One of Australia’s biggest photography prizes, Australian Life has this year attracted a record number of entries, with established and upcoming snappers keen to show off their work in the City of Sydney exhibition.
Australian Life judges selected a total of 22 finalists from more than 1,300 images – the largest ever number of entries in the competition’s 15-year history. The winner will be announced before the exhibition opens in Hyde Park on 14 September.
Judges Moshe Rosenzveig, founder of Head On Photo Festival, award-winning photographer Dean Sewell and visual arts curator Nina Miall, selected the finalist images from entries across the nation.
This year’s finalists include:
- Time Flown: a fleeting moment that captures a moment at a Rozelle bus stop;
- Saturday Arvo: Newcastle Ocean Baths is a historic art deco pavilion that attracts pool swimmers, sun worshippers and newlyweds;
- Crocosaurus Cove: inside the ‘cage of death’ with Axel the croc at Crocosaurus Cove, Darwin;
- Frost Sheep: sunrise on a frosty sheep pasture in Learmonth, Victoria;
- Rain On My Parade: an image taken during the annual festival in drought-stricken Croydon;
- The House Between: new apartments and dwellings surround heritage houses in Hurlstone Park; and
- Golden Hour: depicting a group of sun-bathed kids from Lennox Head Primary School.
“From busy suburban streets to the expanse of the outback, the images in this year’s Australian Life competition have been as interesting and varied as ever,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. “These thought-provoking photographs go beyond the usual images of our country to reveal insights on our many different experiences of life in Australia.
“I look forward to seeing these images and the stories behind them along with thousands of Sydneysiders and visitors when they go on exhibition in Hyde Park.”
Australian Life is part of the City of Sydney’s year-round Art & About program of events and temporary art projects in unusual spaces throughout the city, and runs along the St James walkway of Hyde Park from 14 September to 8 October. For more information, visit: www.artandabout.com.au for details.
Image: Natalie Grono, Golden Hour (detail)