William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize

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Applications close
14 June 2026
Announced
17 September 2026
Prize money
AUD $70,000
Location
VIC, Australia
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William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize

The prize invites entries from artists working with photography.

Entries for the Bowness Photography Prize will be considered from still photo-based media including analogue and digital photography, produced within the last year.

We’re pleased to announce an increase in the total prize pool to  $70,000

Prize Money

- $50,000 to the winner

- $2,500 x 2 Honourable Mentions

- $5,000 to the People's Choice

- $10,000 for the Wai Tang Commission

These changes have been enabled by a substantial philanthropic gift from the Bowness Family Foundation, which reinforces the prominence of the prize and cements the importance of photography into the future.

All finalists are eligible to be selected for the Wai Tang Commissioning Award, an initiative of the MAPh Foundation as part of the Bowness Photography Prize. The recipient will be awarded $10,000 in cash, with the opportunity to exhibit a body of work in the following year's Bowness Photography Prize exhibition. One finalist will also be voted as the winner of the $5000 Community Bank Pinewood People's Choice Award. Voting commences at the opening of the exhibition and can take place online or in person.

Venue: Museum of Australian Photography, Melbourne, VIC

Contact: for more information e: bowness@monash.vic.gov.au

Banner image: 2022 winner Amos Gebhardt

Summary
Application dates
16 April 2026 - 14 June 2026
Exhibition dates
12 September 2026 - 8 November 2026
Finalists notified
12 September 2026
Eligibility
National Entries
Prize frequency
Annual
Judges
Natasha Bullock, Senior Curator Photography at NGV; Petrina Hicks, Artist and previous Bowness Photography Prize winner; Anouska Phizacklea, MAPh Director.
Prize genre
Photography
Location
Museum of Australian Photography, Melbourne, VIC
VIC
Australia
Prizes
AUD $70,000
Fees
$55.00 per entry
Last updated
5 May 2026
Prior Winners
2025: Anna Higgins - Winner ($50,000)
2024: Robert Fielding - Winner ($30,000)
2023: Anne Zahalka - Winner ($30,000)
2022: Amos Gebhardt - Winner ($30,000)
2022: Paula Mahoney - Wai Tang Commissioning Award ($10,000)
2021: Lililian O'Neil - Winner ($30,000)
2020: Christian Thompson - Winner ($30,000)
2019: Katrin Koenning - Winner ($30,000)
2018: Hoda Afshar - Winner ($30,000)
2017: Nasim Nasr - People's Choice ($5,000)
2017: Polixeni Papapetrou - Winner ($30,000)
2016: Dasha Reiley - People's Choice ($1,000)
2016: Valerie Sparks - Winner ($25,000)