Head On Photo Awards 2026: Stunning Photography Winners Revealed at Sydney's Premier Photo Festival

Liz Miller Kovacs "Gates of hell"

Sydney is celebrating the power of photography with the announcement of the winners of the 2026 Head On Photo Awards, as the Head On Photo Festival opens across the city from 6 to 29 November 2026.

Three extraordinary photographs have received the highest honours in the Portrait, Landscape and Exposure categories, recognising outstanding photographic talent from Australia and around the world.

The winning images explore powerful stories of identity, resilience, environmental challenges and extraordinary places, demonstrating how a single photograph can communicate stories that words sometimes cannot.

Three Outstanding Photographs Take Top Honours

Queensland photographer Sylvia Liber has won the Portrait Award for her moving photograph, The strength she stands in. The portrait features Aunty Lorraine, a proud Yuin/Gunai Kurnai Elder and senior Coomaditchie artist.

The photograph celebrates Aunty Lorraine's strength, dignity and resilience, capturing her quiet confidence and continuing contribution to her community. It is a powerful tribute to First Nations identity and the strength of women.

The Landscape Award has been presented to Germany-based photographer Liz Miller Kovacs for Gates of hell. Her striking photograph captures Turkmenistan's famous Darvaza Gas Crater, an extraordinary burning natural gas crater in the Karakum Desert that has been alight for more than 50 years.

Kovacs travelled hundreds of kilometres across the desert to capture this remarkable landscape, creating an image of one of the world's most unusual geological attractions.

Canberra-based photographer Fernanda Pedroso has received the Exposure Award for Plastic metamorphosis: wings of our consumption. Using long exposure and flash photography, Pedroso transforms plastic into what appears to be a delicate wing, highlighting the contrast between visual beauty and the environmental damage caused by plastic pollution.

Mayor of Waverley Prize Recognises Australian Stories

The Mayor of Waverley Prize has been awarded to photographer James Farr for Faces of the Outback, a portrait series honouring First Nations men he has encountered while travelling through remote Australia.

The series celebrates individual stories and the people who contribute to Australia's cultural identity.

Australian and International Photographers Recognised

Fernanda Pedroso "Plastic metamorphosis:
wings of our consumption"

The 2026 Head On Photo Awards also recognise outstanding runners-up across the three categories.

Portrait runners-up include Australian photographer Joy Mei En Lai for Ivor and Evelyn, featuring literary figures and Giramondo Publishing founders Ivor Indyk and Evelyn Juers, and South African and UK photographer Gideon Mendel for Jennifer May Nickel, portraying a Los Angeles woman in her wedding dress among the ruins of her home following wildfires.

In the Landscape category, Australian photographer Sonja de Sterke received runner-up recognition for Suspended Reefs, while France-based Azim Khan Ronnie was recognised for River of livelihoods, depicting wooden boats on Bangladesh's Jadukata River.

Exposure category runners-up include Australian photographer Gianluca Carretta for Resilience, featuring a critically endangered Bornean orangutan, and Italian photographer Mauro De Bettio for Caged, portraying a woman in Afghanistan holding a cage containing a dove.

Three Free Photography Exhibitions Across Sydney

Visitors can experience the winning photographs and 110 finalist works through three free exhibitions at prominent Sydney locations.

The Portrait exhibition is presented at Bondi Pavilion Gallery, the Landscape exhibition stretches along the Bondi Beach promenade, and the Exposure exhibition is displayed at Paddington Reservoir Gardens.

These locations provide wonderful opportunities for visitors and photography enthusiasts to explore exceptional international photography while enjoying some of Sydney's most attractive public spaces.

Head On Photo Festival Celebrates Photography Worldwide

Sylvia Liber "Aunty Lorraine"

Founded by Moshe Rosenzveig OAM, the Head On Photo Festival has become an important event on Australia's photography calendar.

The 2026 festival brings together more than 700 photographers from over 30 countries, presenting 93 free exhibitions across Sydney and Australia.

The program explores subjects including conflict, migration, identity, environmental issues and Australian life. Alongside the exhibitions, visitors can attend artist talks, panel discussions and workshops.

Head On Photo Festival Founder and Creative Director Moshe Rosenzveig said the winning photographs demonstrated the diversity of photographic storytelling being created around the world.

The 2026 Head On Photo Festival offers Sydney residents and visitors an excellent opportunity to discover inspiring photography, experience compelling visual storytelling and celebrate the work of talented photographers.

With free exhibitions at Bondi Beach, Bondi Pavilion and Paddington Reservoir Gardens, it is a worthwhile addition to Sydney's November arts and cultural calendar.

Head On Photo Festival 2026

Dates: 6–29 November 2026
Exhibition locations: 

• Bondi Pavilion Gallery, Bondi Beach – Portrait Awards. 
• Bondi Beach Promenade – Landscape Awards. 
• Paddington Reservoir Gardens – Exposure Awards.

Admission: Free.
Full Festival Program and Exhibition Information: https://headon.org.au
Website: https://headon.org.au

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