Head On Photo Awards 2026 – Entries open
Submit photographs across three categories (Landscape, Portrait, Exposure) for international competition with AUD$80,000 in prizes and exhibition opportunities.
Does this fit your work? 5 questions score every call to your medium, location and budget. Free.
Get matched →- Deadline
- 20 days left
- Entry fee
- $35
- Award
- $80,000
- Location
- Head On Photo Festival 2026, Sydney
- Exhibition window
- Nov 1, 2026
About
Overview
Head On Photo Awards offer an AUD$80,000 prize pool. Open to photographers of every level and judged completely anonymously on merit alone, the Awards celebrate the world's best photography from phone snapshots and studio work to compelling documentary photography. Since 2004, over $1,000,000 in cash and prizes have been awarded.
Three Categories
- Landscape Awards: large vista images of natural environment (land or sea), urban or industrial settings; may include incidental people
- Portrait Awards: images featuring or reflecting the essence of a person or group; group portraits, self-portraits, and collages accepted
- Exposure Awards: any genre, style, technique, or medium beyond portrait and landscape (fine art, fashion, wildlife, street, food, sports, still life, architecture, etc.)
Entry Fees
- General entry: AUD$35 (approx. USD$25 | €22)
- Festival Friends: AUD$25 (approx. USD$18 | €16)
- Under 25: AUD$17.50 (approx. USD$13 | €11)
Key Dates
- Entries close: 16 August, 11:59 pm (Sydney time)
- Winners announced at Head On Photo Festival 2026 launch in Sydney (November)
Awards & Prizes
- Overall winner per category: AUD$5,000 cash, premium OM Systems Camera Kit, 12-month Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, Photobook Australia printing package, premium magazine subscriptions
- Runners-up per category: 12-month Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, Photobook Australia printing package, premium magazine subscriptions
- 40 finalists (Landscape and Portrait categories), 30 finalists (Exposure category) featured in printed and online exhibitions
- 200 semi-finalists shown in digital exhibition at festival venue
- All finalists included in hard-cover catalogue at no additional cost
Exhibition & Touring
Finalists' exhibitions and semi-finalists' slideshow open to the public during Head On Photo Festival 2026 at key Festival venues. Head On team curates, designs, and produces exhibitions; Head On Foundation covers costs. Beyond the festival, touring opportunities are actively sought internationally (exhibitions have toured to Perth, Margaret River, China, USA, New Zealand, and Switzerland).
Judging Process
100% anonymous judging ensures equal opportunity—work is judged without artists' names, so gear and resume do not matter; only the image is evaluated.
Hardcover Catalogue
A limited edition high-quality 20×20cm hardcover book of finalists' work is produced each year, with a full page for each photograph. Inclusion is at no additional cost to finalists and is available at the Festival Hub or online store.
- Award
- AUD$80,000 prize pool including AUD$15,000 in cash, camera kits, Adobe subscriptions, and publishing packages; overall winners receive AUD$5,000 cash plus premium products per category.
- Entry fee
- General entry AUD$35 (approx. USD$25 | €22); Festival Friends AUD$25 (approx. USD$18 | €16); Under 25 AUD$17.50 (approx. USD$13 | €11)
- Theme
- Three distinct categories: Landscape (natural environment, urban, or industrial settings with incidental people); Portrait (images featuring or reflecting the essence of persons or groups, including self-portraits and collages); and Exposure (any genre, style, technique, or subject beyond portrait and landscape, including fine art, fashion, wildlife, street, food, sports, still life, architecture, and more).
- Eligibility
- Open internationally to photographers of all levels.
- Audience
- Open to photographers of every level internationally
Every listing links to the organizer's official page. Always confirm deadlines, fees, and entry rules there before you apply.