Head On Photo Festival

Head On Foundation is Australia’s premier non-profit organisation for photography, producing the esteemed annual Head On Photo Festival in Sydney and a year-round program of events and collaborative projects.

Celebrating all photography forms, the Festival draws over 400,000 visits, featuring 900+ Australian and international photographers in innovative exhibitions in galleries, public outdoor spaces, cafes, and projections. It’s a hub for emerging and established talent, fostering innovation via exhibits, conversations, workshops, and collaborations. Central to the Festival are the Head On Photo Awards across three categories; the Foundation has given awards worth $800,000+. The Festival works with international festivals and organisations and regularly tours worldwide.

Head On Foundation also produces a comprehensive yearly public and educational program of hybrid workshops, seminars, talks, reviews and collaborative projects.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

March

Melbourne: 1 March – 25 May 2025. Featuring the work of approximately 60 artists, The Basement brings to light rare vintage prints from the 1960s – 1980s, from students and teachers of the College’s Diploma of Art & Design (Photography).

April

Canberra: 27 Feb until 20 July 2025. The National Library has invited renowned Australian photojournalist Mike Bowers to select some of his favourite images from the Fairfax Photo Archive.

Brisbane: Until 13 July 2025. Amateur Brisbane photographer Alfred Henrie Elliott (1870-1954) extraordinary images lay dormant for decades until they were discovered only recently. This exhibition is curated by seven Brisbane photographers.

Perth: Until 18 May 2025. Henry Roy – Impossible Island draws on 40-years of recollections and observations as it brings together 113 photos taken from 1983 to 2023.

Sydney: Until 31 Dec 2025. PIX, Australia’s first pictorial news weekly, is brought to life in this exhibition, showcasing its archived images and stories for the very first time.

Sydney: Until 30 June. The photographs in Max Dupain: Student Life were taken at the University of Sydney in the early 1950s, a period of rapid change marked by the politics of the Cold War.

Sydney: Until 15 May. Scott Perkins new series of expertly crafted landscape photographs and light boxes are located within photography and sculpture disciplines.

May

Melbourne: Opening 4 May 2-4pm. Then open until 25 May. An exhibition of the mature and recent work of photographer / artists who trained at the ground-breaking Prahran CAE, Melbourne in the 1970s and 80s.

Sydney: 15 May – 19 October. Showcasing 100 incredible images, this remarkable exhibition offers a window into the astonishing variety of life on our planet – and the critical importance of preserving it.

June

Adelaide: 7 June – 16 August. Drawn from the National Portrait Gallery collection, this photographic exhibition captures the experience of lives lived through dance.