Katie Hitchcock-Smith wins top prize at National Portrait Gallery photography awards

Photographer Katie Hitchcock-Smith has won first place at the Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026 for Moroccan (Amazigh) Cowboys, a striking double portrait exploring cultural identity, globalisation and the influence of American pop culture.

The £15,000 prize-winning photograph, taken in eastern Morocco, depicts two young men embracing cowboy imagery against a desert backdrop, playfully drawing on Western films and advertising while challenging familiar cultural stereotypes.

Max Pattenden claimed second place for Havannah, Lee Moor, an atmospheric portrait of a ten-year-old girl in a Devon village, while James Clifford Kent took third place for Neisser, Pinar del Río, Cuba, capturing a teenage fencer in his family home.

Meanwhile, Marcie Docherty received the £8,000 Winston Taylor Photographic Commission for PE, a staged group portrait examining masculinity through the visual language of American football.

The exhibition also unveils a new portrait of darts sensation Luke Littler by photographer Hollie Fernando, winner of last year’s commission. Pictured relaxing at home with his French bulldog, the young champion offers a rare glimpse of life away from the competitive spotlight.

Bringing together photographers from around the world, the exhibition explores identity, culture and human connection through contemporary portraiture.

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Image: Moroccan (Amazigh) Cowboys by Katie Hitchcock-Smith from the series Tajine Westerns, 2025 © Katie Hitchcock-Smith

Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026 is at the National Portrait Gallery from 5^th November until 17^th January 2027. For further information or to book, visit the exhibition’s website here.