Portrait Awards of “Mae and Boo in Mae's Room”

“Mae and Boo in Mae’s Room” received three international photography recognitions: Gold at the London Photography Awards 2026, Bronze at PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2026, and Official Selection at the International Photography Awards (IPA) 2026.

I’m really pleased this portrait has won three photographic awards—for Mae as much as for me, because I see it as a collaboration.

Half the picture is her room: a world of skulls, plants and collected objects, where everything has its place. It’s full of detail, yet each possession feels perfectly balanced within the space, creating a surprising sense of peace and calm.

The other half is Mae and Boo, at the centre of this universe, in perfect harmony.

One image, three photographic awards. Delighted to see this photograph recognised, and grateful to the judges for choosing it.

Everything Mae owns is on display.

Her favourite things gather quietly around her: a shrimp tank, plants and insect frames she has made herself. The latest addition is a dead squirrel, a gift from her sister. Boo the cat drifts through the room like a small dog, indifferent to the bones but intensely interested in the taxidermist’s pheasant.

When I ask Mae if she is studying art at university, she shakes her head.
“I’m studying biology,” she says. “For me, nature is art in itself.”