallery will refuse to take delivery of any work that may incur charges to the Gallery.
4 | Delivery Dates
4.1 Please note that the London judging venue address will be provided on the 13 June 2022 and only if the photographer has been selected for the second round of judging. Photos should not be delivered to the National Portrait Gallery or Cromwell Place as they will not be accepted.
4.2 Delivery dates for delivering work in person, by post or by courier:
Monday 20 June – Friday 24 June 2022, 09.00 – 16.45 only.
Delivery at any other time will not be accepted. The delivery point is not open at weekends.
5 | Photographs
5.1 All works entered must be the photographer’s own work.
5.2 The photographs must be portraits. ‘Portrait’ may be interpreted in its widest sense, of ‘photography concerned with portraying people with an emphasis on their identity as individuals’.
5.3 All photographs must have been taken by the entrant from life after 1 January 2021. . Photographers must, if required, show proof of the date on which the photograph was taken.
5.4 Collaborations can be submitted; however please ensure that all partners involved have been notified and that a joint agreement has been made on the credit line before submitting the photograph.
5.5 Photographs can be black and white or colour.
5.6 All photographs must be printed on paper (however, if the artistic process requires it, they may be printed on metal or other suitable surfaces). Each photograph must be un-framed and without a window mount.
5.7 They must be no larger than 1015 x 760mm and 20 kilos in weight (there are no limitations on how small a work can be).The image may be smaller than the paper size.
5.8 The photographer must write their name, address, daytime telephone, email address and title of work (indicating if it is part of a series if relevant) on the back of each photograph.
5.9 All works must be submitted in either transparent protective sleeves (preferred) or similar transparent cover in order to protect during judging.
5.10 Photographers may submit up to six individual portraits or portraits in a series. A ‘series’ may mean either a group of separate portraits around a particular theme, or a number of pictures that when shown together combine to make up a single portrait work. The judges may choose to display a series in its entirety within the exhibition.
6 | Judging
6.1 The decision of the judges is final and no discussion or correspondence can be entered into at any time. All decisions are made at the judges’ discretion; they reserve the right to vary the prizes or not to make any award.
6.2 The entire competition is judged, on an equal and anonymous basis, first by a digital selection and then from a second round of judging with the original prints. Judges are provided with guidelines for procedures relating to the process, the judging and any conflicts of interest.
6.3 As previously stated all entrants will be notified if their work has been selected for the second round of judging by 13 June 2022. If the photographer is selected they will be required to send their print to the judging venue between the 20 and 24 June 2022.
6.4 Those photographers who are selected for the second round of judging will be notified if their work is selected, or not, for exhibition by 4 July 2022. Photographers who have not been selected should make arrangements for the collection of their work. It is the Photographer’s responsibility to contact the National Portrait Gallery if s/he has not received notification by that date.
7 | Collection/return – Un-exhibited photographs
7.1 Un-exhibited photographs may be collected in person or by courier between Wednesday 6 July and Wednesday 13 July 2022, 09.00 - 17.00, excluding weekends. (please note that for works being collected by a courier the photographer must provide 48 hours advanced notification to ensure the work is prepared for collection.)
7.2 Provided the photographer has included sufficient return postage in UK stamps upon delivery of their work, photographs sent from within the UK will be returned to a UK address (Please note that we are unable to organise this for international entrants). The Gallery cannot return works by post which did not arrive with sufficient postage included.
7.3 The National Portrait Gallery will not arrange courier collections on behalf of the artist or be liable for any fees associated with these.
7.4 Any works remaining at the collection point after 13 July 2022 will be disposed of without prior notice.
8 | Collection/return – Exhibited photographs
8.1 Works exhibited in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2022 exhibition and tour will be available for collection in London in person or by courier following the close of the exhibition at the final tour venue. Exhibitors will be notified of the dates by the National Portrait Gallery Exhibitions Department.