The Australian Photographic Prize Rules are NOW Available!
Download the Rules Documents and start preparing your entries for the 2023 Australian Photographic Prize.
Category Rules below MUST be read in conjunction with full Australian Photographic Prize competition rules available in PDF download above.
IMPORTANT DATES
Competition entry opens on 1st June 2023 (AEST) and closes at 5pm on Monday 3rd July 2023 (AEST).
Prints must be received at Photography Studies College, 37 Thistlewaite Street, South Melbourne, VIC 3205, by 5pm on Monday, 17th July 2023 (AEST).
Judging of all prints and the top 25 entries from each digital category will take place at Photography Studies College, South Melbourne (and live streamed), from 9am – 5pm on Friday, 21st and Saturday, 22nd July 2023 (AEST).
The Australian Photographic Prize Astronomy Presentation Ceremony will be held from 6pm – 9pm, Friday 21st July (AEST) at Photography Studies College, South Melbourne, with special guest presenter Mike Sidonio, aka Strong Man Mike.
The Australian Photographic & Videography Prize Print, Digital, and Videography Awards Presentation Ceremony will be held from 2pm – 5pm, Sunday, 23rd July (AEST) at Photography Studies College, South Melbourne.
CATEGORIES
The Category Rules below must be read in conjunction with full Australian Photographic Prize competition rules available in PDF download.
Digital CATEGORY RULES AND PRIZES
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by Nikon
Prize: Nikon Camera valued at $6000
The overall 2023 Australian Photographic Prize Digital winner will be selected from first-place digital category prize winners of Nature and Wildlife, Portrait, Reportage, Scenic, Travel, Creative Family, Life Events, Maternity and Newborn by a panel of five highly skilled judges by discussing assessment criteria and voting.
Single Capture Nature and Wildlife – Sponsored by Adobe
Prize: 12 Month Full Creative Cloud Membership
Images should show the beauty of nature or wildlife captured in their natural habitat. Only single-capture images (including images captured using HDR, focus stacking, long exposures and stitched images) are permitted. Images must not contain human or manmade elements. Wildlife entries must not portray any form of organised or intentional cruelty. Basic post-production techniques, such as colour and brightness adjustments, cropping, dodging and burning are allowed, however, colour images must appear natural. Techniques that remove in-camera elements, such as dust spots, digital noise, and film scratches, are allowed.
Single Capture Portrait – Sponsored by Godox
Prize: Godox Lighting Kit Valued at $1000
A single capture portrait focusing on one or more humans or pets, emphasising their unique character, connection, love, or story. The subjects may be individuals or family members, such as parents, children, grandparents, or friends. Only minor editing is allowed, such as cropping or removing small distractions. Major changes to the image are not permitted, except for removing safety devices such as dog leads. Composite images are not allowed.
Single Capture Reportage – Sponsored by Momento Pro
Prize: Momento Pro $1000 Product Voucher
Entries must be single capture images that portray or give context to an actual event or situation, and may among other subject matter include sport, daily life, the human condition, or a newsworthy incident. Photographs should have an impact or provoke a lasting emotional response. Staged, contrived, or manipulated situations that alter the truth are unacceptable. Basic post-production techniques, such as colour and brightness adjustments, cropping, dodging and burning, are allowed. Composite images are not permitted.
Single Capture Scenic – Sponsored by The Photographique Co
Prize: Photographique Co $1000 Product Voucher
A scenic photograph is an image of natural scenery or landscape but may include people or manmade elements, provided none of these additional elements dominates the photograph. Basic post-production techniques are allowed, such as colour and brightness adjustments, cropping, dodging and burning. However, composite images are not permitted. Prize: $1000 Product Voucher
Single Capture Travel – Sponsored by Adobe
Prize: 12 Month Full Creative Cloud Membership
Images should authentically portray an area’s people, culture, customs and history; a sense of place is important. Travel is not limited to other lands or countries and may include photographs of domestic origin. Basic post-production techniques are allowed such as colour and brightness adjustments, cropping, dodging and burning. However, composite images are not permitted.
Creative Family – Sponsored by Graphi Studio
Prize: Graphi Studio $1000 Product Voucher
A photograph containing two or more individuals sharing a close emotional bond. A moment that highlights connection, love, and intimacy between individuals or family members; this may include parents, children, grandparents, or friends. The full range of post-production and digital manipulation techniques, including composites, are permitted.
Life Events – Sponsored by Seldex
Prize: Seldex $1000 Product Voucher
Weddings, parties, births, funerals, or other significant life events. Photographs should be impactful and evoke lasting emotions or document human life through time. Composite images are allowed as long as digital post-production is not a significant part of conveying the visual message and isn’t perceived as staged or contrived.
Maternity – Sponsored by Kelly Brown
Prize: $1000 Newborn Posing Online Product
Maternity photography typically involves capturing images of expectant mothers during pregnancy. Maternity photographs may focus on the mother’s changing body, her emotions, or the connection between the mother and her unborn child. The full range of post-production and digital manipulation techniques, including composites, are permitted.
Newborn – Sponsored by PPBN
Prize: $1000 Professional Business Coaching
Newborns are infants with age or corrected age up to four weeks. Images may be posed, lifestyle, creative or documentary. Entrants are encouraged to submit original concepts demonstrating their own unique style. Purchased digital backgrounds are not permitted. All elements of an entry must be 100% photographic in origin. The full range of post-production and digital manipulation techniques, including composites, are allowed.
Photographic ARtist Award Rules AND PRIZE
Photographic Artist Award – Sponsored by Eizo
Prize: Eizo CG2700S valued at $4000
The premise of this award is to honour the unique creativity and skill of the photographic composite artist. While photography is a large part of a photographic artist’s image production, there is often an equal weighting on the post-production skill required to bring a composite together. As a unique feature of this category, captures used within a composite may be from any date. However, the artwork creation date must be on or after 1st June 2018. Show us your ultimate creativity across any chosen genre or theme. The full range of post-production and digital manipulation techniques is permitted. Entries are submitted as digital entries.
AstrOphotography CATEGORY RULES AND PRIZES
Astro Deep Space – Sponsored by Sidereal Trading and William Optics
Prize: William Optics Redcat 51 Telescope valued at $1500
Astrophotography images that are out of this world can include star clusters, supernova remnants, nebulae, planets, comets or the moon. Images may be taken with telescopes or camera lenses, using mono or colour cameras, with or without filters. Entries into this category must be taken with your own equipment using your own data.
- Data from professional observatories eg: ESO/NASA and paid subscription services eg: iTelescope, Chilescope etc. is ineligible.
- Images must be taken and processed by the entrant.
To avoid misuse of Ai processing, the scrutineers may ask about your processing method and request the original Raw or Fits image files. Entries are submitted as digital entries.
Astro Landscape – Sponsored by Sidereal Trading and William Optics
Prize: William Optics Redcat 51 Telescope valued at $1500
Astrophotography images taken back on earth that depict a feature or element of astronomical interest in which the night or twilight sky is a prominent feature with a landscape element. Any image containing terrestrial foregrounds will be considered an Astro Landscape image. Star trails and images of noctilucent and nacreous clouds, halos, meteors etc., may also be entered into this category.
- The integrity of the subjects must be maintained, and the making of physical changes to the landscape is not permitted, i.e. removal or addition of fences or trees etc.
- Composite images are eligible for entry, provided that all elements of the photograph i.e. sky and foreground, were shot in the same location.
To avoid misuse of Ai processing, the scrutineers may ask about your processing method and request the original Raw or Fits image files. Entries are submitted as digital entries.
PRINT CATEGORY RULES AND PRIZES
PRINT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by Epson
Prize: Epson SC-P706 Plus Paper and Ink Pack valued over $1200
Commercial entries are images created for commercial clients to promote a product or company, including advertising, fashion, still life, food, architecture, and corporate photography. Text graphics are not allowed, but a 25-word description of the commercial use of the image is allowed. Composite and non-composite images as well as highly manipulated images are allowed. However, all components must have been created by the photographer.
STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by Nikon
Prize: Nikon ZFC Kit
Students may elect to compete for an additional Student Prize, awarded to the highest-scoring print submitted by a primary, secondary or tertiary student. Student entrants are defined as those currently enrolled in primary school, secondary school, certified undergraduate photography or arts-related, tertiary education courses at the close of digital online entry at 5pm Monday, 3rd July 2023 (AEST).
Commercial – Sponsored by Epson
Prize: Epson SC-P906 Printer valued at $2000
Commercial entries are images created for commercial clients to promote a product or company, including advertising, fashion, still life, food, architecture, and corporate photography. Text graphics are not allowed, but a 25-word description of the commercial use of the image is allowed. Composite and non-composite images as well as highly manipulated images are allowed. However, all components must have been created by the photographer.
Creative – Sponsored by Wacom
Prize: Wacom Cintiq 16 Tablet valued at $1000
Let your imagination go wild through the unusual combination of subjects, textures, colours, or viewpoints. Use in-camera or post-production techniques for novel or creative effects. The base image and all additional elements used must be photographic in origin and captured by the entrant, with no text graphics allowed. The competition allows composite, non-composite, and highly manipulated images, but the photographer must have created all components. A 25-word artist statement is permitted.
Family – Sponsored by Canson Infinity
Prize: $1500 of Printing or Canson Infinity Products
A family photograph containing two or more individuals sharing a close emotional bond. Capture or create a moment highlighting connection, love, and intimacy between family members. This may include parents, children, grandparents, or extended family members. Composite images are allowed as long as digital post-production is not a significant part of conveying the visual message.
Landscape – Sponsored Canson Infinity
Prize: $1500 of Printing or Canson Infinity Products
For this competition, a landscape is a photograph of natural scenery but may include people, or manmade elements, provided none of these additional elements dominates the photograph. Composite images, including stitched panoramas, are allowed as long as digital post-production is not a significant part of conveying the visual message.
Pet and Animal – Sponsored by Kayell
Prize: $1500 in Kayell Products
Entries must reflect the appearance, essence or personality of the pet or animal depicted in the image; partial capture of form or shape, rather than a whole animal, may be better off in creative categories. Humans may be seen; however, they should not be the main element of the image. Composite, non-composite and highly manipulated images are allowed in this category.
Portrait – Sponsored by Global Image Products
Prize: $1500 in Global Image Products
PLUS a $100 Gift Voucher for ALL Finalist Images
The purpose of a portrait photograph is to capture the subject’s essence and convey their personality, character, and story. Entries must include at least one person and may range from candid photographs to formal portraits of families, groups, and individuals. The full range of post-production and digital manipulation techniques, including composites, are permitted.
Wedding – Sponsored by Wacom
Prize: Wacom Cintiq 16 Tablet valued at $1000
Entries in the Wedding category must have been created in connection with an actual wedding event. Images should reflect the personality of the subject/s or illustrate the event’s story. Composite images are allowed as long as the digital postproduction is not a significant part of displaying the essence of the image. Commercial, Creative and Fashion images are not permitted in the Wedding category and should be entered into the Commercial or Creative categories. Images should represent the work a wedding photographer presents to their clients.
VIDEOGRAPHY CATEGORY RULES
VIDEOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by Zoom
Prize: $1000 in Zoom Audio Products
The overall 2023 Australian Videographer of the Year Prize winner will be selected from first-place winners of the Wedding, Family, and Creative videography categories. The winner will be selected by a panel of five highly skilled judges based on the assessment criteria and voting.
Wedding Videography Prize – Sponsored by Adobe
Prize: 12 Month Full Creative Cloud Membership
Entries in the Wedding Videography category must have been created in connection with an actual wedding event. Footage should reflect the personality of the subject/s or convey the event’s story. Still images are allowed as long as the still images make up less than 5% of the total length of the video. Commercial, Creative, and Fashion videos are not permitted in the Wedding category and should be entered into the Creative Videography category. Videos should represent the work a wedding filmmaker / videographer presents to their clients. (this has already been mentioned above)
Family Videography Prize – Sponsored by FilmingLife®
Prize: $1000 in FilmingLife® Services (mentoring and/or membership)
Submissions in the Family Videography category must focus on one or more humans, and/or their pets. The video should emphasise the subject(s) unique character, connection, love, or story. The subjects may be individuals or family members, such as parents, children, grandparents, or friends. Still images are allowed as long as the still images make up less than 5% of the total length of the video.
Creative Videography Prize – Sponsored by MusicBed
Prize: 1 Year Freelance Filmmaker Music Subscription
Let your imagination go wild with entries in the Creative Videography category. This could be through the unusual or creative combination of subjects, textures, colours, viewpoints, and video capture effects or through creative post-production special effects. Still images are allowed as long as the still images make up less than 5% of the total length of the video.
