“This year’s theme ‘Becoming and Belonging’ invites photographers to explore the intimate spaces between who we were and who we’re becoming, seeking images that reveal the moments of transformation and the places where we finally feel at home.

Submissions should illuminate the universal human experience of finding our tribe, our purpose, or our sense of place in our ever-changing world. Whether documenting places and spaces, personal memories, cultural identity, or the search for community, photographers are challenged to reveal the beauty in both the journey to belong and the courage to become.”

Curator and Judge – Pia Johnson

Important dates

Entries open: 1st September 2025
Entries close: 14th February 2026
Shortlist announced: 20th February 2026
Works delivered to Lorne Community Connect: 27th/28th March 2026
Official opening and announcement of prizes: 2nd April
Exhibition dates: TBA

Curator and Judge 2026

We are delighted to have Pia Johnson as guest curator, Pia is a visual artist, photographer, curator and lecturer living on Djaara country, Australia. Her practice is engaged in performance, transcultural identity and belonging, stemming from her mixed background of Chinese Italian-Australian descent. Her works have been awarded and exhibited across Australia and internationally and are collected in private and public collections including the National Gallery of Victoria.

Known as one of Australia’s distinctive performance photography and portrait artists for over a decade, Pia has commissions from all the major performing arts organisations in Australia. Pia has her own podcast ‘Out of the Frame’: Conversations about Photography, which profiles contemporary photographers and artists speaking about their practice and photographic concerns today.

Pia holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts from University of Melbourne and has a Doctorate in Fine Arts from RMIT University, where she is a lecturer and Associate Dean.
Photography in the School of Art. www.piajohnson.com

Judging 2026

• The judge will view and consider all entries digitally to decide a shortlist. These shortlisted works will be physically exhibited at Lorne Community Connect, then viewed and judged in person to decide the winners.
• The judge’s decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
• The judge reserves the right not to exhibit any artwork if the artwork is not in their opinion of sufficient artistic merit, technical and formal resolution, or framed/presented appropriately.

Entry Specifications and Conditions:

• Photographs are accepted from any person, with no restrictions on age, professional experience or citizenship.
• Photographs must have been taken within the last 2 years (produced since 1 September 2024).
• Multi-panel works are accepted if entered as one image (with all parts of the panel in the one digital image).
• Images submitted must not have won another photography prize.
• Images can have been shown, published or shared on social media.
• Size: no minimum size, with entries not greater than 2m wide, please indicate final image size on the entry form.
• AI must not be used for the creation of the photograph in a way that contributes to a substantial or overriding input of the creation of the image. If utilised, the artist must describe how it has been utilised.
• By entering this prize you are confirming that you are the creator and owner of the entered artwork/s and that exhibition and promotion of your artwork does not infringe copyright or moral rights and that you have obtained all appropriate permissions.
• If shortlisted, the entrant agrees to Lorne Community Connect reproducing free of charge their artwork in all publicity and promotion of the Photography Prize, subject to Lorne Community Connect’s discretion. This may include an exhibition catalogue, marketing collateral and social media.
• After the exhibition closes, final prints must be collected by the due date organised, with return postage or pick up arranged ahead of pick up date. If prints are not collected, the organisers may dispose of the images and are not responsible for them.

Submission to include:

• Completed online entry form including, artist statement (150 words).
• Entry fee of $20.00 for up to 3 prints.
• Upload a digital image of each photograph (1-3 photographs taken in the last 2 years).
• Images may be multi-panel works but must adhere to the size restrictions and be entered in its entirety as one digital image.
• Digital files must be submitted at 2000px longest side, @72dpi, ADOBE RBG colour profile and JPG.

Finalists’ preparation of artworks

Shortlisted finalists will be required to:

• Email a print-quality high-res digital image file (5-15mb, 300dpi and 30cm longest side) for promotional purposes as well as deliver their physical artwork to Lorne Community Connect during business hours by the date required.

If selected as finalists, you have three options for presentation of images:

• provide framed works ready to hang with D-rings
• provide images sized to fit A2 frames and they will be placed in LCC frames
• provide prints only, with the provision prints may be pinned or adhered to wall. (While we take all care, it is as at your risk).

All artworks must be labelled on the back with artists name, image title, edition number if selling a number of prints and price.

Entrants are responsible for the delivery and collection of artworks [and all associated costs] by the required date.

All queries should be directed to lornecommunityconnect@gmail.com