William & Winifred Bowness Photography Prize 2025

On behalf of the MAPh Foundation, the Museum of Australian Photography is delighted to announce the selected finalists for the 2025 William & Winifred Bowness Photography Prize. Judging panel Anne Zahalka, Shaune Lakin and Anouska Phizacklea (MAPh Director) considered over 750 entries, selecting 50 works to comprise the final field.

The prize invites entries from artists working with photography. Entries for the Bowness Photography Prize are considered from still photo-based media including analogue and digital photography, produced within the last year.

This year we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the prize, seeing some significant changes that enable a rich prize offering. We’re pleased to announce an increase to $50,000 for the winner and $2,500 cash awarded to two honourable mentions. Shortlisted artists will also be paid loan fees for the exhibition of their works. These changes have been enabled by a substantial philanthropic gift from the Bowness Family Foundation, which reinforces the prominence of the prize and cements the importance of photography into the future.

All finalists are eligible to be selected for the Wai Tang Commissioning Award, an initiative of the MAPh Foundation as part of the Bowness Photography Prize. The recipient will be awarded $10,000 in cash, with the opportunity to exhibit a body of work in the following year's Bowness Photography Prize exhibition.

One finalist will also be voted as the winner of the $5000 Community Bank Pinewood People's Choice Award. Voting commences at the opening of the exhibition and can take place online or in person.