Finest frames of Australian Life to go on show in Sydney

Art And About Sydney - Bob Barker - The ChallengeRecord numbers of photographers from across the country have submitted to this year’s Australian Life competition. The photos capture Australia’s diversity, from city life and suburbia to the beach and the bush.

Australian Life is a much-loved photography competition and exhibition that grows in popularity every year,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. “This year’s record number of entries and range of images received remind us just how diverse Australian life is, capturing gritty city streets and colourful characters, to our stunning beaches and bushland.”

Award-winning judges Ken Done, Wesley Enoch and Tamara Dean were responsible for selecting 22 finalists from 2,478 submissions – the largest number of entries in the competition’s 16-year history.

“The Australian Life photographs show a great deal of professionalism and the standard of images are exceptionally high,” said Ken Done. “Although we judges shared very similar attitudes, we could have easily selected twice as many finalists.”

“Australian life is so diverse and you only get to see that diversity when you scroll through hundreds of photos from all walks of life,” added Wesley Enoch. “Capturing beautiful moments in life should be everyone’s pursuit but these finalists have shown that it’s always about the heart and the head working together to tell the stories of their communities. So inspiring.”

Images captured by this year’s finalists include a 96-year old painter sitting in his Sydney art studio; a wooden ‘thong shack’ on a western Australian beach adorned with flip-flops; colourful confetti, lights and celebrations of the 40th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras; a flamenco dancer entertaining residents at a Rooty Hill nursing home; and a woman swimming in the ocean during an afternoon storm.

The finalist images will be blown up to bed-sheet-size portraits for the Australian Life outdoor exhibition, curated by photographer Sandy Edwards. The winner of the $10,000 prize – one of the biggest cash prizes in the local photography world – will be announced at the exhibition’s opening event.

The Australian Life exhibition will run along the St James walkway of Hyde Park from 13 September to 7 October 2018. For more information, visit: www.artandabout.com.au for details.

Image: Bob Barker, The Challenge (detail) – courtesy of Art and About Sydney