The Friends run an annual photographic competition for school and college students, which is now in its 23rd year. 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.
The competition is open to any student attending an Australian primary, high school or college. Entries can be submitted individually or through the student’s school or college. All photographs must be taken in the Australian National Botanic Gardens. This is the first year that the competition is open to primary school students.
The competition has a number of categories and cash prizes are awarded for places in each category. Highly Commended (HC) and Commended (C) certificates are also awarded.
Additional awards are given to the photographic departments of the school/college of each first and second prize winners. There is also one People’s Choice award and one Rangers’ award (over all categories).
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!
Further information about the competition and entries will be posted once available.
Primary: Monochrome
| 1st | Banksia | Alyse Rooney | Hawker Primary |
Primary: Colour
| 1st | House Made of Sticks | Samuel Wagner | Aranda Primary |
| 2nd | Butterfly Breeze | Lily Werner | Aranda Primary |
| 3rd | Floral Firework | Hugo Potter | Maribynong Primary |
Secondary: Monochrome
| 1st | Monochrome Bird | Ky Trotter | Canberra College |
| 2nd | Sun Baking | Erin Duncan | Canberra High School |
| 3rd | Fading ln | Thomas Price | Canberra College |
| 4th | Shell | Isobelle Laing | Telopea Park School |
| 5th | Monochrome 2 | Jared Parsons | Dickson College |
Secondary: Colour
| 1st | Sweden | Riley Wilson | Canberra High School |
| 2nd | Looking at Me | Netti Nguyen | Canberra High School |
| 3rd | Flightless | Cameron Colebrook | UCSSC Lake Ginninderra |
| 4th | Nature's Favourite | Ellen Johnson | Canberra High School |
| 5th | Foggy Love | Imogen O’Brien | Canberra High School |
Secondary: Altered Reality
| 1st | Dripping Bottle Brush | Amy Lancaster | UCSSC Lake Ginninderra |
| 2nd | Waltz of the Flowers | Roberta Vagnarelli | Canberra High School |
| 3rd | Virtual Nature | Isabella Quan | Erindale College |
| 4th | Cloudless Day Orange Sand | William Loughton | Canberra College |
| 5th | Waterwise | Cameron Colebrook | UCSSC Lake Ginninderra |
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.
