A powerful portrait of a burn survivor gazing thoughtfully through a window has earned the top honor at one of the world's most prestigious photography competitions. The National Portrait Gallery announced that Martina Holmberg, a Stockholm-based photographer, won the 2025 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize for her moving portrait titled "Mel," which comes with a £15,000 award.
Holmberg's winning image captures her subject, Mel, appearing lost in contemplation as gentle light illuminates her reconstructed skin. The photograph tells a tragic story of survival: when Mel was just two years old, her mother briefly left her and her sister in the car while making a quick purchase at a convenience store. Upon returning, the mother discovered the vehicle engulfed in flames. While Mel's sister tragically died in the fire, Mel survived but suffered severe burns across her body.
The photographer's passion for the medium began in childhood, sparked by watching her father develop prints and photographs in his darkroom. Holmberg's portrait of Mel forms part of a larger photographic series called "The Outside of the Inside," which documents individuals living with facial and physical differences. According to the National Portrait Gallery, the photographer's work pays tribute to the rich diversity of human appearances while bringing greater visibility to the discrimination faced by those with physical differences.
The judging panel praised "Mel" for its remarkable combination of compassionate storytelling and technical excellence. They specifically noted how Holmberg's masterful use of lighting and the subject's thoughtful pose draws viewers into the sitter's personal narrative, creating an intimate connection between the photograph and its audience.
The £3,000 second prize was awarded to Luan Davide Gray, a London-based fine art photographer, for his black and white portrait "We Dare to Hug." The striking image depicts two men in their 60s sharing a tender, intimate embrace. The composition, with its dramatic use of light and shadow, evokes classical sculpture as it shows one man gently holding the other's bare chest while softly kissing his cheek.
Gray brings extensive experience to his photography, holding a degree in visual communication from the University of Brighton and more than 20 years of professional experience as both a hairstylist and creative image consultant. The National Portrait Gallery noted that his portrait, part of a larger series titled "Call Me By Your Name," captures a moment of mature intimacy that challenges conventional representations of physical closeness between men.
Byron Mohammad Hamzah, an NHS consultant and photographic artist, claimed the £2,000 third prize for his portrait "Jaidi Playing." The image, part of his series "Bunga dan Tembok" (The Flower and the Wall: The Stateless Youths of Semporna), depicts a child named Jaidi whose head is cradled tenderly in the hands of another child.
Hamzah's work carries deep personal meaning, as he has spent the past two years volunteering as an art and photography teacher with a non-governmental organization based in Sabah, East Malaysia. The NGO provides free education to stateless and marginalized youth, particularly children from the Bajau Laut ethnic group. Jaidi is among these children living in uncertain circumstances. The National Portrait Gallery described the portrait as capturing "a moment of tranquility within a tumultuous and uncertain existence," with judges drawn to how the image presents youthful connection while raising questions through the details it deliberately excludes.
The £8,000 photographic commission to create a new work for the National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection went to Hollie Fernando, a photographer and director based in both London and Brighton. Her winning portrait "Boss Morris" comes from her series "Hoydenish" and explores the evolving role of gender equality within morris dancing, a traditional English folk dance.
Fernando's commissioned work features Boss Morris, a young, all-female morris dancing group based in Stroud. The dancers appear in traditional folkloric dress and makeup as they huddle together for a group portrait that the judges praised for its "striking and otherworldly qualities." The image represents a significant shift in a traditionally male-dominated cultural practice.
The winning portraits will be featured in the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2025 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, running from November 13, 2025, through February 8, 2026. The exhibition will also include a new portrait of Lady Phyll, whose full name is Phyllis Akua Opoku-Gyimah, a prominent queer activist and advocate. This portrait was created by Jesse Navarre Vos, who won last year's Taylor Wessing photographic commission.
The 2025 judging panel brought together diverse expertise from across the photography and art world. The panel included photographer and educator Sunil Gupta, art historian and curator Katy Hessel, renowned photographer Tim Walker, and Sabina Jaskot-Gill, who serves as a senior curator of photography at the National Portrait Gallery. Their collective decision reflects the competition's commitment to recognizing both technical excellence and meaningful storytelling in contemporary portrait photography.
