The photo shows the image of Erica, a humanoid robot created in Japan. (Photo courtesy of Britain's National Portrait Gallery)

LONDON, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- A portrait of an android has entered into the shortlist of an annual human portrait competition held by Britain's National Portrait Gallary, local media reported Wednesday.

The image of Erica, a humanoid robot created in Japan, was taken by the Finnish artist Maija Tammi. He was allowed to spend half an hour in the Hiroshi Ishiburo Laboratories in Osaka to take pictures of Erica.

The National Portrait Gallery, organiser of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, has shortlisted the portrait of Erica for this year's competition.

A spokeswoman of the gallery said it has checked the entry rules and still qualify the image. She said the question whether an android's image suits the competition for human portrait will be considered next year.

"It was felt that the subject of this portrait, while not human, is a representation of a human figure and makes a powerful statement as a work of art in its questioning of what it is to be alive or human," she was quoted by the Times.

The other two images shortlisted for the prize are a portrait of a woman fleeing Islamic State in Iraq by a Welsh photographer, and an image of a migrant rescued from the Mediterranean by a Spanish photographer.

More than 5,000 portraits have been submitted for the annual competition, among which about 60 will be shown in the National Portrait Gallery in November after the announcement of the prize winner, who will take home 15,000 pounds.