Winners revealed for Australasia's Top Wedding Photographers 2023

The wait is finally over and we can reveal the Winners, Runners-up, and Top 20 placings in the region's search for the very best wedding photographers, Australasia's Top Wedding Photographers, presented by Sony. The second edition of the competition reveals the outstanding breadth of creativity of photographers in Australia and New Zealand.

Australasia's Top Wedding Photographers, presented by Sony, was judged by some of the world's leading wedding photographers, with the task made all the more challenging as a result of the exceptionally high standard of entries. Winners, runners-up, and top finalists can feel tremendously proud having had their work recognised by such a stellar panel of judges.

See the Top 20 entries in both categories here.

Huge congratulations to Melbourne-based Mauro Cantelmi for taking out both the Portfolio and the Single Shot categories – quite a remarkable achievement! The judges were blown away by his entries, and heaped high praise upon them. 

The Top 50 Single Shot and Top 15 Portfolio entries are published in the Feb-April issue of Capture It will be in newsstands in the coming day. It's also available for digital download on Zinio from Monday, 20 February.

A special mention to Sony, our major sponsor, and to our category sponsors, Momento Pro and BenQ. We thank you for your passionate support of Australian and New Zealand wedding photographers. 

WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP

Portfolio winner – Mauro Cantelmi

What the judges thought

This portfolio exhibits a freshness in its energy and creativity that is inspiring and joyful with its array of thoughtful concepts and colour palette. The author adds mystery and playfulness with the use of props interwoven within the narrative in a consistent and distinctive way that’s worthy of recognition. – Sanjay Jogia

Showing variety, yet a cohesive style that pulls the images together, this portfolio shows a body of work with a strong, consistent theme. Most importantly, each image within the portfolio is extremely impactful and stands alone as award-winning in its own right. – Sarah Edmunds

Single Shot winner – Mauro Cantelmi

What the judges thought

This image is utterly magical and extremely unique. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I love how the faces are darker, bringing your eye right up to them. I also love the ombre effect down to the lighter bottom of the image. It adds to the ethereal quality of the capture.
– Susan Stripling

Photography is about taking risks, taking the risk to try something different and not deliver the same image each and every time, and this image is a result of the author taking that risk. It’s a stunning display of creativity and deserves all the plaudits it gets!
– Scott Johnson

Portfolio runner-up – Ben Connolly

What the judges thought
As a judge for various competitions around the world over the past two decades, I’ve given much thought as to what criteria should be given the most weight in competitions. This portfolio has so much of the criteria I look for, especially impact. It asked more questions than it answered. I wanted to dig deep. I found myself looking at each image and staring at the details. In terms of creativity, I feel it goes without saying that each image is innovative, creative, and different than the norm. The post production is flawless and there are no weak points in the processing. – Cliff Mautner

Single Shot runner-up – Mauro Cantelmi

 

 CAPTURE MAG AND TOP 20  ENTRIES

The Australasia's Top Wedding Photographers special edition of Capture magazine will be in newsstands later this week. You can also get the digital version of the magazine (for phone, tablet and computer) on Zinio from Monday, 20 February.

You can also see the Top 20 entries across both categories here:

• Top 20: Portfolio category
• Top 20: Single Shot category

Entrants who received awards will be notified by e-mail shortly.

PRIZES

The winner of the Single Shot category receives $3,000 cash and a Sony Alpha 7 IV camera valued at $3,988, while the winner of the Portfolio category takes home $3,000 cash, a Sony Alpha 7 IV camera valued at $3,988 and a Momento Pro print credit of $650.

The runner-up of the Single Shot category receives $500 cash and a BenQ photography monitor valued $799 while the Portfolio category runner-up takes home $500 cash and a Momento Pro print credit of $350.

JUDGES

The judging panel for Australasia’s Top Wedding Photographers 2022 some of the world's leading wedding photographers:

Sarah Edmunds  |  Sara France  |  Sanjay Jogia  | Scott Johnson  |  Cliff Mautner  |  KT Merry  |  Joseph Victor Stefanchik  |  Susan Stripling

SPONSORS

A massive thank you to Sony Australia, BenQ, and Momento Pro for their ongoing support of Australian and New Zealand wedding photographers.

MAJOR SPONSOR

CATEGORY SPONSORS

 

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