Australian Life Photography Competition 2024

Prize Information

• Each finalist will be paid a fee of AUD$500 (plus GST if applicable) payable by deposit to the finalist’s nominated bank account. If a finalist does not provide account details to the City within three (3) weeks of being notified by the City then the City reserves the right not to pay that fee.
• The major winner of the over 18 years old age group category will be awarded the Australian Life Photography Prize of AUD $10,000 (plus GST if applicable) payable by deposit to the finalist’s nominated bank account and 1 x OM-5 Camera + 12-45mm F4.0 PRO Lens (RRP $2,499).
• The major winner of the 13-17 years old age group category will be awarded the Australian Life Photography Prize of AUD $2,000 (plus GST if applicable) payable by deposit to the finalist’s nominated bank account.
• If the major winners do not redeem the prize within three (3) weeks of being notified by the City then the prize will be forfeited. There will be no further unclaimed prize determinations, i.e. no further selection of an alternative winner by the panel of judges.
• The minor winner of the People’s Choice Award will receive a prize of 1 x OM-1 Mark II Camera + 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II Lens (RRP $5,398). This prize is not transferable, exchangeable, or redeemable for cash. If the minor winner does not claim the prize within within three (3) weeks of being notified by the City then the prize will be forfeited with no further prize determinations or alternative winner.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Competition is free to enter.
• The Competition has two age group categories: entrants aged 13-17 years old and entrants over 18 years old.
• You must be 13 years or older to enter the Competition.
• Where you are under the age of 18:
  • you must have the consent of your parent/guardian to enter; and
  • your parent/guardian must read the completed entry form, and read and agree these terms and conditions, for your entry to be valid.
• You must be an Australian citizen or have permanent resident status in Australia to enter the Competition.
• You may be required to provide evidence to demonstrate eligibility for the Competition.
• You can submit a maximum of one entry to the Competition (each entry comprising up to two photographs). If multiple entries from you are received by the City, only the first entry received first will be eligible for consideration
• Your photograph must:
  • have been taken in Australia within the last 12 months;
  • be created with a camera;
  • not use or include any synthetic or artificially generated images or elements (including generative fill in post-production);
  • not have been created or developed, in whole or in part, using any generative artificial intelligence tools
• The Competition commences Monday 11 March 2024. You must submit your entry to the City by 11.59pm AEST on Sunday 21 April 2024. Late or lost entries will not be considered.
• Your entry must:
  • meet and be submitted in accordance with the specifications outlined on the entry form (Specifications); and
  • include a completed online entry form.
• You may be required to provide evidence to demonstrate that your entry meets the requirements set out in these terms and conditions, including supply of file(s) as recorded by the camera (original RAW files or equivalent).
• You, and any identifiable person in the photograph, may be asked to sign a model release as a condition for inclusion of your photograph in the Competition.

Judging Entries

• The judging panel selected by the City will judge each valid entry in accordance with the Specifications and will select 28 entries (finalists), comprising 20 entries from the over 18 years old age group category and 8 entries from the 13-17 years old age group category. The decision of the panel is final and no correspondence will be entered into
• The judging panel selected by the City will select one finalist in each age group category as having the most outstanding entries as the winner of the Australian Life Photography Prize for their respective age group category (major winners). The decision of the panel is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• A Peoples’ Choice Award is also available for one entrant. Voting will be online and anyone may vote. Voting opens 9am on Thursday 1 August 2024 and closes 11.59pm on Sunday 18 August 2024. The entrant who receives the most online votes wins the People’s Choice Award (minor winner) and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Finalists, major winners, and the minor winner will be notified by phone and email by a representative of the City.

For more information, visit City of Sydney.