The Smithsonian Institution is hosting the 2025 Teen Portrait Competition. (Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Matailong Da)

Every picture tells a story, and now there’s a chance for young photographers in Chicago (and elsewhere) to tell their own stories and amplify them to the nation.

The Smithsonian Institution is hosting the 2025 Teen Portrait Competition and will start accepting entries this weekend. Winning photographs will be on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the winners will come from two age groups: 13-15 and 16-17 years old.

The photos will be included in the exhibition “The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today,” opening May 3, 2025. The show will also feature portraits from a separate contest for adults, ages 18 and up.

It’s an effort to empower young voices to share perspectives on American identity.

“We want to foster the next generation of visual artists in our country,” National Portrait Gallery education specialist Sahtiya Hammell told WTTW News. “We want to give them a place to showcase their talent, and it’s also an opportunity for them to see what’s possible from their peers.”

Participants will be judged by their peers. The winning entries are selected by the Teen Museum Council, a group of high school students who create interactive programs inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection.

“Teens on the Museum Council act as a jury for the portrait competition,” Hammell said. “We’re trying to give our council members a sense of agency and awareness of the scope of museum careers. They are essential to what we’re trying to do.”

The competition is not just for selfies.

“It’s not necessarily self-portraits,” Hammell said. “Sometimes it’s a family portrait, or it’s a concept that they’re trying to create. For instance, one of the previous finalists created a portrait called ‘Silenced,’ where the image included a young Black woman wearing a corona with an American flag wrapped around her face. So it’s very much an art statement that the students are making.”

“Portraiture really is this wonderful marriage of history and culture and current events,” Hammell continued. “It’s a snapshot in time.”

Entries will be accepted Sept. 15 through Dec. 23. Visit the National Portrait Gallery’s website for complete rules and to see winners from last year’s contest.