Australia's Leading Photo Contest Call For Entries

Rebecca Varidel
11th Dec 2014

HEAD ON PHOTO FESTIVAL AWARDS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

One of the world’s most prestigious photo festivals, Head On is calling for photographers to compete for over AUD$50,000 in prizes across four categories: Portrait, Landscape, Mobile and Moving Image. Professional and emerging photographers, photo journalists and artists are encouraged to submit to the Head On Photo Awards from 15 January (deadline 1 March) 2015.

Festival Director, Moshe Rosenzveig says, “Entries in the Portrait and Landscape categories can push the boundaries of traditional styles, while Mobile and Moving Image entries can utilise different technologies and photo art technique. Whatever you submit is your choice but we’ll be keeping an open mind.”

Expert judges review each entry anonymously to ensure the works are judged purely on their quality. Past judges include the State Library of NSW’s Curator of Photographs Alan Davies, Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, Anna Davis and Photographer and Presenter of Pure Photography on the National Geographic Channel, Jason Edwards.

Winners are announced at Head On’s opening night and exhibited in Sydney for a month from 1 to 31 May 2015 throughout the Festival. Last year’s competition attracted over 4,000 entrants from all over the world.

A serene and moving portrait of a 12-year-old girl lying in a vegetative state after suffering a terminal brain injury was the winning Portrait photograph in the 2014 awards. Taken by Sydney photographer, Joe Wigdahl, the portrait also includes the hands of the girl’s parents and six siblings, lovingly reaching out and touching the girl. Wigdahl generously donated half his prize money to the girl’s family.

The Landscape category was taken out by award-winning Belgian photographer, Nick Hannes, for his photograph taken in Cairo, Egypt of blank advertisement billboards along a highway. This picture was part of a series Hannes has been working on entitled ‘The Continuity of Man’, a portrayal of the Mediterranean region.

Sydney-based photography enthusiast Clare Bardsley-Smith took out the first prize in the Mobile category with her fearless photo taken in the midst of a dumping wave of a boy standing on the rocks at North Coogee. Bardsley-Smith said that she often takes photos around this area of Coogee using her DSLR camera. This time, with only her iPhone on her, she was able to get right up close to the boys on the rocks, as she wasn’t worried about ruining expensive equipment. Her close range and perfect timing, with a distant wave forming the shape of a cape against the subject’s back, won Bardsley-Smith the prize!

Drawing on her experience living in Norway and learning Norwegian, Melbourne-based artist, Nina Ross, created ‘Untitled #1: Fish’ which took out first prize in the Moving Image category. The three and a half minute long self-portrait video depicts Ross attempting to fillet a fish, in accordance with instructions given to her by an off-screen voice, speaking in Norwegian. Since Head On 2014, Ross has gone on to exhibit her work in numerous cities around Australia as well as overseas in Sao Paolo and Bangkok.

The Head On Photo Awards are a cross-section of all the best and most cutting-edge photography on offer internationally. All levels of experience and all interpretations of genre come together, in this unique platform for passionate photographers.

Head On Photo Festival is now Australia’s leading photography festival, having grown significantly since launching in 2010 with 70 events, to over 200 in 2014 showcasing the work of over 900 Australian and international photographers each year. With a program of innovative workshops, world-renowned presenters and some of the best photography world-wide, Head On is a festival for photography enthusiasts, professionals and collectors alike.

Remember, the deadline for submissions is 1 March 2015, so enter now and be in the running for over $50,000 worth of prizes, as well as great national and international exposure.

For more information visit:
Website www.headon.com.au
Twitter @HeadOnPhotoFest
Facebook www.facebook.com/HeadOnPhotoFest
#headonphotofest