Striking Winning Photos from National Portrait Gallery’s 2025 Teen Portrait Competition

Age 13-15: Winner – “Rest” by Matilda Myers

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has unveiled the winners of its 2025 Teen Portrait Competition, showcasing powerful portraits created by young artists who use photography to explore identity, pressure, and modern adolescence.

Open to teens ages 13 to 17 across the U.S. and its territories, the competition highlights a new generation of portrait makers who approach the medium with boldness and emotional depth. Top honors went to Maryland’s Matilda Myers and California’s Kate Stermer, each recognized for concept‑driven work that feels remarkably mature. Myers won the 13–15 category with Rest, a striking portrait of a ballerina holding a pickaxe, while Stermer topped the 16–17 group with The Cost of Conformity, a haunting image of a girl manipulating symbols of success like marionettes. All 19 finalists will have their work featured in a video installation at the National Portrait Gallery from January 24 to August 30, 2026, offering visitors a glimpse into the voices shaping the future of portrait photography.

More: Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, Instagram

Age 16-17: Winner – “The Cost of Conformity” by Kate Stermer

“His Favorite Role Model” by Leah Beaudet

“Reflection in a TV Screen” by Irene Chang

“The Daily Cut” by Celine Ding

“Sisters” by Ella Kurhajec

“Forget Her” by Aubree Meyer

“My Star” by Serra Zeynab Sablak

“Sound Waves” by Caydence Silva

“Reflection” by Stellar Slentz-Baeb

“Lacrosse Royalty” by Ashley Slingluff

“Sonder” by Catherine Buchholz

“Untitled” by Rylie Chanthavong

“Come on, Smile!” by Sarah Fernandez

“Untitled” by Ethan Fabrizio Hoyos Hernandez

“A Surface of Reflection” by Sophia Eren Laming

“Alone in the Underbrush” by Kimberly Nadler

“Feeling Blue” by Rain Pair

“The Beauty of Seasons” by Aissatou Toure