The best photos rejected from the National Portrait Gallery's Taylor Wessing Prize

The Portrait Salon Awards 2017 celebrate images submitted to, and rejected by, the Taylor Wessing National Portrait Gallery Photographic Portrait Prize.

Andy Lo Po's picture captures the current line-up at contemporary dance company Candoco

The awards were founded by Carole Evans and James O Jenkins in 2011.

Artist Julie Cockburn selected 46 images for this year's exhibition, on 16 November 2017 in London Fields.

She says: "As an artist who looks at and works with portraits every day, I thought that selecting from the submissions to Portrait Salon would be a straightforward process - but it was one of the hardest things I have done, testing me, educating me and touching me in ways I had not expected."

"Alexander hid his passion to cross-dress until July 2016. This photograph documents the first time he wore women's clothing outdoors," says photographer James Perolls

Dave Imms's picture was taken during an initiative in Iceland to encourage young people to reject substance abuse and to promote health and family bonding

Rhiannon & Rhiannon was taken by David Eaton

"My portrait is of my son Oscar. I was inspired to make this image when I noticed the proliferation of enamel badges on his lapel. I guess they confer status within the hierarchy of the school," says Harry Borden

Maria, Spring Break, Cancun, Mexico, 2017 was taken by Will Hartley

Dean Belcher photographed Mary, who lives in a home for people with long-term mental illness, in Dulwich, south London

Jasper Fry photographed Abdoulie, who plays for Afro Napoli United, which focuses on anti-racism and integrates refugee footballers with Neapolitans

Chris was photographed by Leon Foggitt, at Submit to Love Studios, home to a collective of self-taught artists who have had brain injuries

Gina and is one of a series of images produced by Lewis Khan during an artist residency at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London

Mark Aitken photographed Phylis in Cressingham Gardens estate, Tulse Hill, south London

As part of her series on Trellick Tower, in west London, Nicola Muirhead photographed Edith

Sarah Lee photographed twins Joe and Duke Brooks, 15

Matt MacPake photographed Carol, a cracker packer at Carr's of Carlisle

Tom Barnes photographed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for Shortlist Magazine

The exhibition of 46 portraits can be seen at The Atrium at Ravensbourne, London, from 23 November to 7 December 2017.