News

Iris Prize/BBC Cymru Wales Unveil ‘Pink Portraits’ For 2026

Published

7 hours ago

Sep 29, 2026

Team Iris and BBC Cymru Wales are thrilled to unveil the 19 Pink Portraits for 2026 created by Harrison Williams. The Pink Portraits 2026 celebrates LGBTQ+ colleagues whose experiences and individuality help shape the BBC in Wales. Featuring 19 people from across the organisation – from presenters and journalists to producers and editors – the project is produced by BBC Cymru Wales in partnership with Iris Prize and Ffotogallery. BTS – Pink Portraits 2026 is filmed and edited by Kole Parrott, a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the Pink Portraits 2026, will be shown on Opening Night (Monday 12 October).

Unveiled at St David’s Dewi Sant – one of the leading European retail destinations – during Iris Prize’s 20th anniversary year, the portraits reflect the power of being  seen, heard and valued, and they will remain on display for the week of the festival in the area.

Full of pride, personality and heart, the Pink Portraits highlight the people  behind the content that connect with audiences across Wales and beyond, and the importance of creating an environment where everyone can be themselves. The portraits will be on display at Cineworld Cardiff, and the exhibition that Ffotogallery are holding of the images as part of their Ffoto Cymru Festival will be on display from 2 to 31 October in the Atrium, the Cardiff campus of University of South Wales.

BBC Cymru Wales presenter Owain Wyn Evans, who was one of the sitters, said:

“Pink Portraits is such a joyful celebration of identity, and I’m incredibly proud to be part of it. I’ve always admired the work of Iris, and as an LGBTQ+ person at the BBC, I now feel able to bring my whole self to work, and I feel very lucky to do so. If these portraits help even one person feel a little more confident, more represented or more proud of who they are, then that’s something really worth celebrating.”

Pink Portraits 2026 will be the fourth year of the second iteration of the project, which was initially launched in 2010. The Iris Prize, together with the UK Film Council, commissioned celebrated Scottish portrait photographer, Donald MacLellan to photograph 20 gay and lesbian professionals working in front and behind the lens. They included Simon Callow, Terence Davies, Stephen Fry, Phyllida Lloyd, Mark Gatiss, Briony Hanson, Sean Mathias, Sir Ian McKellen, Berwyn Rowlands, Sophie Ward and Sir Antony Sher.

Iris Prize Festival Director Berwyn Rowlands said:

“The Pink Portraits have become an important part of the film festival’s ability to connect with the wider community through photography. In this our 20^th anniversary year we’ve pulled out all the stops and are delighted to be working with BBC Cymru Wales. The portraits taken by Cardiff creative Harrison Williams can be seen in at Cineworld, St Davids Dewi Sant and at the BBC Cymru Wales headquarters in Central Square, as well as online.” 

Garmon Rhys, Interim Director of BBC Cymru Wales, said:

“Our 2026 partnership with the Pink Portraits is a powerful celebration of the people who make BBC Cymru Wales what it is, and I’m looking forward to seeing these portraits brought to life and displayed across Cardiff over the next month. We’re proud to partner with the Iris Prize in its 20^th anniversary year to showcase stories of visibility, authenticity and belonging.”

Here is a full list of sitters for the Pink Portraits 2026: