National Portrait Gallery is accepting artworks for Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2025

The prestigious National Portrait Gallery invites both emerging and professional artists to be a part of the 7th edition of the renowned 2025 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Artists are encouraged to submit portraits created through any artistic medium — painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, textiles, video, performance art, or digital and time-based art. The competition’s vision is to expand the horizons of portraiture and spotlight its paramount importance in both society and contemporary art. Participants are challenged to consider how portraiture can engage with the current social and political landscape. A discerning selection committee will thoughtfully review each proposal, seeking the most compelling and thought-provoking artworks. The chosen pieces will have the honor of being exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery's prestigious halls during the 2025-26 exhibition season.

The National Portrait Gallery was established by the U.S. Congress in 1962 as a branch of the Smithsonian Institution, with the mission of serving as a free and public museum dedicated to the exhibition and study of portraiture.

The National Portrait Gallery, since 2006, once in every three years invites both emerging and established artists working in the U.S. to submit a recent portrait to the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.