Australia’s premier destination for stunning photography, Head On Foundation brings you the Head On Photo Festival every November in Sydney. We showcase outstanding, carefully curated photography featuring photography you may not see elsewhere. Stories of diverse human experiences conveying joy, heartbreak, triumph and despair.
We transform outdoor public spaces into vibrant photo galleries accessible to everyone, reaching nearly half a million people from all backgrounds across our local communities.
Beyond the festival we produce a digital magazine, regional workshops, webinars, thought-provoking conversations and touring exhibitions, supported by collaborations both nationally and internationally.
Diversity and inclusion guide everything we do. We select festival photos through a blind process — without knowing the artists’ names — a practice that has earned us global respect.
For 2025, we received an incredible 700+ exhibition applications from artists of over 50 cultures telling powerful stories that connect with our audience, sparking feelings of empathy, awe, and inspiration.
You can join our community too.
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Explore past festivals

2004-2009 Head On Portrait Prize
The precursor to the Head On Photo Festival
Head On Foundation acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work and live. We pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future, and extend this to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.


Entries open
The Head On Photo Awards offer a $80,000 prize pool. It represents a global selection of the best work from emerging and established photographers.