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Head On Photo Awards 2025 open for entries

By Tim Levy | 8 July 2025

The Head On Photo Festival, now in it's 21st year, is Australia's largest photography festival that draws over 400,000 visitors, and features 900+ Australian and international photographers in numerous Sydney galleries, wall projections, cafes and public outdoor spaces such as Bondi Beach and Paddington Reservoir Gardens.  

Since 2004, the non-profit organisation Head On Foundation has exhibited over 5,000 photographic artists and awarded over $800,000 in cash and prizes to emerging and established photographers – bravo!

Launch party 2024. Image: Max Mason-Hubers
The opening party draws up to 1,500 people. Image: Max Mason-Hubers

It was originally founded by Moshe Rosenzveig OAM, a seasoned photojournalist and media professional, who was driven by a desire to create a more equitable platform for photographers. Disheartened by what he perceived as a bias towards established names in existing competitions, Rosenzveig launched the inaugural Head On Portrait Award with a 'blind' judging process – entries were assessed purely on their photographic merit, without any identifying information about the artist.

Over the years, the festival expanded significantly beyond its initial Portrait award. It now encompasses Landscape and Exposure (open to any genre) awards, attracting thousands of submissions from across the globe. 

Capture and our sister publication Australian Photography are proud Media Partners of Head On Photo Festival, while the Capture Editor (Tim Levy) is one of the 11 international judges for the Head On Awards. 

Awards Summary

  • Judged without artists’ names to ensure equal opportunity
  • $80,000 prize pool – cash and product
  • One overall winner and two runners-up per category
  • 100 finalists
  • 200 semi-finalists shown in a digital exhibition
  • Featured exhibition of all finalists’ works in Head On Photo Festival 2025 in print and online
  • Inclusion in the Head On Photo Awards 2025 hard-cover catalogue

As well as the Head On Awards, the Head On Photo Festival has a rich program of talks, workshops, and collaborations which run from 7-30 November.

Other dates of note are:

    • Photography workshop 8 November – afternoon
    • Photo Soiree (WIP), 8 November 7:30pm – 9:00pm
    • Photobook/zine market 9 November 11:00am – 4:00pm
    • Social hour 9 November 4:30pm – 6:00pm

To enter the competition, check out the Head On Website here.

Or to become a volunteer, click here.

Exhibitions are displayed in numerous locations including Paddington Reservoir Gardens.

Other major international photo festivals to look out for