ABOUT HEAD ON PHOTO AWARDS
ATTENTION: The deadline for the Head On Photo Awards has been extended to Tuesday midnight!
Since 2004 we have been helping photographers all over the world to create, exhibit and inspire, awarding over $800,000 in cash and prizes.
The Head On Photo Awards represent a global selection of the best work from emerging and established photographers across four categories:
Student entires open soon
Entires closed for
Portrait | Landscape | Environmental (new)
The Head On Portrait, Landscape and Environmental Awards are open INTERNATIONALLY to photographers of all levels.
AUD$25 entry fee per photo for Head On premium account holders login and upgrade your account
(Approximately US$16.28 or €15.25 per photo)
Awards summary
- Judged without artists’ names
- $70,000 prize pool
- Three $10,000 cash prizes
- 4 winners
- 8 runners-up
- 120 finalists
- 200 semi finalists
- Printed finalists exhibitions for each category at Head On Photo Festival 2023
- Inclusion in the Head On Photo Awards 2023 catalogue
The Head On Photo Awards puts your photos on the world stage!
*Head On Student Awards will open in July to Australian school students. Read more
“Being a finalist and exhibitor in the Head On Photo Festival, I got to connect with photographers with whom I am still in contact. Also being a finalist gets major street cred.”
Krystle Ricci – Portrait Award Finalist 2018
Portrait Awards
The image must feature or reflect the essence of a person or group of people and must be photographed by the Applicant. Group portraits, self-portraits and collages are accepted. We encourage all photographic styles and interpretations of photographic portraiture.
See more: 15 portrait photographers you should know and 14 most influential portrait photographers
Finalists and winners
- 40 finalists
- 1 winner
- 1 Australian runner-up
- 1 international runner-up
Prizes:
The overall winner will receive AUD$10,000 cash.
The winner and runners-up receive:
- 12 month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud (valued at $960)
- a $300 book pack from Photobook Australia
- and annual subscriptions to Australian Geographic, Better Photography, and PhotoReview magazines
Major category prize by Head On Foundation
Landscape Awards
Our approach to ‘landscape’ is very broad and encompasses ‘large vista’ images of the natural environment (land or sea), urban or industrial settings. It may include people, but these should be ‘incidental’ rather than the main subject matter. We encourage all photographic styles and interpretations of ‘landscape’.
See more: 13 inspirational urban landscape photographers and 10 women landscape photographers.
Finalists and winners
- 40 finalists
- 1 winner
- 1 Australian runner-up
- 1 international runner-up
Prizes:
The overall winner will receive AUD$10,000 cash.
The winner and runners-up receive:
- 12 month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud (valued at $960)
- a $300 book pack from Photobook Australia
- and annual subscriptions to Australian Geographic, Better Photography, and PhotoReview magazines
- a camera package supplied by OM Systems. Overall value approx. $8,000
Major category prize by OM Systems
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS BY AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC
The inaugural Head On Environmental Awards by Australian Geographic celebrates the power of photography to capture and provoke reflection on our world and our place in it, inspiring action and driving positive change for our planet. Make your picture make a difference!
Images should highlight specific issues, elements or people impacting the natural world and our environment’s wellbeing, including, but not limited to, human-induced climate change, biodiversity and habitat loss, sustainable practices, pollution, ocean acidification and micro-diversity.
See more: What is environmental photography?, Inspirational environmental photographers pt 1 and pt 2
Finalists and winners
- 20 finalists
- 1 winner
- 1 Australian runner-up
- 1 international runner-up
Prizes:
The overall winner will receive AUD$10,000 cash.
The winner and runners-up receive:
- 12 month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud (valued at $960)
- a $300 book pack from Photobook Australia
- and annual subscriptions to Australian Geographic, Better Photography, and PhotoReview magazines
Major category prize by Australian Geographic
Additional benefits
The 2023 Head On Photo Awards winners shared a massive prize pool inexcess of $70,000, including $30,500 in cash. All 120 finalists had their work exhibited in print in Head On Photo Festival 2023!
Benefits for all finalists (all categories)
- their printed image will be included in the ever-popular Finalists exhibition at Head On Photo Festival 2023
- inclusion in the Head On Photo Awards 2023 book publication at no additional cost
- 12-month subscription to PhotoReview magazine
- a dedicated webpage on headon.org.au
- Head On pursues further exhibition/publication opportunities
SEMI-FINALISTS
100 Portrait Awards and 100 Landscape Awards semi-finalists will have their work presented in a rolling slideshow situated at a major festival venue.
… Head On Photo Awards are an important part of the strategy to keep your work and name ‘out there’ in the photographic community and potentially clients.
Head On Photo Awards finalist – Brian Cassey
FINALISTS’ EXHIBITIONS & SEMI FINALISTS’ SLIDESHOW
The Head On Photo Awards finalists’ exhibitions and semi finalists’ slideshow will be open to the public during Head On Photo Festival 2023 at key Festival venues (subject to public health orders). These venues are at the heart of the Festival where talks, tours and school excursions take place.
The Head On team curates, designs and produces the exhibitions and slideshow, and Head On Foundation covers all associated costs (once you enter your image, we do the rest!).
Awards exhibitions receive significant visitation, recording tens of thousands of visitors across stunning Festival venues and have toured globally. The Awards also have dedicated exhibition web pages with high traffic.
I urge all image makers both amateur or professional to enter Head On
Head On Portrait Awards peoples choice winner, Brett Canet-Gibson
HEAD ON PHOTO AWARDS CATALOGUE
We produce a limited edition printed catalogue of the Finalists’ work each year. The high-quality 20x20cm hardcover book contains a full page for each photograph. It is available at the Festival Hub or in our online store.
Competitions and festivals are a great way to put forward new work and share in a global conversation in the medium.
Head On Photo Awards finalist – Cathy Carter
Head On Photo Awards cermony
Over 2,000 people attended the Head On Photo Festival launch each year, a celebratory event centred around the announcement of the Head On Photo Awards winners.
Judging process
Work is judged anonymously; no identifying details of the photographer will be visible to the judges to ensure that the work is selected on creative merit alone.
The judging panel comprises leaders in the Australian and international photography communities. It represents all aspects of the photography world, including curators, picture editors, photographers, educators and other industry professionals.
Our 2023 international judging panel
Aline Smithson is a visual artist, editor, and educator based in Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her conceptual portraiture and a practice that uses humour and pathos to explore the performative potential of photography. Growing up in the shadow of Hollywood, her work is influenced by the elevated unreal. She has exhibited widely, including over 40 solo shows at a variety of international institutions, and her work has been featured in publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and PDN.
Smithson is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Lenscratch, a daily journal on photography. In 2012, she received the Rising Star Award through the Griffin Museum of Photography for her contributions to the photographic community and the prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award from CENTER. In 2014 and 2019, Smithson’s work was selected for the Critical Mass Top 50. In 2015, the Magenta Foundation published her first significant monograph, Self & Others: Portrait as Autobiography, and in 2016, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum commissioned Smithson to create a series of portraits for the upcoming Faces of Our Planet Exhibition. In 2018 and 2019, her work was exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in London as part of the Taylor Wessing Prize. Kris Graves Projects published her book, LOST II: Los Angeles, including her work in SOLACE and On Death. Peanut Press released her monograph, Fugue State, in 2021. In 2022, Smithson was recognised as a Hasselblad Heroine.
Smithson is the Founder and Editor- in-Chief of Lenscratch, a daily journal on photography. In 2012, she received the Rising Star Award through the Griffin Museum of Photography for her contributions to the photographic community and she also received the prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award from CENTER. In 2014 and 2019, Smithson’s work was selected for the Critical Mass Top 50. In 2015, the Magenta Foundation published her first significant monograph, Self & Others: Portrait as Autobiography, and in 2016, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum commissioned Smithson to create a series of portraits for the upcoming Faces of Our Planet Exhibition. In 2018 and 2019, her work was exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in London as part of the Taylor Wessing Prize. Kris Graves Projects published her book, LOST II: Los Angeles and included her work in SOLACE and On Death. Peanut Press released her monograph, Fugue State, in Fall of 2021. In 2022, Smithson was recognized as a Hasselblad Heroine.
Aline Smithson
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Lenscratch (USA)
Bill Shapiro is the former Editor-in-Chief of LIFE magazine and the founding Editor-in-Chief of LIFE.com, which won the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital photography. Bill is the author of several books, including Gus & Me, the best-selling children’s book he co-wrote with Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. In 2018, he published What We Keep. He is a contributing editor to Leica Conversations, and he’s written about photography for the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, the Atlantic, Vogue, Esquire, and Blind, among others. On Instagram, he’s @Billshapiro, and he lives in Taos, New Mexico.
Bill Shapiro
Former Editor-in-Chief, LIFE magazine (USA)
Nicky has worked as a commissioning photo editor and shoot producer for 25 years assigning visual stories across all continents. She is the Group Picture Editor at Australian Geographic, and her current focus lies in promoting conservation photography and advocating for image makers who can shift mindsets by moving audiences beyond a passive appreciation of the natural world.
Nicky Catley
Group Picture Editor, Australian Geographic (Australia)
Jesse Marlow is an award-winning Melbourne-based photographer. His works are held in public and private collections across Australia, including the National Gallery of Victoria, Australian Parliament House Canberra, Monash Gallery of Art, City of Melbourne and State Library of Victoria. Marlow has published five books and has been featured in numerous other books, including Street Photography Now (Thames & Hudson). He was awarded the International Street Photographer of the Year Award in 2011 and, in 2012, won the Monash Gallery of Art’s Bowness Prize. Marlow is a member of the international street photographers’ Collective and UP Photographers and a Leica Camera Ambassador.
Jesse Marlow
Photographer (Australia)
After six years of experience in the museum industry, Gwen Lee went on to pursue her first love for photography and founded Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF). In 2010, Lee received an arts award from the Japan Chamber of Commerce & Trade for her contribution to the Singapore arts community. In 2013, she embarked on curatorial research in Germany supported by Goethe-Institut Singapore and National Arts Council. In 2022, Lee was a Recipient of Chevalier, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres conferred by the Ministry of Culture, France.
In 2014, Lee and her team built DECK, an arts centre dedicated to photography arts to provide year-round programming for the community and residency programmes for photographers. DECK received the Singapore President’s Design Award 2015 for its innovative architectural design for the arts. Since 2016, DECK has received the NAC Major Company Grant as a dedicated space for photography arts in Singapore.
Lee has curated over 60 photography exhibitions in Singapore and overseas. Some of these highlighted exhibitions are Margins: Drawing Pictures of Home (2020) at the ArtScience Museum, Flux: Contemporary Photography from China (2014) at the ArtScience Museum, STEIDL DECK: 1001 Steidl Books (2016) at DECK, Southeast Asia premiere showcases Daido Moriyama: Prints and Books from the 1960s – 1980s (2016) in 6th SIPF and Between Love and Death: Diary of Nobuyoshi Araki (2018) in 7th SIPF, and The Natural History of an Island at Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival 2021. She has served as a jury member and portfolio reviewer on international platforms FOAM Paul Huf Award, New Cosmos Japan, FORMAT UK, KL PHOTO Award, KG+, DIPE China, Houston Fotofestival, Daegul Photo Biennale, Recontres d’ Arles and Ballarat International Foto Biennale.
In 2014, Lee and her team built DECK, an arts centre dedicated to photography arts to provide year-round programming for the community and residency programmes for photographers. DECK received the Singapore President’s Design Award 2015 for its innovative architectural design for the arts. Since 2016, DECK has been a recipient of the NAC Major Company Grant as a dedicated space for photography arts in Singapore.
Lee has curated over 60 photography exhibitions in Singapore and overseas. Some of these highlighted exhibitions are: Margins: Drawing Pictures of Home (2020) at the ArtScience Museum, Flux: Contemporary Photography from China (2014) at the ArtScience Museum, STEIDL DECK: 1001 Steidl Books (2016) at DECK, Southeast Asia premiere showcases Daido Moriyama: Prints and Books from 1960s – 1980s (2016) in 6th SIPF and Between Love and Death: Diary of Nobuyoshi Araki (2018) in 7th SIPF, and The Natural History of an Island at Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival 2021. She has served as a jury member and portfolio reviewer on international platforms FOAM Paul Huf Award, New Cosmos Japan, FORMAT UK, KL PHOTO Award, KG+, DIPE China, Houston Fotofestival, Daegul Photo Biennale, Recontres d’ Arles and Ballarat International Foto Biennale.
Gwen Lee
Co-founder and Director, DECK and Singapore International Photography Festival (Singapore)
Natan Dvir is the Director of Education at the Houston Center for Photography and a Sony Imaging Ambassador. He received his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York and his MBA from Tel Aviv University. Natan’s personal work focuses on the human aspects of social and cultural issues and is represented by the Polaris Images photo agency and Anastasia Photo Gallery. His images were exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia, have been published by numerous international magazines, and have received recognition and won prizes around the world.
Natan Dvir
Director of Education, Houston Center for Photography (USA)
Krishna Sheth has recently joined 1843 Magazine at The Economist as the Head of Photography. She has been an art buyer and Director of Photography commissioning for print and web content for a variety of clients, Saatchi & Saatchi, Monocle, The Financial Times, Telegraph Media Group, Airbnb, Bookings.com and Aston Martin, as well as book publishers and individual luxury clients.
Krishna has more than 23 years of experience commissioning photography and photo research; She was Deputy Photography Director at the Telegraph Magazine for 17 years and a key player in building the visual profile of the magazine.
Krishna specialises in editorial and contract publishing, dealing directly with newspapers, magazines and commercial clients.
She was also a tutor on the MA Photography online for Falmouth University and lectures at various universities. She has been Chair Judge for pre-selection for all Sony World Photography Awards and is judging the AOP Students Awards for 2023 this year. Krishna also reviews portfolios and book dummies and is passionate about raising awareness for emerging talent in the industry.
Krishna Sheth
Head of Photography, The Economist (UK)
Photographer and documentary storyteller James Whitlow Delano has made Tokyo his home for over two decades while pursuing his passion for the environment, human rights, and indigenous cultures.
Delano is a grantee at the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, and his award-winning work has been featured in numerous publications, including National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler magazines, The New York Times Magazine, Time, The New Yorker, and Foreign Policy. Since 2011, he has documented the aftermath of the Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, resulting in his fourth book, “Black Tsunami: Japan 2011.” National Geographic featured his photography series documenting the 1.5 million sacks of radioactive soil in Fukushima Prefecture on the fifth anniversary of the disaster. His work for National Geographic has recently focused on documentary projects around the United States/Mexico border. In 2015, James founded the @EverydayClimateChange Instagram feed, where photographers document global climate change on all seven continents. The project has been exhibited around the world.
James Whitlow Delano
Photographer (Japan)
Jessica Hromas is a freelance photographer with over 25 years of experience in the industry. Her previous full-time positions have included staff photographer for the Sydney Morning Herald, staff photographer for the Australian Financial Review Magazine, Director of Photography for the Australian Financial Review Group, and Picture Editor for the Guardian Australia. Jessica lived and worked as a freelance photographer in Hong Kong for several years, working for Getty Images, Bloomberg and a raft of commercial clients, including Art Basel, the British Consulate, Moncler, Mandarin Oriental and more. She has several portraits held in the permanent collection of the Australian National Portrait Gallery.
Jessica Hromas
Freelance photographer (Australia)
Moshe Rosenzveig OAM is the founder and Creative Director of Head On Photo Festival. Moshe has over 40 years’ experience in the media as a photojournalist, award-winning television producer/director (SBS TV) and commercial photographer. He has held lecturing positions at the University of Technology (UTS), the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and others. He has also sat on judging panels for various competitions including The Walkleys, Tokyo Photography Prize, Sydney’s Art & About and is the lead judge for Head On Photo Awards. In 2018, Moshe received an Order of Australia Medal for services to the arts.
Moshe Rosenzveig OAM
Founder and Creative Director, Head On Photo Festival (Australia)
AUD$30 entry fee per photo.
(Approximately US$19.66 or €18.34 per photo).
AUD$25 entry fee per photo for Head On premium account holders login and upgrade your account (Approximately US$16.28 or €15.25 per photo)
The Head On Photo Awards puts your photos on the world stage!
Frequently asked questions
What photo genres are eligible?
Images of all styles and genres are eligible as long as they are true to the spirit of the category. The Awards categories currently open are Portrait, Landscape, and Environmental.
Can I enter into more than one Awards category?
Yes, in the past, some finalists have achieved a grand slam and been a finalist in multiple categories in the same year. You can also enter more than one photo into any given category!
How many finalists will be selected in each category?
The Portrait and Landscape Awards will nominate 40 finalists and the inaugural Environmental Awards by Australian Geographic will nominate 20 finalists. All finalists will be included in the Finalist Exhibitions as part of Head On Photo Festival 2023.
What is the cash prize?
In each Awards category, there is a $10,000 cash prize for the overall winners, and yes if you enter two, or even three categories, you could win the cash prize for all of them.
Is there a time restriction on when the photo was taken?
We don’t have any restrictions on when the photo was taken, but we do prefer more recent work.
How can I pay for my entry?
You can pay either with your credit card via the PayPal gateway or via your Paypal account.
For further instruction, watch our entry walkthrough video (which starts at 4:40) .
AddOn submissions open
AddOn is an ideal entry point for photographers to become involved in this year’s Head On Photo Festival.