Main Gallery: 5 November - 3 December 2010

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 on display at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, 2010

Faces from across Australia are on display in one of the country's most important photography exhibitions, the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2010. Works by forty-three finalists are on show, selected from over a thousand entries by professional and aspiring portrait photographers, including this year's winner of the $25,000 prize itself, Scott Bycroft's Zareth, a compelling image of a young student at Clontarf Aboriginal College in Perth. Also returning to the gallery walls is local student Philip Hutchinson Barry's Douglas, which featured in last year's Charles Sturt University BA Photography graduate show, TwoPointZero.

The National Photographic Portrait Prize was established by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra to reflect the distinct vision of Australia's protrait photographers as well as the unique nature of their subjects, recognising that photography is the dominant portrait medium of our time. This year's exhibition includes images of young and old, rich and poor, famous faces and everyday personalities. Featuring sport and the arts, politicians and students, the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 is a truly diverse cross-section of our nation's people.

The exhibition's curator, Dr Christopher Chapman, describes the works on display as evoking "the power of self awareness. They possess an unembellished frankness and sense of intimacy. The photographers' vision is one of sensitivity and clarity. The portraits evoke diverse experiences and defy conventional stereotypes. Perhaps the affective power of many of the portraits is the result of their communication of authentic lived experience, and importantly, the photographers' respect and tender regard for their subjects."

A National Portrait Gallery touring exhibition.

Global Opening

When:     Friday 12 November 2010, 6:00 - 8:00pm

Where:   Wagga Wagga Art Gallery

Cost:       Free