The Head On Photo Awards result are in, with photographer Marika Lortkipanidze winning the top prize, the Portrait Award, for her image The Invisible Doors.
Photo: Marika Lortkipanidze. Courtesy of the Head On Photo Awards.
The picture was captured during a theatre production adaptation of The Threepenny Opera, with the play depicting the ‘interaction between society and people with Down’s syndrome’.
‘It is meant to capture that, beyond the invisible door, there are people with the same desires and abilities to live their lives to the fullest – to love, fear, succeed, fail, and rise back up – like we all do. There is no place for boundaries or limits; all over the world, diversity helps to break them down.’
The prestigious Head On Photo Awards were announced on Friday, November 4, in front of a large crowd during the festival launch at the Bondi Pavilion in Sydney.
The contest includes three categories – Portrait, Landscape and Student. The prize for the Portrait and Landscape winners is $15,000, plus prize packs from the contest sponsors.
All finalist images appear in centre piece exhibitions at the Head On Photo Festival, which runs in Sydney until November 20. The festival includes a huge array of outdoor and venue-based photo exhibitions and installations, with two major venues at Bondi and Paddington, as well as online talks and workshops.
There are also two tiers of runner-ups, international and Australian.
Here they are:
Portrait Award
Australian Portrait runner-up, Lily, her daughter’s hand. ‘A portrait of Lily as she feeds her youngest daughter, who reaches for her face and traces her lips as she nurses. (Sunshine Coast, Queensland) Photo: Amy Woodward.
International Portrait runner-up, The Special Eagles. ‘Four members of the Special Eagles, the Nigerian amputee football team, spend time on the beach outside Lagos.’ Photo: Jack Lawson.
Landscape Award
Landscape Award winner, A few metres from eternity. ‘Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) is a land of contrasts and extremes, where the harsh climate perpetually combines with the sublime. Its landscapes touch, challenge and fascinate us with their beauty and strength. A stunning silence reigns supreme and exposes a quiet vulnerability. Everything seems limitless, bordering on the divine. Nature performs a spectacular cycle, with ever-renewed energy. The power of these raw landscapes speaks to us, intimidates us, and reminds us of the extraordinary storyof the world’s creation.’ Photo: Antoine Buttafoghi.
Australian Landscape runner-up. ‘In April 2022, a twice-bombed chemical factory smoulders on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine.’ Photo: Diego Fedele.
Landscape International runner-up. Photo: Jodie James.
Student
Student winner, Me. I have never taken a picture of myself. Despite years of obsession with photography, I have always wanted to be behind the camera, not in front of it. After I took this photo, I wanted to edit my freckles, my eyebrows, my chin – everything I saw in myself that I disliked. I think that learning to like how I look is important, especially as a teenager. That’s why I left the photo unedited; I wanted it to be me. Photo: Leila Middleton.
Be First to Comment