Roj Whitelock selected for the National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize

We’re delighted to share some exciting news about photographer Roj Whitelock, who will be leading our upcoming workshop People and Portraits – Discover the Art of Natural Light Portraiture here at Mill Tye Gallery on Tuesday 28th October.

‘Phil’ has been selected for the prestigious Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize

Roj’s portrait ‘Phil’ has just been selected for the prestigious Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2025 and will be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery from 13 November 2025 – 8 February 2026, before touring across the UK.

This is an extraordinary achievement – with 5,910 entries by 2,054 photographers from 51 countries, just 57 portraits were chosen for the final exhibition. Roj’s work now takes its place among some of the most respected contemporary portraiture worldwide.

In Roj’s own words:

“It’s been a dream for many years to be shortlisted and beyond my wildest dreams to reach the National Portrait Gallery in this competition. I’ve been waiting to share this news with everyone since June and it’s hard to put into words how it feels to achieve this recognition.”

We couldn’t be prouder to welcome Roj to Mill Tye Gallery next Spring. His workshop, People and Portraits, is a chance to learn the skills and techniques behind powerful natural light portraiture, directly from an award-winning photographer whose work will soon hang in one of the world’s most iconic galleries.

Workshop details

People and Portraits – Discover the Art of Natural Light Portraiture

Date: Tuesday 26th May

Time: 9:30 to 1pm

Location: Mill Tye Gallery and Arts Centre, Cornard Mills, Great Cornard. 

Limited spaces available – early booking recommended.

Book your place here