William & Winifred Bowness Photography Prize: Finalist

Ali Tahayori, Jill Orr

13 Sep - 9 Nov 2025

Fifty outstanding works have been selected as finalists for the 2025 William & Winifred Bowness Photography Prize, one of Australia’s highest regarded photography prizes.

The nominated works come from more than 750 entries to the 20th Bowness Photography Prize. They offer a compelling view of what’s happening in contemporary photography in Australia, with competing artists exploring every dimension of how to make a photograph. Glass, metal, paper and screens feature among the surfaces and textures of these artworks, utilised to powerful effect. This year the prize winnings have grown to a total of $70,000, an increase made possible due to a generous one-million-dollar gift from the Bowness Family Foundation. This gift establishes the prize as Australia’s richest award for photography and cements the importance of photographic practice into the future.
The winner of the prize will receive $50,000, and their work will be acquired into MAPh’s collection. The judges will also select two Honourable Mentions, who will each receive $2500. The artist selected for the Wai Tang Commissioning Award will receive $10,000 and the opportunity to exhibit a body of work throughout next year’s Bowness Photography Prize season. The Community Bank Pinewood People’s Choice winner will be awarded a $5000 cash prize: voting will commence from the exhibition’s opening night. Click here for more information.