Awards

Stephen Iliffe’s portraits for Deaf Mosaic have won three national and international awards - from British Journal of Photography (2018), HeadOn Photography Festival (2021), and the National Portrait Gallery (2023).

Portrait of Britain 2018 award

In 2018, Stephen’s portrait of Lawand Hamadamin (below) was selected by British Journal of Photography judges for inclusion in a Portrait of Britain 2018. The 200 winning portraits featured in the Portrait of Britain book published by Hoxton Mini Press.

National Portrait Gallery / Ancestry 2023

The same portrait of Lawand Hamadamin was also one of just four selected (from over 3,000 entries) for print display at the National Portrait Gallery’s The Nation’s Family Album exhibition.

One of the judges, the royal portrait photographer Millie Pilkington explained her reason for choosing Stephen’s portrait:

“Compositionally strong, great verticals, diagonals and triangles which lead your eyes around the image. The portrait not only shows the children’s ability to invent games to pass the time using their imaginations but also the strong bond between the brothers… I love how the bedding would protect Lawand should he fall. It’s symbolic of how they are trying to protect themselves at a time when the outcome of their family’s application for asylum - having fled the war in Iraq - is still unknown.”

Stephen beside his winning entry to the National Portrait Gallery’s The Nation’s Family Album.

HeadOn Photography Festival 2022

Another portrait from the Lawand Hamadamin project (below) was a finalist in the portrait category of the international HeadOn Photography Festival. As one of the judges commented: “This portrait of two asylum seekers has everything: authenticity, tenderness, a sense of foreboding and the uncertainty lingering over whether or not their temporary home will become a permanent one. The tonalities within the image - both stark and soft - accentuate the unspoken drama.”

A large-scale canvas print of the portrait was also displayed at Sydney’s Paddington Gardens.