The Friends have run an annual photographic competition for school and college students for over two decades. It is a great way to encourage young people to express their appreciation of Australian native plants through artistic creativity. In doing so, young photographers have an opportunity to explore and enjoy these wonderful Botanic Gardens – the world’s most comprehensive collection of Australian cultivated plants.
The impact of COVID-19 led to the Friends suspending the competition between 2020 and 2023. In 2020 there was a retrospective exhibition of first-prize-winning entries from the past 23 years on show in November at the ANBG Visitor Centre Gallery. We are now delighted to announced that the competition will be held in 2024.
24th Photographic Competition for students
The competition is open to students attending Australian primary or secondary schools or colleges. It provides an excellent opportunity for students to become aware of the value and beauty of the ANBG and, by exercising their photographic skills, to share that beauty with other visitors.
All entries must be your digital photographs, taken in the ANBG between 30 August 2023 and 30 August 2024, featuring some aspect of the Gardens such as plants, wildlife or scenery. Entries will be submitted online.
If you are looking for places to walk in the gardens maybe the following may give some ideas:
Flowers Fruit and Foliage https://friendsanbg.org.au/FlowersFruitFoliage
Aboriginal Plant Use Trail https://parksaustralia.gov.au/botanic-gardens/pub/aboriginal-plant-use.pdf
Eucalypt discovery walk https://parksaustralia.gov.au/botanic-gardens/pub/eucalypt-walk-flyer.pdf
Daily Guided Walks are at 11am and 2pm.
Closing date: 5pm Friday 30th August 2024. Submitting entries before the closing date is encouraged in order to avoid potential technical congestion on the closing date.
Download the information sheets for secondary schools & colleges (PDF, 254KB) and for primary schools (PDF, 254KB).
Download the competition poster (PDF, 3.76 MB) and share it with your other friends and networks. This poster (and the page below) features photographs by students who won a place in previous years’ competitions.
Entry categories
| Secondary schools & colleges Years 7—12 |
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Primary schools |
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Cropping, straightening, exposure adjustment and minor technical adjustments are permitted in all categories.
Each student is allowed one entry per category (up to 3 entries in total for secondary students and 2 entries for primary students).
Prizes
Cash prizes will be awarded for places in each category:
| Award to student | Award to school or college | |
| First Prize | $250 | $200 |
| Second Prize | $150 | $100 |
| Third Prize | $100 | $50 |
Certificates may also be presented. Prize winners’ schools will be awarded celebratory native plants, too.
Exhibition and awards
Prize-winning and selected other entries will be on display in the Banksia Garden of the Australian National Botanic Gardens from Saturday 28 September to Sunday 27 October 2024. The selected photographs will be exhibited at A3 size.
Presentation of prizes will be at 12 noon, Saturday 28 September 2024.
For further information please email: schoolphoto@friendsanbg.org.au
2019 prizewinners
Prizes were awarded to the 2019 competition winners on Sunday 3 November by the judges Graham Gall and Jim Gould, members of the Friends of the ANBG Photography Group. Congratulations all!
Primary: Colour
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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Primary: Monochrome
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1st
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Secondary: Monochrome
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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4th
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5th
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Secondary: Colour
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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4th
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5th
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Secondary: Altered Reality
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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4th
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5th
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Schools of first and second prize winners
| Hawker Primary | Primary: Monochrome – 1st |
| Aranda Primary | Primary: Colour – 1st and 2nd |
| Canberra College | Secondary: Monochrome – 1st |
| Canberra High School |
Secondary: Monochrome – 2nd Colour – 1st and 2nd Altered Reality – 2nd |
| UCSSC Lake Ginninderra | Secondary: Altered Reality – 1st |
Previous competition prizewinners
Prize-winning and highly-commended photos from recent competitions are available here online. Click on an image to see a larger version.
