Queensland photographer Dasha Riley has been named Australian Photography's 2015 Photographer of the Year, winning $6,000 in cash, an Olympus OM-D camera package valued at $1599, and a WD package valued at $895.
The 2015 Photographer of the Year, presented by Olympus, was open to amateur photographers in Australia and New Zealand and offered the largest prize pool in the three-year history of the competition totalling $18,500 in cash and prizes.
The competition asked photographers to submit a portfolio of six images on any of four topics – Landscape, Nature, Black & White and Portrait. When the competition closed on November 11 it had attracted more than 1000 entries comprising 6070 images.
Two new categories were introduced in 2015 for photographers aged under 18; Junior Landscape and Junior Portrait.
The 2015 Photographer of the Year was judged by 11 of Australia's leading professional photographers: Tamara Dean, Justin Gilligan, Paul Hoelen, Josh Holko, Drew Hopper, David Knight, Nick Melidonis, Anthony McKee, Mandarine Montgomery, David Stowe and Tobias Titz.
To everyone who entered, well done! We hope you got something out of the experience and you'll be back – bigger and better – when the competition returns in 2016!
Finally, a huge thank you to our major sponsor Olympus, and category sponsors – Camera House, EIZO, WD and Zenfolio – for making the competition possible.
Entries for the 2016 competition open in mid 2016 – stay tuned for more information.
Note: In the February issue of Australian Photography we announced that Graeme Guy had won the 2015 Photographer of the Year and Nature Photographer of the Year. Regrettably, while Graeme is a New Zealand national, as a resident of Malaysia, he does not meet the terms and conditions of the competition which state 'to be eligible to win a prize the entrant must be a resident of Australia or New Zealand'. This should not take away from the amazing portfolio submitted by Graeme, and it is important to note that Graeme was always open about his residential status. While we sought assurances from all winners and runners up that they met the competition criteria, including amateur status, we failed to recognise that although Graeme is a New Zealand national, the fact he resides in Malaysia made him ineligible to win the prize. We apologise for this oversight.
The shortlist
2015 Photographer of the Year
Dasha Riley
2015 Landscape Photographer of the Year
Diana Yong
Runner up: Ann Doljanin
2015 Portrait Photographer of the Year
Dasha Riley
Runner up: Helen Whittle
2015 Nature Photographer of the Year
Jorgen Rasmussen
Runner up: Nick Terry
2015 Black and White Photographer of the Year
Douwe Dijkstra
Runner up: Steven Fudge
2015 Junior Landscape Photographer of the Year
Ronald Pollard
Runner up: Olivia Donovan
2015 Junior Portrait Photographer of the Year
Ana Burenkova
Runner up: Hamish Cowan
© Dasha Riley
Dasha started out as a painter and discovered photography in 2013 when a friend suggested a photo course. In most of her images, her daughter Julia is photographed against a series of hand painted backdrops.
© Diana Yong
Diana Yong's winning images were taken over The Western District Lakes, Victoria.
© Jorgen Rasmussen
Wildlife photographer Jorgen Rasmussen's portfolio featured humpback whales near the Vava'u Island group in Tonga.
© Douwe Djikstra
Douwe's images, shot around Sydney, were captured with an iPhone. "It's instant, it allows me to process images on the spot and share them with the world." he says.
© Ronald Pollard
Ronald's images, captured throughout Australia, are remarkable for such a young talent. Just 17, Ronald's portfolio caught the judges' attention with his striking compositions and use of tone and colour.
© Ana Burenkova
16 year old Ana Burenkova was overwhelming first choice in the junior portrait category, with 5 of 6 judges awarding her their top mark.
© Ann Doljanin
Runner up in the landscape category, Ann Doljanin's urban landscapes prove there is much wonder in even the most mundane subjects. Her images were taken around Brisbane's industrial areas.
© Helen Whittle
Runner up in the portrait category, Helen Whittle's portraits prove you don't need experienced models or expensive lighting - her portraits feature her's and her friends' children.