We are an organisation dedicated to discovering, promoting and encouraging new and exciting imagery being produced by Australian photographers. We achieve this through awards, publication, exhibition, community engagement and educational programs.
Each week we showcase Australian photography through our social media channels, inspiration section on our website and through our weekly newsletter. Collectively our community reaches over 200,000 visitors each year. We believe that photography has the potential to bring people together and promote diversity and understanding. We build arts communities and initiatives which are accessible regardless of status or experience level. We are proud of our history of discovering new and emerging photographers alongside established artists.
WE ACHIEVE THIS THROUGH OUR INITIATIVES:
Australian Photography Awards (APA) is an annual photographic competition which calls for stand alone imagery. Since launching in 2016 APA has grown to become one of the largest and most celebrated photographic awards in Australia. Each year we continue to bush the boundary in both originality and inclusiveness
The Fox Darkroom & Gallery (Fox) is a community activated space located in Melbourne’s inner west suburb of Kensington. Since launching in 2014, Fox has grown to become an important outpost for the public to engage in the photographic arts through exhibitions, artist talks, tours and an educational program specialising in traditional photographic techniques
Stories was launched in 2020. This initiative celebrates important long-formed photographic narratives made by Australian photographers. Along with a digital platform, the Stories Journal featured our shortlisted 30 stories in print publication
WHO WE ARE
APA Directors Tom Goldner & Harriet Tarbuck
Through Fox, APA and Stories we have composed a diverse network of collaborators ranging from some of Australia’s most established visual artists to emerging voices of the next generation. Each year we are proud to expand this network with the aim of ensuring all of Australia can feel represented within this space.
Our in-house team is made up of Harriet Tarbuck & Tom Goldner (Creative Directors), Stephen Ryan (Web and Design) and Angus Scott (Content and Communications). It is the power of a large community revolving around a small core team which enables us to consistently progress our initiatives each year. Together we are dedicated to fostering all-accessible photographic and arts practices to the public in the way of community spaces, education and award recognition.
You can read more about the 2020 Australian Photography Awards Committee on our Committee Page.
THE AWARDS
Since launching in 2016 APA has continually pushed the boundaries of originality, inclusiveness and diversity through a celebration of Australian photography.
We are proud of our rich history of discovering and amplifying emerging talent amidst some of Australia’s most established visual artists. In 2020 we continue our journey alongside an impressive committee of photographers, visual artists, photojournalists, picture editors, educators and curators to help us on our mission to become Australia’s most original, diverse and inclusive photographic organisation. Our 2020 categories include portrait, landscape, wildlife / animal, documentary, travel / street and open / illustrative along with student and junior (13 and under). This year we offer a massive prize pool of Nikon and Fujifilm cameras, Momento Pro vouchers, Kayell lighting kits and cash prizes along with the opportunity to have your work celebrated nationally through the APA Annual publication.
The rights of our entrants are at the forefront of everything we do at APA. This is why every entry is given full consideration regardless of notoriety or status and our terms and conditions put our entrants rights first.
Now more than ever we believe that photography is a powerful medium for bringing people together and promoting understanding. This year we are searching for photography that allows us to see the world from a unique perspective, photography which is original and honest, photography which challenges us and asks difficult questions, photography that tells us a bigger story.
EXHIBITIONS
APA and Fox have a long history of organising events in celebration of photography. From hosting established international photographers to local emerging artists and covering exhibitions, book launches, film screenings, artist talks and award nights.
In the same year as launching APA, Fox Darkroom became Fox Darkroom & Gallery through the inclusion of a gallery space at the Kensington premises.
In the years since, Fox has hosted some of the most exciting artists and collectives in Australia through its exhibition program. Alongside exhibitions, the Fox Gallery has become a hub for artist talks, book launches, group shows and specialty workshops.
APA continues to bring photographers together through award nights, online artist talks and events both independently and in collaboration with sponsors. The 2019 Awards Presentation hosted by Sun Studios in Melbourne saw hundreds of guests in attendance to partake in the celebration of Australian photography.
EDUCATION
Since 2014 Fox and APA have been operating workshops in Melbourne, regional Australia, internationally and online.
Each year the team delivers a program consisting of analogue specific educational programs delivered in Melbourne by Fox, national and international workshops delivered in regional Victoria, New South Wales and Cambodia alongside an online mentorship program and education portal.
Previous international workshops have also travelled to France and Switzerland to give participants a once-in-a-lifetime landscape photography experience in the European Alps.
In 2020 our workshop program has been dedicated to delivering online material to artists restricted by COVID-19 with options ranging from portfolio reviews to an all inclusive 6 week mentorship designed to assist emerging artists in developing their project ideas.
PUBLICATION
The APA publication lineup is an expanding repertoire of annual photography books to commemorate Australian photography for the years to come.
In 2019 we launched our first ever publication in the form of the APA Annual, a 72 page photographic book featuring all the finalist and winning images from the years award program. In 2020, we followed up with the Stories Journal, similar in concept but differing from the APA Annual in that it is more tailored towards photographic narrative to represent the award which it represents.
Both the APA Annual and the Stories Journal are as much a celebration of contemporary photography as they are a record of the year in which they are published. As the world continues to consume ever more digital media, we believe in the power of print to anchor a tangible means of exploring the past for futures both near and distant.
Created in collaboration with our sponsor Momento Pro, the 2019 APA Annual and the 2020 Stories Journal are available for order through our shop. It is through your lens, and the lens of our community that will shape the 2020 APA Annual and all of our publications for the years to come. These books are your record, and the record of contemporary photography by Australian photographers everywhere.
