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Australian Life finalists capture the nation - from goats to grit in stunning photo stories

City of Sydney

A herd of lively goats, a mother and daughter navigating a complex school system and a final night of revelry in a Melbourne hotel are just some of the subjects featured in this year’s Australian Life photography competition.

 

Just 30 finalists were selected from 2,280 entries from across the country for the City of Sydney's annual competition.

 

For the second year, 10 of our finalists are from the 13 to 17-year-old category.

 

Images making up the over-18s category include:

 

• A Sea of Horns: Goats engulf themselves in dust as they are rounded up
• Alice and Frieda: A mother and daughter carry the weight of a complex school system
• Weekend Warriors: A woman dances at the Gasometer hotel one last time
• Riley Swanson on the Roma Southern Road: A young drover pauses on a remote stock route.

 

Images making up the under-18s category include:

 

• February Boat Carnival: Organised chaos at a surf boat competition
• The Quiet Part of Town: A near deserted street in Sydney’s city centre.

 

Matt Horspool, award-winning photographer and one of this year’s judges, said the quality of the entries left the panel with a difficult task.

 

“It was really challenging to narrow down the shots this year, as the shortlisted group was so strong that we needed to nitpick to whittle the finalists down to their current number,” Horspool said.

 

“The thing that stood out to me this year was the quality of the under-18 works. The creative eye that some of these young people have is astounding.”

 

The competition is open to amateur and professional photographers alike.

 

Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said the breadth of styles and creativity were always a delight.  

 

“We’ve been running this competition for more than 20 years and the quality of the work as well as the sheer range of subjects captured leave a deep impression,” the Lord Mayor said.

 

“It really is a privilege to be able to share these often incredibly intimate moments captured through the lens.”

 

“This incredible collection will be on display at Customs House Square in Circular Quay and the finalists will also be exhibited on our digital screens across the city.”

 

A panel of three judges – Matt Horspool, photographer Milly Hooper and last year’s winner Hank Paul will have the difficult decision of choosing the final winners.

 

The winner of the over-18s category will take home a $10,000 cash prize.

 

The first-place winner from teenage entrants will be awarded $2,000 in cash as well as an OM System professional pack worth around $2,500.

 

All finalists will have their images exhibited at Customs House Square from 31 July to 24 August and the winner will be revealed during the exhibition opening.

 

People can vote for their favourite image when the exhibition opens. A gallery of all Australian Life finalist images can also be viewed online.

 

The People’s Choice winner will take home an OM System prize worth $5,400. 

 

Australian Life is part of the City of Sydney’s Art & About program, which presents events and temporary art projects in unusual spaces. OM System is the official event partner.

 

To find out more about Australian Life go to artandabout.com.au.

 

For media enquiries or images, contact Nicky Breen

Phone 0436 599 861 or email [email protected]

 

For interviews with the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO contact Paul Mackay.

Phone 0436 816 604 or email [email protected] 

 

For more stories, visit City of Sydney News

 

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