Hendrik Kerstens NPG photography prize shortlist announced

NPG photography prize shortlist announced by Natalie Hanman guardian.co.uk, Tuesday September 16 2008 11:16 BST.

Shortlisted works ... Ines Connected with Amina by Catherine Balet (left) and Bag by Hendrik Kerstens. Photograph: PA/National Portrait Gallery

Plastic bags have become the subject of huge debate this year, with supermarkets starting to charge for them, newspapers launching campaigns to get rid of them and cities around the country opting to ban them. Now the problem of discarding the non-biodegradable carriers has inspired one of the images shortlisted for this year's National Portrait Gallery photographic prize.

Bag, a striking photograph of a woman with a plastic bag on her head by Dutch artist Hendrik Kerstens, is up against three other images for the £12,000 international award, selected from 6,758 submissions.

The image, conceived after Kerstens began to notice the huge number of plastic bags being given away in New York shops, was shot in the style of a 17th century cap as a "humorous" reaction to the problem.

British photojournalist Tom Stoddart is shortlisted for Murdoch Reflects, a portrait used by Time magazine of media mogul Rupert Murdoch in his office at News International.

Fellow Briton Lottie Davies' portrait, Quints, part of a series on early childhood memories and nightmares, is based on her friend's nightmare about getting pregnant with quintuplets.

French artist Catherine Balet has been shortlisted for Ines Connected with Amina, which shows a teenage girl using a laptop while her friend uses a mobile phone.

National Portrait Gallery director Sandy Nairne said judges were "hugely impressed" with submissions for the Taylor Wessing photo prize. "These are great portraits of our time," he said.

The winner of the photographic portrait prize will be announced on November 4 2008, while 60 images will go on show at an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London from November 6 until February 15 2009. Lees verder ...