Fergus Mayhew's portrait is of his mother Bunty

Fergus Mayhew, 41, of Totnes, has made it on to the list with his acrylic and oil portrait of his mother Bunty entitled Head Full of Smiles.

The competition has attracted a record number of entries in its 24th year at the National Portrait Gallery.

Mr Mayhew will now compete with three other artists for the �25,000 top prize in the contest which attracted 955 entries this year.

'Remarkable portraits'

Mr Mayhew studied at the Royal Academy and is now a full-time father.

He has been a regular exhibitor in the BP Portrait Award in recent years.

The other artists shortlisted are Paul Harris, for a portrait of his business partner; Sara Shamma, a Syrian artist working in Damascus, for a self-portrait; and Stephen Shankland for The Miracle, a portrait of his wife and their son, who was born prematurely 16 months ago.

Sandy Nairne the director of the National Portrait Gallery, said: "Once again the BP Portrait Award has brought forward some remarkable painted portraits - from the intimate to the bold - demonstrating the vitality of this art form."