Anthony Lawrence, 'Landscapes of Biei, Japan'. Overall Winner, 2019 Photographer of the Year. Winner, 2019 Landscape Photographer of the Year.
Anthony Lawrence, 'Landscapes of Biei, Japan'. Overall Winner, 2019 Photographer of the Year. Winner, 2019 Landscape Photographer of the Year.
Anthony Lawrence, 'Landscapes of Biei, Japan'. Overall Winner, 2019 Photographer of the Year. Winner, 2019 Landscape Photographer of the Year.
Anthony Lawrence, 'Landscapes of Biei, Japan'. Overall Winner, 2019 Photographer of the Year. Winner, 2019 Landscape Photographer of the Year.
Allen Koppe, 'Sails in the sky', 2019 Black and White Photographer of the Year.
Allen Koppe, 'Sails in the sky', 2019 Black and White Photographer of the Year.
Allen Koppe, 'Sails in the sky', 2019 Black and White Photographer of the Year.
Allen Koppe, 'Sails in the sky', 2019 Black and White Photographer of the Year.
Henry Howard, 'View from Afar', 2019 Junior Photographer of the Year.
Henry Howard, 'View from Afar', 2019 Junior Photographer of the Year.
Henry Howard, 'View from Afar', 2019 Junior Photographer of the Year.
Henry Howard, 'View from Afar', 2019 Junior Photographer of the Year.
Ethan Mann, 'The Wild Backyard', 2019 Wildlife and Animal Photographer of the Year.
Ethan Mann, 'The Wild Backyard', 2019 Wildlife and Animal Photographer of the Year.
Ethan Mann, 'The Wild Backyard', 2019 Wildlife and Animal Photographer of the Year.
Ethan Mann, 'The Wild Backyard', 2019 Wildlife and Animal Photographer of the Year.
Alice Mariette, 'The many shadows of Mr 4', 2019 People and Portrait Photographer of the Year.
Alice Mariette, 'The many shadows of Mr 4', 2019 People and Portrait Photographer of the Year.
Alice Mariette, 'The many shadows of Mr 4', 2019 People and Portrait Photographer of the Year.
Alice Mariette, 'The many shadows of Mr 4', 2019 People and Portrait Photographer of the Year.
Luke Fazekas, 'Streets of Pyongyang', 2019 Travel Photographer of the Year.
Luke Fazekas, 'Streets of Pyongyang', 2019 Travel Photographer of the Year.
Luke Fazekas, 'Streets of Pyongyang', 2019 Travel Photographer of the Year.
Luke Fazekas, 'Streets of Pyongyang', 2019 Travel Photographer of the Year.
Jakob Kennedy, 'Snowshowmen', 2019 Action Photographer of the Year.
Jakob Kennedy, 'Snowshowmen', 2019 Action Photographer of the Year.
Jakob Kennedy, 'Snowshowmen', 2019 Action Photographer of the Year.
Jakob Kennedy, 'Snowshowmen', 2019 Action Photographer of the Year.
Alex Ham, 'Toxic Beauty', 2019 Photo of the Year.

Updated: 2019 Photographer of the Year presented by Panasonic: Winners, runners up and top entries in each category

6 February 2020

From mysterious shadow portraits to amazing aerials, stunning images of the ocean to the creatures inhabiting a Sunshine Coast backyard, the winners of the 2019 Photographer of the Year presented by Panasonic have been announced.

The annual competition, now in its seventh year, is the largest competition for amateur photographers in Australasia, and for 2019 had a prize pool of more than $25,000 across eight categories – Landscape, Wildlife and Animal, People and Portrait, Black and White, Travel, Action, Photo of the Year and Junior.

The overall title of Photographer of the Year 2019 was awarded to Melbourne obstetrician and gynaecologist Anthony Lawrence, for his beautifully stark series Winter in Biei Japan. The series was a tribute he says, ‘to the simple elegance inherent in Japanese culture.’

For the judges, it was a popular series in what is always the most fiercely competitive genre—landscape. Judge Douwe Dijkstra said the images portray a sense of peace and zen in a freezing environment.

“These are a wonderful series of Japanese winterscapes, with minimal hints of colour creating an almost monochrome mood.”

As overall winner, Lawrence takes home a prize pack valued at more than $10,000, including a Panasonic LUMIX S1R camera and lens kit valued at $6,899, a Wine Country Camera 100mm Starter Filter and Holder kit valued at $1,299 and $2,000 cash.

Other winners included a series of beautifully paired back images of the Sydney Opera House by Allen Koppe, rarely seen images from the streets of Pyongyang, North Korea by Luke Fazekas, and stunning aerials from WA by 17-year-old Henry Howard.

We would like to say a huge thank you to our amazing sponsors, without which the competition could not run: major sponsor Panasonic, and category sponsors QNAP, Manfrotto, Eizo, Camera House, Aurora Expeditions, The Brownbill Effect, Wine Country Camera, Sandisk and WD.

We would also like to extend our thanks to our judging panel of professional photographers who took on the task of assessing the thousands of entries in the competition for 2019: Alex Cearns OAM, Jacques Van As, Anthony McKee, Lisa Michele Burns, Douwe Dijkstra, Petra Leary, Drew Hopper, Rohan Kelly, Dylan Fox, Shannon Wild, Helen Whittle, Steve & Ann Toon, Hillary Younger and Tanya Stollznow.

Below you can see the winner and runner up from each category, along with links to the top entries in each category.

The February 2020 issue of Australian Photography also includes the Top 20 images and portfolios in the Landscape; Wildlife and Animal; People and Portrait; and Photo of the Year categories, and the Top 12 in the Black & White; Travel; Action; and Junior categories. The February edition also includes judges’ comments and photographer profiles.

Get yourself a copy – in newsagencies now – or you can get a digital copy online here, or subscribe to the print edition here.

Finally, to everyone who entered this year, thank you. Your work continues to excite, challenge and entertain us, and for the judging panel only gets more difficult to evaluate every year.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on what you like and dislike about Photographer of the Year. You can send us an email with your feedback at contact@australianphotography.com. ❂