Exciting developments are afoot for this year's Bowness Photography Prize at the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh)! It's now in its 20th year, and we're seeing some significant changes that establish the prize as the richest award for photography in Australia.
Artists will now be paid to show their work in the Bowness Photography Prize exhibition — all finalists will receive loan fees, and the prize's guest judges will also be paid. The award winner will be the happy recipient of $50,000, and the two Honourable Mentions will be awarded $2500 each. A substantial philanthropic gift from the Bowness Family Foundation has enabled these developments, which have grown from an initial gift from the Bowness family in 2006, establishing the first William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize.
A landmark art prize, the Bowness Photography Prize was the first of its kind in Australia, championing photography as an art form.
Shortlisted artists are also supported with discounts in printing, framing and transport with MAPh's industry partners, and may be selected as recipient of the $5000 Community Bank Pinewood People's Choice Award, and the $10,000 Wai Tang Commissioning Award — for which the artist receives not only a cash prize but also the opportunity to exhibit a body of work alongside the next year's Bowness Photography Prize exhibition.
Artists at all stages of their career are encouraged to apply. If you're working with photography, it's worth getting your work in front of some of the field's most significant names.
This year MAPh welcomes Shaune Lakin (Senior Curator of Photography, NGA) and Anne Zahalka (photomedia artist and Bowness Photography Prize winner, 2023) as guest judges, joining MAPh Director Anouska Phizacklea.
Entries close 11.59pm Friday 13 June.
You can find all the details here: FAQs, T&Cs and the submission portal.
