National Portrait Gallery and Ancestry launch appeal for family photos for The Nation's Family Album exhibition

Have you got a family snap worthy of a place in the National Portrait Gallery?

Undiscovered portraits of everyday people are being sought for a unique exhibition and its curators are appealing to people to delve through suitcases, trawl boxes in attics and scout family photos on walls and in albums for their favourite family photographs.

The National Portrait Gallery in London is currently closed for a major refurbishment and will reopen next year.

And when it does The Nation's Family Album will be among one of the first exhibitions visitors will be able to see, with everyday family photographs belonging to people from across the UK hanging on the walls where the portraits of royals, celebrities and world leaders have also been.

The National Portrait Gallery is working with family history website Ancestry to launch The Nation’s Family Album with entrants having their photographs and stories included in both an online exhibition as well as a physical display in the capital next year.

It is being launched to celebrate over 125,000 digitised portraits from the Gallery’s extensive collections being made available to Ancestry users.

The Nation’s Family Album is set to be an important record of the country's collective history as it will highlight, celebrate and capture the rich and diverse family stories across Britain.

Submissions must be uploaded digitally by Thursday, June 30 and each entrant can submit a maximum of three images that relate to the following themes: Belonging, Legacy, Connection and Identity.

Later this year, a panel of experts – including the National Portrait Gallery’s Chief Curator, Dr Alison Smith, and family history expert Simon Pearce from Ancestry – will then shortlist a selection of portraits that best encapsulate the themes chosen.

Dr Alison Smith, Chief Curator at National Portrait Gallery, said: "The National Portrait Gallery is home to the largest collection of portraits in the world, and while many are familiar with our most famous faces, we are proud to also hold numerous portraits of men, women and children from all walks of life.

"By making 125,000 portraits from the 1500s to the present day available on Ancestry, people will be able to explore the histories of those depicted in our Collection.

"We are delighted to be working in partnership with Ancestry to share our extensive Collection of world-class portraits with those researching their family history online, and encourage submissions to The Nation’s Family Album to celebrate this moment.”

For more information about how to submit your family photographs, entry conditions and to explore the collection click here