Australian Life photography competition 2024

From the epic to the intimate, the harsh to the fragile, Australia holds so many vastly different experiences for people.

We want you to show us what Australian Life looks like through your lens.

You can capture any aspect of Australia from everyday occurrences to fleeting moments, unusual places, intriguing characters, the diversity of cultures or subcultures, celebrations, or rituals, natural or artificial environments.

For the first time, entrants aged 13 years and older can enter the competition.

A total of 28 finalists will be selected to have their work displayed in an outdoor exhibition in Circular Quay from 1 August to 25 August.

Grand prize

A distinguished panel of judges will select winners in the following categories:

• Over 18 – $10,000 grand prize

• Under 18 – $2,000 cash and 1 x OM-5 Camera + 12-45mm F4.0 PRO Lens RRP $2,499

People’s choice award

The people’s choice award invites everyone to vote for their favourite during the exhibition.

The photographer who receives the most votes will receive an OM-1 Mark II Camera and 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II Lens valued at over $5,300.

The award is open to Australian Life entrants from both categories.

How to enter

Enter up to 2 images online by midnight on Sunday 21 April.

Please read the image specifications and Australian Life terms and conditions before entering for your best shot at becoming a finalist and winning the top prize.

Image specifications

• All works must be created with a camera (phone camera accepted).

• All works must not use or include any synthetic or artificially generated images or elements (including generative fill in post-production).

• All works must not have been created or developed, in whole or in part, using any generative artificial intelligence tools.

• Any editing of entries should maintain the integrity of the original image’s content and context.

• All works are required in landscape orientation to be exhibited horizontally.

• Provide JPEG files no greater than 5MB.

• Ensure your images are of sufficiently high quality and well-exposed, sharp and clear with good contrast for reproduction and printing. If you’re chosen as a finalist, we may require a higher resolution image.

• Finalist images will be reproduced for the exhibition to the scale of around 3:2 ratio 1860mm high by 2800mm wide.

• Finalists will be notified of any changes to final exhibition dimensions.

• You may also share a print or transparency.

• Entries won’t be cropped if they fulfil the ratio and size, compatible with the 35mm format.

• If your work does require cropping, please supply the layout and cropping details with your entry.

• Digital files for finalist images should be set at 75 DPI RGB TIFF or grayscale for black and white.

• The image must have been captured between 11 March 2023 and 21 April 2024.

Terms and conditions

Please read Australian Life terms and conditions before entering for your best shot at winning.

Enter now

The Australian Life photography competition is sponsored by OM SYSTEM

Image credit: On the way to Inspections, Samuel Ferris, Grand Prize Winner 2023