National Portrait Gallery Announces Teen Portrait Competition Timed With Museum’s “The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today” Exhibition

Call for Entries Opens Sept. 15–Dec. 23

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has announced its 2025 Teen Portrait Competition, which is open to students between the ages of 13 and 17 residing in the U.S. and its territories. Teens are invited to submit original digital photography to this national competition hosted by the Portrait Gallery’s Teen Museum Council. Artwork by the winners for each of the two age groups (13–15 and 16–17 years old) will be displayed near the museum’s upcoming “The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today” exhibition. Opening Oct. 18, 2025, “The Outwin 2025” will showcase portraits from artists ages 18 and older selected from the museum’s triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. The teens’ winning portraits, alongside those that receive honorable mentions, will be viewable online.

Teen Portrait Competition winners will be selected by the National Portrait Gallery’s Teen Museum Council, a group of high school students from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, who create interactive programs inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection as a way to increase teen engagement with the museum. There is no fee to enter the teen competition, and submissions are limited to one per person. Works must be submitted via email to NPG-TeenPortraitCompetition@si.edu by Dec. 23.

“The National Portrait Gallery hosts its Teen Portrait Competition to give young artists a platform to share their perspectives on American history and current issues faced by teens and young adults today. The program also highlights the evolution of portraiture as a genre that captures American identity,” said Sahtiya Hammell, education specialist, National Portrait Gallery. “When I was a teacher, teens would constantly struggle with their lack of power and agency. A national competition where winners will have their work on view at a major museum really underscores that what teens have to share is important and is essential to the evolution of the art form and our country’s progress into the future.”          

The 2025 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition celebrates the art of contemporary portraiture by showcasing artwork from across the country. At the same time, this competition “by teens, for teens” widens the lens to include the distinct viewpoints of young people across the U.S. and its territories.

The full list of the Teen Portrait Competition’s rules and requirements is available online, along with more information about the Teen Museum Council.