Head On Portrait Prize 2025 Celebrates Global Photography Talent
The prestigious Head On portrait prize for 2025 has unveiled its winners and finalists as the annual photography festival commences at Sydney's iconic Bondi Pavilion Gallery. Established in 2010, this celebrated event continues to highlight exceptional photographic talent from both Australia and the international stage.
Festival Details and Outdoor Exhibitions
Running until 30 November 2025, this year's festival expands beyond the gallery walls with additional outdoor displays at Paddington Reservoir Gardens and along the famous Bondi beachfront. This approach makes the powerful photographic work accessible to a broader audience throughout Sydney.
2025 Award Winners and Their Compelling Stories
The overall winner, Lívia Peres, captured 'The world burns gently', a poignant image of a child playing amidst bushfire smoke. The photographer reflected: "It wasn't the fire that moved me, it was his stillness inside it. Only later did I realise how often childhood continues, even when the sky shifts."
International runner-up Natascha Tahabsem presented 'Witness, Gaza', documenting a silent, shocked child evacuated from Gaza for cancer treatment. The young subject had endured a seven-hour journey after bombing destroyed his hospital, with the image captured moments before his helicopter transfer.
Australian runner-up Chrystal de Louise earned recognition for 'Soft Return', a postpartum self-portrait described as "a feminist act centring the maternal gaze" that challenges conventional narratives about motherhood.
Notable Finalists and Their Powerful Portraits
The exhibition features several remarkable finalists including Hilary Wardhaugh's portrait of couple Zev and Nick, documenting their eight-year relationship and Zev's gender transition journey seven months into their partnership.
Other standout works include Yannis Kontos's image of seven-year-old Abu helping his amputee father in Sierra Leone, Aletheia Casey's tender photograph 'My mother and my son' from her series 'Waiting for a bird', and Bienyl Huelgas's exploration of transgender identity in the Philippines with 'Transpinay in front of a funeral wreath'.
The exhibition also showcases environmental themes through Matthew Newton's portrait of veteran campaigner Bob Brown standing on a eucalyptus regnans stump, questioning Australia's conservation efforts.
With diverse perspectives from around the globe, the Head On portrait prize continues to demonstrate photography's unique power to document human experience, identity, and our changing world.
