PORTRAIT – FIRST PLACE – Irmina Walczak & Sávio Freire – Mama. “This photo is a portrait of us in the early days of the arrival of our son. It represents time in which each of us was searching and reviewing its place in this new organism called family. This picture is about being mother of two and becoming an octopus in order to supply physical and psychological needs of your offspring. It is also about being father of two and feeling unable and distant. Finally, it is about being the older child and losing the lap as well as pleading for attention.”
PORTRAIT – SECOND PLACE - Hubert Czajkowski - Silence. 'Does each song have to be about love' - she asked.
PORTRAIT – THIRD PLACE - Susan Copen Oken - Portrait at One Hundred.
LANDSCAPE– FIRST PLACE – Roger Grasas - Giza Pyramids. “View of the pyramids and the Sphinx of Giza (Egypt) from the dining room of a well-known American restaurant of pizzas and fast food.”
LANDSCAPE– SECOND PLACE - Simon Harsent - Notts County Football Ground. "For thousands, stadia are places full of passion, history and stories, also markers in life’s landscape; passing points of interest, both destination and journey."
LANDSCAPE– THIRD PLACE - Al Wildey - Midland. “This landscape photograph is a digital composite comprised of 100 photographs of a journey merged into a single image to create the illusion of travel through time and space.”
LANDSCAPE NSW AWARD – Jasmine Poole - Middle Kingdoms - Wan Wah, Forbes NSW. “From the series 'Middle Kingdoms', an exploration of Chinese Restaurants and their owners in country and rural NSW. The Chinese restaurant has been a notable part of Australian culture and over the last half century. They exist as records of immigrant histories and cultural exchange at a time when Australia was a very different place. These kingdoms, scattered across NSW, symbolise more than just a place to have a meal. For many immigrants they were a life changing opportunity that enabled a journey to belonging. They also came to shape the Australian landscape as we know it today.”
MOBILE – FIRST PLACE 2018 – Zay Yar Lin - Life in Colour. “A seafarer cleaning a ship red deck while a ship was sailing in the ocean. This was an aerial view of the ship red deck and whirling Blue Ocean as well as the life of a seafarer.”
MOBILE – SECOND PLACE - Lauren Elise Barlow - Deja Vu. “This photo is a documentation of my older sister on the due date of her second child. It captures a beautiful and fleeting moment of Rebecca's and Rita's bond as mother and daughter only hours before they both met Javi, their son and brother.”
MOBILE – THIRD PLACE - John Platt - Untitled. “As a teenager growing up on Sydney's Northern Beaches I loved to surf, much preferring the ocean to Pittwater as you never knew what lurked beneath that dark still water. I was once held under by a large wave and from that time I have had a fear of big surf and of drowning. I still love the water but that moment from all those years ago stays with me as does that sense of unease when it comes to still water.”
MOBILE – HONOURABLE MENTION - Douwe Dijkstra - Nordic Saga. “Braving the elements at Ryvarden Lighthouse, Norway.”
STUDENT – FIRST PLACE – Hi Yin Chan – Levitation. "Hiking has always been a way for me to escape. It is both scary and exciting when I think of my future. But at the end of the day, all I want for my future is FREEDOM."
STUDENT – SECOND PLACE - Indiana Greer - Rotten.

Winners of the 2018 Head On Photo Awards announced

16 May 2018

The winners of the 2018 Head On Photo Awards were recently announced. Each year, photographers are invited to enter any of the four categories: Portrait, Landscape, Mobile, and Student. This year, over 5,000 entrants vied for over $60,000 worth of prizes.

Crowd favourite category, the Head On Portrait Prize was taken out by partners, Sávio Freire and Irmina Walczak for a family portrait taken after the birth of their son. It aims to depict the each person’s feelings in the new unit – as carer, outsider, and observer. The Mobile Prize went to Zay Yar Lin for an aerial shot of a seafarer sweeping the bright red deck of his ship as waves crash below, and the Student Prize went to Hi Yin Chan. Roger Grasas was awarded the Landscape Prize for his image of the ancient Pyramids and the Sphinx of Giza, shot from within the dining room of a well-known American fast food restaurant.

MOBILE – FIRST PLACE – Zay Yar Lin - Life in Colour.
“A seafarer cleaning a ship red deck while a ship was sailing in the ocean. This was an aerial view of the ship red deck and whirling Blue Ocean as well as the life of a seafarer.” — MOBILE – FIRST PLACE – Zay Yar Lin - Life in Colour. “A seafarer cleaning a ship red deck while a ship was sailing in the ocean. This was an aerial view of the ship red deck and whirling Blue Ocean as well as the life of a seafarer.”

The Festival also announced entries are open for a brand-new award, presented in partnership with the NSW Government. Stories of NSW, The NSW Arts Minister’s Award for Visual Storytelling is a first of its kind in Australia and will award $10,000 to a project aimed at recording contemporary life in NSW. The resulting exhibition of the winner’s work will be acquired and exhibited at the State Library of NSW during Head On Photo Festival 2019.

LANDSCAPE– SECOND PLACE - Simon Harsent - Notts County Football Ground. — LANDSCAPE– SECOND PLACE - Simon Harsent - Notts County Football Ground. "For thousands, stadia are places full of passion, history and stories, also markers in life’s landscape; passing points of interest, both destination and journey."

The award is open to NSW artists with an idea or work in progress, which must fall under the category of fine art photography, photojournalism, or documentary photography telling the stories of NSW. A team of industry professionals, photographers, and curators will review the submissions in consultation with the Minister’s office to select the award recipient. Entries close Monday 11 June, 2018. Applications can be submitted at www.headon.com.au.

LANDSCAPE– FIRST PLACE – Roger Grasas - Giza Pyramids.
“View of the pyramids and the Sphinx of Giza (Egypt) from the dining room of a well-known American restaurant of pizzas and fast food.” — LANDSCAPE– FIRST PLACE – Roger Grasas - Giza Pyramids. “View of the pyramids and the Sphinx of Giza (Egypt) from the dining room of a well-known American restaurant of pizzas and fast food.”