Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize 2019 exhibition

Featuring the 30 finalists from over 3,000 entries by judged by Cheryl Newman, Jon Jones, and Stephen Dupont, the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize offers a total prize fund of $100,000, with the winner taking home $50,000.The winner in 2019 is Tamara Dean, for her image, Endangered. All finalists receive $1,000.

Endangered. © Tamara Dean. Winner, 2019 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.
Endangered. © Tamara Dean. Winner, 2019 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.

The Prize was established in 2007 by the Moran Arts Foundation and it awards and promotes Australian contemporary photography and excellence in all forms of still, photo-based artwork - including analogue and digital photography or staged and directorial photo-media work.

Drought. © Adam Ferguson. Finalist, 2019 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.
Drought. © Adam Ferguson. Finalist, 2019 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.

Artist Talks

On Sundays during the exhibition, finalists will be discussing their work. Haad on down for a chat and enjoy a drink in the grounds of historic Juniper Hall.

12 May - Brian Cassey and Jason Thomas
26 May - Cassie Sullivan


Where: Juniper Hall, 250 Oxford St, Paddington NSW
When: 2pm
Bookings are not required.
More information.

Death on the Darling. © Nick Moir. Finalist, 2019 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.
Death on the Darling. © Nick Moir. Finalist, 2019 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.
Cowboys. © Sean Izzard. Finalist, 2019 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.
Cowboys. © Sean Izzard. Finalist, 2019 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.
King Street, 2018. © Sam Ferris. Finalist, 2019 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.
King Street, 2018. © Sam Ferris. Finalist, 2019 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

February

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.

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.

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.

May

Sydney: Until 16 August 2026. 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.

Melbourne: Until March 2027. Rehearsing the City presents archival photographs from Victoria’s government collections, alongside new work by contemporary street photographers.

Coffs Harbour: 28 May – 29 June 2026. West Of Somewhere East is a photographic series tracing a cinematic journey through the interior of New South Wales, shaped by long drives, fleeting encounters, and the reflective rhythm of return.

June

Sydney: June 6 – 19 July 2026. The World Press Photo Exhibition 2026 is returning to the State Library of New South Wales from 6 June to 19 July, offering Sydney audiences an uncompromising view of of the unending challenges that humans, and our planet face.

Melbourne: 6 June – 20 August 2026. Brook Andrew is an artist whose conceptual practice shifts across photography, performance, moving image, installation, public space and research, often through deep collaboration with artists, communities and friends.

Melbourne: 6 June – 28 June 2-26. We Built a House Out of Water is a deeply personal body of work that draws on memory, family, and culture – while understanding healing as an ongoing process.

Melbourne: 26 June – 2 August. Through analogue photographic processes, Dylan Negri aims to immortalised fragments of life that would otherwise disintegrate.