Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

Image: Damien Esquerre – 'Worlds Deadliest' (Image supplied)
Image: Damien Esquerre – 'Worlds Deadliest' (Image supplied)

Nature is in focus with the 2023 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year, a South Australian Museum exhibition. For two decades, this renowned exhibition has celebrated the impeccable artistry of some of the world's best nature photographers, and the astounding beauty and fragility of the world around us. Photographs can be captured anywhere, from remote landscapes in extreme conditions, to a hidden nook in the suburbs.

The exhibition features over 90 photographs that shine a light on the astonishing array of flora, fauna and landscapes that can be found across the Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea bioregion. This extraordinary region possesses a unique natural heritage, that stretches back more than 80 million years, and is home to wildlife and environments unlike any other.

The incredible works on display provoke a deeper connection with the natural world, offering an intimate insight into the delicate diversity of the environment and a reckoning with the changing climate that threatens its irreplaceable beauty.

The judging panel consists of Mike Langford, Adjunct Professor Wayne Quilliam and Jackie Ranken who evaluated more than 2,000 entries from 550 photographers.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

February

Melbourne: 28 Nov 2025 – 26 May 2026. The exhibition celebrates the wide-ranging photographic practices of more than eighty women artists working between 1900 and 1975.

Sydney: Until 11 April. Unfinished Business brings together the voices of 30 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities from remote, regional, and urban communities across Australia.

Canberra: Until 6 Sept 2026. Trent Parke’s photographic series The Christmas tree bucket 2006–09 is a tender and darkly humorous portrayal of his extended family coming together to celebrate Christmas.

Melbourne: 11 Feb – 25 April 2026. Familial brings together six international artists whose work navigates the emotional and psychological terrain of family.

March

Sydney: Until 7 Feb 2027. From his archive of more than 200,000 images, Close Up celebrates the historic moments and pivotal people he famously captured.

Sydney: 03 March – 26 March 2026. NSW at Night is a photography exhibition offering a glimpse into life after dark across New South Wales, through the people, places and rhythms that shape it.

Melbourne: 5 March – 7 August 2026. Between the mid-1970s and early 1990s, artist and social documentary photographer Viva Gibb (1945-2017) documented the suburbs of North and West Melbourne, where she lived.

Melbourne: 7 March – 24 May 2026. Photos of flowers from the NGA collection by prominent photographers drawn such as Robert Mapplethorpe and four groundbreaking Australian photographers.

Melbourne: 10 March – 5 May 2026. TOPshots is an annual celebration of emerging photo-media artists selected from a large pool of entries.

Melbourne: 13 – 22 March 2026. Award-winning photographers Andrew Tan and Rosalind Pach invite you to explore the city as a living, shifting experience.