Australasia’s Top Emerging Photographers 2026: Winners and runners-up announced

Now in its 18th year, Australasia’s Top Emerging Photographers – presented by Fujifilm, showcases the very best emerging photographic talent across Australasia. The Awards recognise and acknowledge talented photographers in the early stages of their careers and those simply working towards being the very best photographers they can be.

Managing the judging process for this awards programme is always an enlightening experience – it provides a unique pulse-check on the state of contemporary photography across our region. The overall standard this year was exceptionally high, making the task of narrowing down the shortlists and winners incredibly difficult for our panel of industry experts.

All up, photographers submitted nearly 1,500 entries and more than 4,000 individual images. An overwhelming 95% of entries came from Australia with just under 5% entered from New Zealand.

The four most popular categories in order were Single Shot, Animal, Landscape and People.

The continued success of this competition lies with the high quality of entries received, the involvement of an amazing panel of judges, and the support of our wonderful sponsors. Much thanks and gratitude to the leading professionals on the judging panel for their time, wisdom, and expertise scrutinising the entries.

Great thanks also go to our major sponsor – Fujifilm, and all our sponsors: WD, The Brownbill Effect and Retouch4me.

Without their incredible generosity and commitment to supporting emerging photographic talent, competitions like this wouldn’t be possible. This year, winners and runners-up share in a prize pool of more than $30,000, including $9,000 in cash prizes.

A special congratulations goes out to the Overall Winner Cheng Kang whose portfolio, Kaleidoscope, stood out for its cohesion while communicating the interesting relationship between human and natural environments. Cheng’s work achieved the highest score overall, as well as one of our highest scores ever – and double that of the runner-up – proving just how powerfully the series resonated with the judges.

Because all entries are stripped of data for blind judging, it was entirely unbeknownst to the judges that Cheng was coincidently the runner-up in the Animal category for Australasia’s Top Emerging Photographers 2024 with a portfolio of birds images. This impressive transition from wildlife to urban landscapes highlights her versatility and diverse skill set.

Cheng walks away with an incredible prize package valued at over $12,000, including the 102-megapixel Fujifilm GFX100S II camera body and a Fujinon GF30mm F3.5 WR lens. We hope she puts this ultimate medium-format setup to good use, and we look forward to seeing more of her stunning imagery soon.

To Cheng, and to all our category winners and finalists, thank you for sharing your vision with us and for reminding us of the power of a well-executed series.

Category winners receive $1,000 cash, as well as one or two prizes from our sponsors.

OVERALL AND LANDSCAPE WINNER
Cheng Kang: Kaleidoscope

Based in Melbourne, Cheng Kang is an amateur photographer who started out in 2020 photographing birds. Her work has expanded recently from wildlife to environmental landscapes, focusing on the relationship between human activity and natural environments.

She documents landscapes affected by ecological change, urban development and industrial activity and  is interested in how these forces shape the relationships between people and nature.

Kaleidoscope is from Melbourne freeways. Travelling these routes, she became interested in urban expansion on the outskirts, where farmland and vegetation are replaced by new suburbs, often screened from the freeway by colourful structures for noise and dust protection as well as visual screening.

To avoid heavy traffic and achieve better results she took these images on weekends. Brighter light and weather conditions helped enhance the colours of these structures in contrast to the darker tones of surrounding rooftops and infrastructure.

Instagram: @cheng_2015

Prize: $1,000 cash, Fujifilm GFX100S II 102-megapixel medium format camera body valued at $8,699 with a Fujinon GF30mm F3.5 WR lens (valued at $2,799); Western Digital (WD) Prize Pack valued at $1,500; Retouch4me retouching Photoshop plugins valued at over $200.

LANDSCAPE RUNNER-UP
Graham Earnshaw: Dune Gold

Graham Earnshaw says his passion is to create captivating images that showcase the extraordinary beauty of Mother Nature. “I love pushing the boundaries of traditional landscape art photography through the use of movement, abstraction and minimalism. I hope my art wonderfully illustrates that Mother Nature is the truly the ultimate artist,” he says.

A newfound love is aerial photography, mostly with a drone and occasionally hanging out the door of a small Cessna. “This vantage point reveals a whole new way of seeing and capturing the extraordinary beauty of our planet, often producing some incredible abstract imagery, which I also love.”

These three images show the sand dunes along the Turquoise Coast, north of Perth. “I would send my drone up early morning and late in the day with the sun low in the sky, to get that wonderful soft golden glow across the dunes. I knew the light hitting the dunes at that angle would create some beautiful abstract imagery, and highlight the stunning textures and shapes of the dunes.”

Website: www.grahamearnshaw-photography.com
Instagram: @graham_earnshaw_photography

LANDSCAPE TOP 20

1. Cheng Kang, Kaleidoscope
2. Graham Earnshaw, Dune Gold
3. Louise Wolbers, Mud Flats
4. Udesh Hangili Gedara, The Quiet Fleet
5. Gergo Rugli, Poseidon’s Fury
6. Fiona Bowring, Lyricism with light
7. Luke Rasmussen, Bruny Island Magic
8. David Williams, A day at Lake Tyrrell
9. Stuart Bell, Winter in the Rockies
10. Darren Wassell, Electrified
11. Madison McCardle, Spring in the Mountains
12. Walter Berger, Storm at Bihoro Pass
13. Helen Rowbottam, Red Earth, WA
14. Liz Parsons, Storm Clouds Over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range
15. Paula Funston, You Yangs’ Foggy Sunrise
16. Gergo Rugli, Dancing With Water
17. Charlie Clay, Heavens Rock - Middle Earth - Awe
18. Mark Ditcham, River Gums
19. Russell Turner, Trees
20. Stefan Eberhard - Growling Swallet, Mount Field National Park, Tasmania

ANIMALS WINNER
Lisa Skelton: Life Within the Kelp

Lisa Skelton is an Australian underwater and nature photographer based in Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. Her photography is informed by more than a decade of experience in ecotourism and conservation. She says her focus is on “fostering connection, awareness and respect for the beauty and fragility of marine life.”

‘Life within the kelp’ explores the relationship between marine inhabitants of the Falkland Islands and their environment. “The Islands are home to some of the world’s largest and most intact kelp forests, which shaped both the experience and the imagery,” she says. “Shot with a wide-angle lens, the series captures wildlife within its environment, with kelp acting as a unifying visual thread.”

Working slowly and with minimal impact, Lisa allows wildlife to guide each encounter, capturing natural behaviour without interference. Her practice is grounded in respect, prioritising the wellbeing of both the subject and wider marine environment above all else.

Website: www.lisaskeltonphotography.com
Instagram: @lisaskeltonphotography

Prize: $1,000 cash; Western Digital Prize Pack valued at $1,500; Retouch4me retouching Photoshop plugins valued at over $200.

ANIMALS RUNNER-UP
Emma Parker: Life in the Mud

Wildlife photographer Emma Parker often makes repeat visits to a location, spending hours at a time to understand the interactions of local wildlife. She says her goal is, “ethical photography, where her presence doesn’t disturb or distract, and allows normal behaviours to take place.”

The ‘Life in the Mud’ series features a striated heron hunting for mudskippers, a mud crab and a blue-spotted mudskipper fighting for territory, and, finally, two blue-spotted mudskippers fighting for space.

These images were taken over eight separate visits to the remote mudflat area of Roebuck Bay in Western Australia. Each image was photographed at the animals’ eye level with Emma crawling onto the mud with an inflatable mat to protect the camera. Once in position, she would stay for around three hours per visit, aiming to photograph a range of animals that live in this small, vital ecosystem. She used natural light and only carried one camera body (Nikon D850) and a 500mm lens. This and the available light shaped her decisions about what she photographed. 

Web: www.emmaparkerphotography.com
Instagram: @emma_parker_photographer

ANIMALS TOP 20

1. Lisa Skelton, Life Within the Kelp
2. Emma Parker, Life in the Mud
3. Kate Snow, Beetle Bodies
4. Emma Parker, Catch the Fish
5. Lewis Burnett, Tasmanian Wildlife
6. Angela Farnsworth, A New Generation
7. Tashwita Rahalkar, Kin
8. Jenna Hennessy, Animals of the Steppe
9. Lisa Skelton, Black-browed Albatross
10. Glenda Black, Beautiful Blue-banded Bees
11. Gergo Rugli, Silent Horizon
12. Walter Berger, Eza Foxes on Hokkaido
13. Kerryn Buckley, Reptiles and Amphibians of Costa Rica
14. Taliah Nouha Khoury, Reptilian Rascal
15. Patrick Uramowski, Whales and Bait Balls
16. Andrea Conway, Albatross Party in the Southern Ocean
17. Ben Burton, Djinda
18. Ben Burton, Neon Rice
19. Courtney Morris, The Upside Down
20. Robert Smith, Bull Sharks of Fiji

ART WINNER
Sabrina Giada Trombini: The Balanced Diet

Sabrina Giada Trombini is a Melbourne-based photographer whose interest in photography developed through travel and creative interests in food and visual storytelling, eventually evolving into a strong focus on food photography.

She is particularly drawn to colour, texture and composition, using food as a way to explore these elements in a simple and considered style.

“This series, created during my final semester, explores the idea of balance through fruits and vegetables,” Sabrina says. “I worked in a studio using colourful backdrops and perspex surfaces to create reflections at the base of the frame and enhance colour and symmetry.”

“Each element was carefully positioned using hidden supports to control the composition. I used a 100mm macro lens for its ability to capture fine detail and create a compressed, structured frame. Post-production involved clean-ups, colour adjustments and refinements to strengthen each image.”

Web: www.sabrinagiada.com
Instagram: @sabrinagiada.photography

Prize: $1,000 cash, Retouch4me retouching Photoshop plugins valued at over $200.

ART RUNNER-UP
Janine Vince: Across a Life

Janine Vince is a photographic artist whose practice explores what she calls, ‘emotional presence through form, light, and restraint’. Working across portraiture and nature-based imagery, she approaches her subjects as, ‘studies in character, using composition and lighting to suggest qualities such as confidence, vulnerability and endurance’.

“’Wild at Heart’ forms part of a larger portrait series exploring the stages of a life,” Janine says. “It captures a moment of unrestrained vitality, where the subject feels expressive and uncontained.”

“Using controlled studio lighting against a dark background, the focus is on gesture and movement, allowing a sense of energy and presence to emerge.”

Instagram: @janine_vince_photography

ART TOP 10

1. Sabrina Giada Trombini, The Balanced Diet
2. Janine Vince, Across a Life
3. Lesley Bretherton, Botanica Obscura
4. Ashleigh Zimmerman, Whare Ngaro
5. Melinda Craik, Ephemeral Forms
6. Graham Earnshaw, Glacial Lake Art
7. Brian Meade, Claimed by the Tide
8. Orlanda Lucian, Yonic
9. Glenda Black, Rodeo Action
10. Glenda Gore, Stillness in Spaces

BLACK & WHITE WINNER
Rachael Ryan: A Sea of Dust

Rachael Ryan’s greatest source of inspiration is the place she lives and works – a sheep and cattle station in far western New South Wales – where she captures raw, unstaged slices of station life.

She says her photography is very much “snapped in the moment” and shoots everything with an iPhone 17 Pro Max and edits using the mobile version of Photoshop. “In this particular series, I wanted to showcase different aspects of one of the station’s biggest jobs: drafting (sorting) stock.

“The work is hot, exhausting and physically demanding. In one image, my sister Essie stares blankly at the camera, too tired to even smile after a long week of cattle work. In another, my sister and sister-in-law are shown loading a truck and pushing goats up through the race. The intensity of the heat and dust is evident in the third image. Although the scene appears misty or fog-like, the air is actually filled with dust so thick it can make it difficult to breathe.”

Instagram: @rach.ryan171

Prize: $1,000 cash; Retouch4me retouching Photoshop plugins valued at over $200.

BLACK & WHITE RUNNER-UP
John Twiname: Forms in Tension

Based in Christchurch, New Zealander John Twiname enjoys landscape, architecture, and street life photography.

“I’m drawn to light, structure, and timing to capture quiet, atmospheric moments within natural and urban spaces,” he says. “I aim to create images that strongly reflect a sense of place; I try to find angles, compositions, interactions that present environments differently.”

This series of images is presented in black and white, focusing on form, contrast, and tonal depth. All images were captured in the early morning at ISO 100 using Nikon D750 and D610 cameras with 16-35mm and 24-85mm lenses set to f/8. Basic adjustments were first made in Camera Raw. Black and white conversion, tonal adjustments, and selective dodging and burning in Photoshop enhance contrast, depth, structure, and overall atmosphere.

Web: www.johntwinamephotography.com
Instagram: @johntwinamenz

BLACK & WHITE TOP 20

1. Rachael Ryan, A Sea of Dust
2. John Twiname, Forms in Tension
3. Mary Regan, Sultry Sunrise Bronte
4. Alanna Walshe, Parallels: Ageing, Identity and the Landscape
5. Hui tong Tang, Tai ji Mahal, Chand Baori Well, Ganges River
6. Jordan Disch, Negative Space and Some Rain
7. Karen Morley, New Zealand’s South Island
8. Terry O’Hagan, Valencia, Mono
9. Cheng Kang, Echoes of the Morning
10. Theresia Hall, UTS Helix Stairs
11. Vince Lovecchio, Procession of the Virgen del Rosario
12. Vicki Katthagen, Lightbourne
13. Steven Joyce, The Korrowi Way
14. Steve Day, Warrnambool Towers
15. Paul Wesley, Nausicaa
16. Jackie Wilson, Stormy Skys
17. Amy Doerre, Fitness Regime
18. Weston Sparkes, Infinite Highway
19. Liam Keiller, Wildlife Portraits in Monochrome
20. Kate Snow, Ready for the Wind

DOCUMENTARY WINNER
Benjamin Hams: A Life In Wool

“As a kid, my mum gave me a point-and-shoot camera and I’d fill the SD card in minutes photographing anything I could,” says Benjamin Hams, who grew up on a farm in Outback South Australia. “As I got older, I invested in my first DSLR and the camera began shaping the way I see the world.”

“My work isn’t confined to a single genre but is grounded in observation, allowing me to respond instinctively and document overlooked moments. Working as a sheep shearer gives me access to places and stories most people never see.”

In this series, Hams documents the largely unseen life inside shearing sheds across two stations, focusing on both the environment and the people within it.

“By building trust with the people I photographed and worked alongside, I was able to work closely and unobtrusively, capturing moments as they unfolded, showing both the physical intensity of the work and the quieter, human moments within.”

Website: www.bhamsphotography.au
Instagram: @bhams_photography

Prize: $1,000 cash; Western Digital Prize Pack valued at $1,500; Retouch4me retouching Photoshop plugins valued at over $200.

DOCUMENTARY RUNNER-UP
Morgan Laffer: Syria's Silent Wards

“My motivation as a photojournalist is to truly see: to notice what unsettles or surprises me, and through that observation, deepen my understanding of the human condition,” says freelance reporter and photojournalist Morgan Laffer.

“I find societies navigating war and those grappling with post-conflict environments to be the most revealing, where humanity is exposed and resilience is tested in everyday life. In these spaces, the ordinary and the extraordinary exist side by side, and small, quiet moments often carry the greatest weight. I feel a responsibility to document narratives regarding people’s lives shaped by war – it is here that the full range of the human experience is laid bare.

“This series has two subjects: people affected by serious mental trauma after more than a decade of war, and the building that confines them. Its interior is bleak, worn, and stark in its simplicity. Fluorescent lights buzz and flicker, casting a cold glow that does little to lift the gloom. Colour imagery would dilute the austerity of the space, softening its harsh textures and distracting from the emotional weight carried by the patients and the building itself.”

Instagram: @morgan.laffer

DOCUMENTARY TOP 20

1. Benjamin Hams, A Life In Wool
2. Morgan Laffer, Syria's Silent Wards
3. Oliver Risi, Shoreline Market
4. Ian Flanders, Herzog Protest
5. Audrey Richardson, Sydney In Reflection
6. Rowan Marsh-Croft, Flem Banks Bandits 1
7. Lucky Frawley, Curtain Call
8. Taylor Kurtz, Hayakawa Hamonoten: A Heritage Blade Mastery
9. Oliver Risi, Street Cricket, Jaipur
10. Stephane Thomas, Aryna Sabalenka
11. Theo Miller, Process
12. Maggie Tan, Behind Bars, Beyond Rescue
13. Fiona Bowring, In the Hands of the Artists: Warlukurlangu Arts
14. Ian Flanders, March for Humanity
15. Rowan Marsh-Croft, Flem Banks Bandits 2
16. Vaughn Chen, Metallic Birds in the Sky
17. Alec Koroluk, Meditation in Movement
18. Davide Conti, The Patch: Identity and Integrity
19. Linda Leman, Eight Seconds
20. Vaughn Chen, Man and Machine

PEOPLE WINNER
Louise Wolbers: Dust Shaker

Louise Wolbers’  photographic journey has taken her across the globe, from the incredible architecture of iconic cities to the raw beauty of African wildlife. “Each destination has deepened my passion for telling stories through my images,” she explains.

When she is not travelling, she lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland, where she captures pet portraits. “I am constantly inspired to try new things, explore new perspectives and push my creativity further because every place, person and animal has a story worth capturing. Being a photographer is one of the greatest gifts in life. You see the world through the lens and it opens your mind and lets you see things differently.”

The Dust Shaker series was photographed in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. “The widower performs a symbolic act of shaking dust, which represents the ashes of the deceased, from his head. This solemn ceremony signifies the end of mourning and a new beginning.

“There is estimated to be nearly 1000 different tribes in PNG with over 850 languages. The weather is unpredictable with heavy rains usually in the afternoon. A large shed was available to take tribe members in out of the rain to photograph. A small battery-operated strobe was used and set up to the left of the tribal member at a 45-degree angle.”

Instagram: @louisewolbers

Prize: $1,000 cash; Western Digital Prize Pack valued at $1,500; Retouch4me retouching Photoshop plugins valued at over $200.

PEOPLE RUNNER-UP
Georgia Redden: Cowgirls

Georgia Redden is based in Central West NSW, documenting the heart of modern country Australia. After a long hiatus raising children, she returned to the lens to capture the beauty of rural life. Georgia finds inspiration in Outback dust, focusing on the strength of locals and the quiet allure of the mundane. Her work reflects a deep connection to home, chasing golden light to celebrate the authentic, unpolished stories of regional communities.

“My images explore the intersection of a more modern rural grit and style,” she says. “‘Cowgirls’ uses dust to frame the resilience of youth, while ‘Servo’ blends simple denim with the retro bustle of a petrol station. ‘Paper’ captures playful storytelling – a motorbike blur contrasting with a quiet morning coffee. Each frame serves as a love letter to the landscape, turning everyday regional scenes into nostalgic keepsakes of a life lived on the land.”

Instagram: @georgiareddenphotography

PEOPLE TOP 20

1. Louise Wolbers, Dust Shaker
2. Georgia Redden, Cowgirls
3. Rebecca Polonski, Madeline
4. Craig Mitchell, In-Theatre
5. Stephane Thomas, Imogen & Lewis
6. Anthony Leyba, Remote Work
7. Oliver Whitehouse, Petal
8. Emma Jeantou, We Are Who We Are?
9. Sim Chong, Locals at tea houses in Sichuan
10. Joshua Gray, Vanessa Gray
11. Orlanda Lucian, Volition
12. Jordan Disch, School of the Mecca
13. Lorenzo Passalacqua, On Loan
14. Julie Spencer, Weathered Soul, Faithful Friends
15. Venkatesh Kittur, Laneway League
16. Richard Misquitta, Sadhu Suresh
17. Renee Leth, Inked Up
18. Katherine Carlin (Jenkins), What a Catch
19. Rowie Hawley, Summer Days
20. Amanda Stuart, Senior Swimmers and Proud of It

SHOT ON FILM WINNER
David Niu: Little Nap in Big Shanghai

David Niu discovered street photography by chance during the pandemic. With a background in design and art, he was drawn to the genre’s honesty – its unpredictability, energy, and the raw humanity of everyday street life.

His work focuses on candid, unscripted moments. He shoots in both colour and black and white, each serving a different purpose. Colour acts as his visual diary – direct, lightly edited, and centred on human stories. Black and white, captured on a dedicated monochrome camera, operates as a separate visual language: more abstract and more experimental. Carrying only one camera each day forces him to commit fully to how he sees.

“I began shooting film in early 2026,” says David. “Film slows me down and makes every frame intentional. Though I still shoot digital more often, film has reshaped how I observe and how I work.”

“This image was made in Shanghai during Lunar New Year 2026, one of my first 20 rolls – Kodak Max 400 on a Leica M4 with an external meter. I took two frames; this one had the stronger composition. Amid the crowd, I waited for the right moment to form a clear, balanced scene. F5.6 with a shutter speed of 1/1000s.”

Instagram: @davids_art_street

Prize: $1,000 cash; Retouch4me retouching Photoshop plugins valued at over $200.

SHOT ON FILM RUNNER-UP
Gandhar Radhika: Diner

Gandhar Radhika says photography is documentation and expression – “a meditative act of observing the world in order to quiet the inner chatter.” He approaches his work wandering through suburbs in search of beauty in fleeting and mundane moments.

Radhika works primarily with 35mm and 120 film and says he is drawn to, “images that feel alive through light, colour and atmosphere, using the intentional pace of analogue photography to engage more deeply with each scene.”

“Diner was captured on Kodak Portra 800 using an Olympus OM20 in Maleny,” Radhika says. “Stumbling upon an empty diner, I was struck by the red sofas glowing in the warm sunset light. I spent time observing the space to meter carefully, leaning into the deliberate pace that film demands. Portra 800 helped retain the rich warmth of the interior while preserving fine detail, turning an ordinary moment into a quiet, visually resonant study of stillness and light.”

Instagram: @Loitering_with_intent_

SHOT ON FILM TOP 20

1. David Niu, Little Nap in Big Shanghai
2. Gandhar Radhika, Diner
3. Yosuke Koga, Legs on the Beach
4. Kym McDowell, Loughborough Fair
5. Daniel Farrugia, Traveling on the Shinkansen
6. Minhhuy Nguyen, Lest We Forget
7. Raoul Slater, Warrior
8. Liam Panton, The First Ending
9. Christian Jansen, In the Bloc
10. Taylor Kurtz, Daifuku
11. Chris Wood-Willems, Theatre Red Scene
12. Morgan Laffer, A Fallen Syrian Mosque
13. Tim Wilson, Here Now, Gone There
14. Taylor Kurtz, Kutti
15. Connor McNamara-Spackman, Late Night Emerging
16. Jess Nicole, Sunset Silhouettes
17. Gandhar Radhika, Melancholy
18. Jake Maraldo, Warrnambool
19. Hilary McAllister, Beaver Moon at Bronte
20. Patrick Uramowski, French Polynesia Dreaming

SINGLE SHOT WINNER
Elle Leontiev: The Barefoot Volcanologist

Elle Leontiev says her visual style sits between fine-art and documentary photography. Her photography practise is grounded in long-term observation, environmental storytelling, a deep interest in traditional darkroom processes and a desire to “reflect creative dream states informed by the natural world.”

On the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, Leontiev visited the remote Ni Vanuatu community which is located beneath the strombolian volcano, Mount Yasur. She spent time living with the community and attending tribal ceremonies. Here she met Phillip, a local and a self-taught volcanologist. He is pictured here wearing a lava protection suit given to him by visiting researchers.

“Phillip grew up beneath this active volcano and this portrait captures his home, his research, his ancestral land and his purpose in one frame,” says Leontiev.

Web: www.elleleontiev.com
Instagram: @elle_tieva_

PRIZE: $1,000 cash; Retouch4me retouching Photoshop plugins valued at over $200.

SINGLE SHOT RUNNER-UP
Jack Karnaghan: Ready to Go

Sydney-based photographer Jack Karnaghan works across several genres – street, portraiture, and nature – in both film and digital formats. “My work is drawn to the liminal moments of daily life – celebrating intimacy in the ordinary and capturing people at their most unguarded,” he says.

“In this image, the wide-angle lens permits the mise-en-scène: two rooms, one wall between them,” says Karnaghn.

“My father on one side has been dressed since 5:30. Suit pressed, tie straight, hands folded in his lap. The television murmurs – its cool glow finding him in the dark, still and patient in the way only people who have waited a long time know how to be. Down the hall, my mother is still at the mirror – bathed in apricot light, unhurried, applying her favourite gloss reserved for those special occasions.

“His cool blue stillness against her golden vivacity. Calm against energy, patience against motion, an unspoken harmony.”

Web: www.karnaghan.com
Instagram: @jxbeune

SINGLE SHOT TOP 20

1. Elle Leontiev, The Barefoot Volcanologist
2. Jack Karnaghan, Ready to Go
3. Shane Oates, Galah
4. Ginnie Allwood, Porpoising Gentoo Penguin
5. Vicki Resch, Against the Grid
6. Patrick Uramowski, Nature’s Art
7. Oliver Risi, Morning Fish Market, India
8. Dulcie May, Natural Alignment
9. Jack Giam, Blue Collar
10. Ianto Keir, Bushfire
11. Jordan Disch, Coldplay moment?
12. Jack Johnson, Blondie
13. Heather Smith, A Lone Surfer
14. David Mercieca, Juniper Canyon
15. Sally Lloyd, Saigon Pool Hall
16. Adrian Smarrelli, Fly Me to the Moon
17. Fedor Zevako, Before the Leap
18. Belinda Dew, Brave
19. Ben Burton, Dance in the Deep
20. Sabrina Giada Trombini, The Balanced Diet

TRAVEL WINNER
James Hayward: Another Warm Day

James Hayward’s photography practise began with travel. “I’d go to places that interested me and photograph whatever I found there – landscapes, people or wildlife,” he says. “Whatever the subject, the goal was always to, create something compelling from each encounter.”

He says he finds it difficult to neatly describe the type of photography he does but often settles on ‘travel and adventure’ though acknowledges it’s a broad and imprecise description.

“I captured these images using a technique I’d never used or seen before,” says Hayward. “That day I had both my 35mm film camera and my full-frame digital camera with me. The light of the sunset in Byron Bay had a haze to it that film often captures so well, but I wanted to best capture the movement on the beach through a longer digital exposure.”

“To get the best of both worlds, I shot my digital camera through the viewfinder of my 35mm, giving the images this imperfect, nostalgic feel straight out of camera.”​

Instagram: @jimbob_photo

Prize: $1,000 cash; Retouch4me retouching Photoshop plugins valued at over $200.

TRAVEL RUNNER-UP
Kim Talento: Across the Dunes

Kim Talento is a physiotherapist by profession whose journey into photography began in 2009 as a way of documenting the landscapes encountered during trips, hikes and outdoor adventures. Photography quickly became both a creative outlet and a form of relaxation.

Initially photographing for personal enjoyment, sharing images with family and friends, over the past few years Talento began entering competitions as a way to explore new creative directions.

“I’ve always been drawn to travel, especially Morocco, and the chance to experience the Sahara Desert,” Talento says. “In this series, ‘Across the Dunes,’ I was struck by how the desert kept changing with every step — from long shadows across the sand to small figures moving through an immense landscape. These images reflect my experience of crossing the dunes and the feeling of being surrounded by something far larger than myself. What stayed with me most was the contrast between movement and stillness, and how the desert could feel both harsh and deeply absorbing at the same time.”

Instagram: @kimtalento

TRAVEL TOP 20

1. James Hayward, Another Warm Day
2. Kim Talento, Across the Dunes
3. Thomas Martin McShane, Somewhere between Silence and Scale
4. Maggie Tan, The Donkey Keepers
5. Taylor Kurtz, Soft Geography: Japan
6. Steven Joyce, Sago Farming
7. Rudy Kalele, Backstreets of Mykonos, Greece
8. Paul Evans, Abandoned Town
9. Jackson Vickery, Gold over Paris
10. Joanne Costanzo, Devotion
11. Luke David, Lisbon Trams
12. Fiona Bowring, To See and Be Seen, Paris
13. Kelvin Baggs, Many Faces of the Red Centre
14. Cate Reilly, RAW Gelände, Friedrichshain, Berlin
15. Marcus Read, Arapiles
16. Lisa Mills, Antarctica – Beauty in Extremes
17. Taylor Kurtz, Observations of a Tokyo Udon Kitchen
18. Liz Parsons, Rusted Relics
19. Weston Sparkes, Flow State
20. Tulip Das, Quiet Work, Red Fields