The Head On Portrait awards have named their 2026 winners. Sydney photographer Sylvia Liber took the top prize. Her portrait shows Aunty Lorraine, a Yuin and Gunai Kurnai elder, standing with quiet strength.
Joy Mei En Lai was Australian runner-up with a portrait of publishers Ivor Indyk and Evelyn Juers. Gideon Mendel was international runner-up. He photographed Jennifer May Nickel in the burnt ruins of her Los Angeles home, wearing the wedding dress she made.
🔍 The Backstory
Head On is one of Australia's biggest photo prizes. It draws entries from around the world. Winning can lift a photographer's career and bring new audiences to their work.
This year's shortlist covers hard subjects. One portrait shows a Rafah mother who survived burns and lost two sons. Another shows two farmers standing naked in a dry dam.
Others are gentler. One follows two brothers, one with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.
🎯 Why It Matters
Portraits let strangers tell their own stories. A good photo can make a distant issue feel close and human.
The Head On Portrait awards have named their 2026 winners. Sydney photographer Sylvia Liber took the top prize. Her portrait shows Aunty Lorraine, a Yuin and Gunai Kurnai elder, standing with quiet strength.
Joy Mei En Lai was Australian runner-up with a portrait of publishers Ivor Indyk and Evelyn Juers. Gideon Mendel was international runner-up. He photographed Jennifer May Nickel in the burnt ruins of her Los Angeles home, wearing the wedding dress she made.
Head On is one of Australia's biggest photo prizes. It draws entries from around the world. Winning can lift a photographer's career and bring new audiences to their work.
This year's shortlist covers hard subjects. One portrait shows a Rafah mother who survived burns and lost two sons. Another shows two farmers standing naked in a dry dam.
Others are gentler. One follows two brothers, one with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.
Portraits let strangers tell their own stories. A good photo can make a distant issue feel close and human.