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Lord Mayor’s Photographic Awards

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Discover Brisbane from a new perspective with the Lord Mayor’s Photographic Awards.

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Enter the Lord Mayor's Photographic Awards 2026 by 4pm, Friday 5 June 2026.

About the awards

The Lord Mayor’s Photographic Awards is an annual competition celebrating local photographers and our great city.

With a new theme each year, the competition showcases moments, people and places in Brisbane through a local lens.

It's open to anyone who lives, works or studies in Brisbane, from professional shutterbugs to budding snappers. 

Hero image: Kylie Facey

Lord Mayor's Photographic Awards 2026

Entries are now open for the 2026 Lord Mayor's Photographic Awards.

The 2026 theme, Everyday Brisbane invites photographers to capture the genuine moments, people and places that define Brisbane’s character - from hardworking locals and neighbourhood routines to iconic river views and familiar streetscapes. It celebrates the beauty in daily life and the small details that reveal Brisbane’s true spirit.

Enter your image for a chance to win cash prizes across 7 categories. Entries close 4pm on Friday 5 June 2026.

Photos submitted for this year's competition must be taken from 7 June 2025 onwards.

Submit your entry

Eligibility

Who's eligible?

To be eligible you must:

  • live, work or study in the Brisbane Local Government Area and be able to provide proof of this if requested
  • not be a Council employee, including its contractors (not including its volunteers)
  • not be an employee of Council's subsidiary companies
  • not be an immediate family member of:
    • the Lord Mayor
    • a Brisbane City Council Councillor
    • a member of the judging panel.
Image eligibility

For an image to be eligible for judging in the Lord Mayor's Photographic Awards 2026, it must be:

Permission must be sought for any people in an image. For more information, visit Arts Law Centre of Australia.

Additional eligibility conditions apply for the LaVonne Bobongie Award and the Green Heart, Social Media and Student categories.

Award categories and prizes

There are 7 categories in this year's Lord Mayor's Photographic Awards.

Open category

Open to all subjects and styles, this category embraces the many ways Everyday Brisbane shows the very best of our city. Every eligible entry is automatically included in the Open category. Entrants may also submit their image to additional categories where eligibility requirements are met.

Prizes
  • Winner: $5,000
  • Second place: $2,000
  • Third place: $1,000

Brisbane Postcards Collection

This new and exciting category invites photographers to capture the city’s charm, energy and unique character in a way that makes everyone want to visit. We’re looking for images that reflect what locals experience every day and that visitors would instantly fall in love with. 

Prize

Three winners will each receive $500.

The winning images will be printed as postcards and sold in the Museum of Brisbane, MoB Shop. Winners will also receive a licensing fee of 10% of the RRP (minus GST).

Winners are required to sign an agreement with Museum of Brisbane for the production and sale of these postcards. A copy of the agreement is available upon request by emailing Council.

Student category

This category showcases the creativity of young photographers and their unique interpretations of Everyday Brisbane.

You must be studying at a registered educational institution within the Brisbane Local Government Area when you enter. If requested, entrants must provide proof of their current student status. Images can be of any subject, place or experience.

Prize
  • $1,500

Social media category

This category recognises images that shine on social media - authentic, eye‑catching and visually compelling.

Entries should still reflect the theme Everyday Brisbane and need to be uploaded to your public Instagram account using the hashtag #LMPA2026. Your account must be set to public for the duration of the competition to be eligible.

Prize
  • $1,500

Green Heart category

This category celebrates Brisbane’s natural environment, native flora, wildlife and green spaces. It invites photographers to capture moments where nature weaves into the city’s daily rhythm, whether its wildlife spotted in bushland, native plants flourishing in unexpected places or pockets of greenery shaping neighbourhood life.

The Green Heart category reveals how closely Brisbane is connected to its natural surroundings.

Your entry must not include any pest or invasive flora or fauna.

Prize
  • $1,500

LaVonne Bobongie Award

This category is open to photographers who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. First Nations photographers are invited to submit images exploring the theme Everyday Brisbane. Images can be of any subject.

Prize
  • $1,500

Brisbane City Council is committed to celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. In 2021, the LaVonne Bobongie Award was introduced to recognise late artist LaVonne Bobongie’s contribution to Brisbane as an advocate of First Nations Country, community, and identity.

LaVonne was actively involved in her community as a photographer, artist and mentor to young people, and who worked with Brisbane City Council over several years in various roles. 

To find out more about the programs Council offers that acknowledge and value the unique contributions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make to the city, visit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs.

People's Choice Award

A shortlist of finalist images is selected by the Lord Mayor from across all categories. The public then votes to determine the People’s Choice Award winner.

The winner of this award highlights the image that most resonates with the community. While photographers cannot directly enter this category, images that are shortlisted capture relatable, moving or memorable Everyday Brisbane moments that connect strongly with the public.

Prize
  • $1,500

Terms and conditions

Download the terms and conditions for more information about the awards.

information outline

Important information

  • You can enter as many times as you like, however you must submit a new online entry form for each image. 
  • Make sure you provide a title and brief description of your image. Can't think of what to say? Start with when, where and why you took the photo.
  • You can use colour or black and white, landscape or portrait. It's up to you. As long as they are in JPG or TIFF format.
  • Photo editing is perfectly acceptable however photos must not be AI generated or contain AI elements. Just make sure your image is recognisable as a photo and not abstract art. Refer to the terms and conditions for more information.
  • Make sure your file is a minimum of 1Mb and a maximum of 50Mb. A minimum image resolution of 300 DPI (7016 x 9933 pixels) as winning photographs will be printed up to A1 size (594mm x 841mm).
  • The copyright of all images submitted in the Lord Mayor's Photographic Awards will remain the property of the photographer. By agreeing to the terms and conditions, you agree to allow Brisbane City Council to use your image as outlined in the terms and conditions.
  • Once you have submitted your image and photo information, it is final and cannot be changed. If you wish to withdraw your entry, phone Council on 07 3403 8888.

2025 award winners

The 2025 theme was ‘100 years of Greater Brisbane’, celebrating the Centenary of our wonderful city and sharing the places, experiences and events that have helped shape Brisbane into Australia's lifestyle capital.

Eight winners were chosen from more than 1700 entries.

Prize money ranged from $1,000 to $5,000.