Faith Dove Wins People's Choice Portrait Prize

Professional photographer Melanie Faith Dove has won the National Portrait Gallery’s 2013 People’s Choice award in its National Photographic Portrait Prize.

Professional photographer Melanie Faith Dove has won the People’s Choice award for this year’s National Portrait Gallery Photographic Portrait Prize for her image of a young Sudanese woman, titled Face of South Sudan, 2012. The NPG curators said the second People’s Choice award reinforces the democratic credentials of the competition, with over 3500 visitors to the exhibition voting for their favourite portrait. The final 53 portraits in the exhibition were narrowed down from 1200 entries.

This year’s judges, Louise Doyle, Director, National Portrait Gallery; Joanna Gilmour, Curator, National Portrait Gallery and invited guest judge, Dr Martyn Jolly, had previously awarded the $25,000 cash prize to Janelle Low for her portrait, Yhonnie and Indiana, 2012. Faith Dove said, “Being voted People’s Choice winner is extremely exciting. To be chosen by the hearts and gut responses of the public means I have communicated effectively and touched the viewer. To me that’s the definition of success”.

On her winning image ‘Face of South Sudan’, Faith Dove commented, “Why do photographers create portraits? Is it to capture a famous face or a meaningful moment in time? In this case, it was neither of these things, it was purely aesthetic. I was mesmerised by my subject’s extraordinary presence and elegant profile. Beckoning her aside after watching her for nine days, I endeavoured to capture her beauty in just a couple of frames. If it were not for the gold earring, you could be forgiven for thinking this was a black and white image. It was a simple moment, yet a significant memory.”

Ms Doyle said, “Melanie’s arresting portrait has been a crowd favourite since the show opened and the People’s Choice award clearly confirms this. The National Portrait Gallery is thrilled with visitors’ interaction with the National Photographic Portrait Prize through the People’s Choiceaward and it will continually seek to enrich our visitors’ experiences”.

The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2013 exhibition will tourto Blue Mountains Regional Gallery from June 28 to August 11; the Grafton Regional Gallery from December 11 to January 29, 2014; Roma on Bungil Gallery from February 7 to March 16, 2014 and Caboolture Regional Art Gallery from April 3 to May 31, next year. Entry is free to all venues. This exhibition is supported by the National Collecting Institutions Touring andOutreach Program.

Visit the National Portrait Gallery on King Edward Terrace, Parkes, Canberra. The list of finalists is at http://www.portrait.gov.au/site/nppp.php