Schools Photographic Competition

The Friends have run an annual photographic competition for school and college students over the last 24 years. This 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.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of the Gardens earlier this year, the Friends did not held the competition in 2020 or 2021. Instead, 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.

2022 Competition – cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 impacts

Sadly, the 2022 competition has also been cancelled. The ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools have made it impossible for young photographers to visit, and for the competition organisers to arrange for the judging, awards and exhibition of prizewinners.

The Friends understand how disappointing this decision will be for students, schools, and the wider community of photographers and supporters of the Gardens. We remain determined to hold the competition as soon as it is safe and practical to do so.

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

1^st
House Made of Sticks
Samuel Wagner, Aranda Primary

2^nd
Butterfly Breeze
Lily Werner, Aranda Primary

3^rd
Floral Firework
Hugo Potter, Maribynong Primary

Primary: Monochrome

1^st
Banksia
Alyse Rooney, Hawker Primary

Secondary: Monochrome

1^st
Monochrome Bird
Ky Trotter, Canberra College

2^nd
Sun Baking
Erin Duncan, Canberra High School

3^rd
Fading ln
Thomas Price, Canberra College

4^th
Shell
Isobelle Laing, Telopea Park School

5^th
Monochrome 2
Jared Parsons, Dickson College

Secondary: Colour

1^st
Sweden
Riley Wilson, Canberra High School

2^nd
Looking at Me
Netti Nguyen, Canberra High School

3^rd
Flightless
Cameron Colebrook, UCSSC Lake Ginninderra

4^th
Nature's Favourite
Ellen Johnson, Canberra High School

5^th
Foggy Love
Imogen O’Brien, Canberra High School

Secondary: Altered Reality

1^st
Dripping Bottle Brush
Amy Lancaster, UCSSC Lake Ginninderra

2^nd
Waltz of the Flowers
Roberta Vagnarelli, Canberra High School

3^rd
Virtual Nature
Isabella Quan, Erindale College

4^th
Cloudless Day Orange Sand
William Loughton, Canberra College

5^th
Waterwise
Cameron Colebrook, UCSSC Lake Ginninderra

Schools of first and second prize winners

Hawker Primary	Primary: Monochrome – 1^st
Aranda Primary	Primary: Colour – 1^st and 2^nd
Canberra College	Secondary: Monochrome – 1^st
Canberra High School	Secondary: Monochrome – 2^nd Colour – 1^st and 2^nd Altered Reality – 2^nd
UCSSC Lake Ginninderra	Secondary: Altered Reality – 1^st