ABOUT HEAD ON PHOTO AWARDS
Since 2004 we have helped photographers worldwide to create, exhibit and inspire, awarding over $930,000 in cash and prizes.
The Head On Photo Awards represent a global selection of the best work from emerging and established photographers across three categories:
Portrait | Landscape | Exposure
The Head On Portrait, Landscape and Exposure Awards are open INTERNATIONALLY to photographers of all levels.
General entry
AUD$30 entry fee per photo.
(Approximately US$20 or €19 per photo).
Entries close: 11:59pm (AEST), 27 July 2025.
Awards summary
- Judged without artists’ names to ensure equal opportunity
- $75,000 prize pool – cash and product
- One overall winner and two runners-up per category
- 100 finalists
- 200 semi-finalists shown in a digital exhibition
- Featured exhibition of all finalists’ works in Head On Photo Festival 2025 in print and online
- Inclusion in the Head On Photo Awards 2025 hard-cover catalogue
The Head On Photo Awards puts your photos on the world stage!
“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, past finalist
EXPOSURE AWARDS
The Head On Exposure Awards reveal new perspectives. Photographers are invited to unleash their creativity and submit their most important work, of any genre, style, technique, or medium, beyond the portrait and lLandscape categories
Entries may be of any subject and may fit into any field of photography such as fine art, fashion, wildlife, street, food, sports, still life, pet, travel, architecture, advertising and more. Portraits and landscapes should be entered in their respective categories.
- 20 finalists
- 1 winner
- 1 Australian runner-up
- 1 international runner-up
The overall winner will receive
- AUD$5,000 cash
- Camera kit – OM-1 Mark II + 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO RRP AUD$5,898
See the 2024 Exposure Awards finalists
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.
- 40 finalists
- 1 winner
- 1 Australian runner-up
- 1 international runner-up
The overall winner will receive
- AUD$5,000 cash
- Camera kit – OM-1 Mark II + 45mm F1.2 Pro RRP AUD$5,698
See the 2024 Head On Portrait Awards finalists.
See more: 15 portrait photographers you should know and 14 most influential portrait photographers
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’.
- 40 finalists
- 1 winner
- 1 Australian runner-up
- 1 international runner-up
The overall winner will receive
- AUD$5,000 cash
- Camera kit – OM-1 Mark II + 7-14mm F2.8 Pro RRP AUD$5,798
See the 2023 Head On Landscape awards finalists.
See more: 13 inspirational urban landscape photographers and 10 women landscape photographers.
General entry
AUD$30 entry fee per photo.
(Approximately US$20 or €19 per photo).
Entries close: 11:59pm (AEST), 27 July 2025.
Additional benefits
The Head On Photo Awards 2025 winners share an incredible prize pool in excess of $75,000, including $18,000 in cash. All finalists have their work exhibited in print and online in Head On Photo Festival 2025!
Winners will be announced in November at the Festival Launch in Sydney.
Benefits for all finalists (all categories)
- their printed image will be included in the ever-popular Finalists exhibition at Head On Photo Festival 2025
- inclusion in the Head On Photo Awards 2025 book publication at no additional cost
- a dedicated webpage on headon.org.au
- Head On pursues further exhibition/publication opportunities
SEMI-FINALISTS
200 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 2025 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 and 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 attend the Head On Photo Festival launch each year, a celebratory event centred around the announcement of the Head On Photo Awards winners.
General entry
AUD$30 entry fee per photo.
(Approximately US$20 or €19 per photo).
Entries close: 11:59pm (AEST), 27 July 2025.
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 is comprised of 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.
2025 international judging panel
- Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova (USA), Founder of Women Street Photographers
- Richard Glover (Australia), architectural photographer
- Sunyoung KIM (South Korea), Curator, Museum Hanmi
- Moshe Rosenzveig OAM (Australia), Founder and Creative Director, Head On Photo Festival
- Michelle Aboud (Australia), fashion photographer
- Tim Levy (Australia), Editor, Capture magazine
- Wayne Quilliam (Australia), photographer and curator
- Debra Klomp Ching (USA) – New York Gallerist and Educator
- Toby Smith (UK) – Director of Development at Belfast Photo Festival
General entry
AUD$30 entry fee per photo.
(Approximately US$20 or €19 per photo).
Entries close: 11:59pm (AEST), 27 July 2025.
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 2025 Awards categories are Portrait, Landscape, and Exposure.
Can I enter into more than one Awards category?
Yes, you may enter more than one category. 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!
What is the cut-off for the under-25 discount?
You need to be under 25 on 27 July 2025 to be eligible for the discount. If your work is selected as a Finalist or semi-finalist, we may request proof of date of birth.
How many finalists will be selected in each category?
The Portrait and Landscape Awards will nominate 40 finalists and the inaugural Exposure Awards will nominate 20 finalists. All finalists will be included in the Finalist Exhibitions as part of Head On Photo Festival 2025.
What is the cash prize?
In each Awards category, there is a $5,000 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. There is also a $500 cash prize for the two runners-up in each category.
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 Stripe gateway at the time of entry.
General entry
AUD$30 entry fee per photo.
(Approximately US$20 or €19 per photo).
Entries close: 11:59pm (AEST), 27 July 2025.
Head On Photo Festival 2025
The Head On Photo Festival 2025 is back this November, transforming Sydney into a photography haven with major exhibitions