The finalists for this year's Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize (MCPP) have been announced. The thirty finalists will compete for $50,000 prize money, with the winner announced on Wednesday 28 October. The 2015 finalist images range from a portrait of Gabi Grecko and Geoffrey Edelsten, to stunning aerial shots of the Australian landscape and a memorable image of Martin Place in Sydney following the siege in December 2014.
The judges for 2015 are Cheryl Newman, the former Photography Director and contributing writer of the UK's Telegraph Magazine, photographic historian Alan Davies, the former Emeritus Curator of Photographs at the State Library of New South Wales and Deborah Hutton, the host of Event on Foxtel Arts. Cheryl Newman comments on the selection process this year: "The work selected is rich and varied; it covers youth, the elderly and minorities, investigates social contemporary issues such as racism and environmental matters. Portraiture, landscape and documentary images have answered some of my questions of who and what is Australia."
The MCPP invites photographers to interpret 'Contemporary Life in Australia' with an emphasis on Australians going about their day-to-day life. Alan Davies comments: "I'm always very careful about the rules for a competition. The works should at least stick to the spirit of them. But having said that, sometimes an exceptional image bends the rules a little and that can be a good thing in terms of creativity. A truly original photograph might even make us think about how we look at the world".
The winners of both the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize and the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize will be revealed on Wednesday 28 October at Juniper Hall in Paddington, Sydney. The Moran Art Prizes exhibition will open at Juniper Hall on Thursday 29 October.
Finalists, Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize
Alex Ellinghausen, ACT, 'The Big Prawn'.
Andrew Goldie, NSW, 'The Kiss'.
Ben Simpson, NSW, 'Noughts and Crosses'.
Chris Budgeon, VIC, 'Exit'.
Chris Budgeon, VIC, 'Rennie'.
Emma Perry, VIC, 'Titan Arum - Day 5'.
Fiona Morris, NSW, 'Blacktown Festival'.
James Brickwood, NSW, 'Filling the Void'.
Jeremy Piper, NSW, 'Call to Prayer'.
Johannes Reinhart, WA, 'On The Loose'.
John Gollings, VIC, 'Margaret Katherine at Narwala Gabarnmang Rock Art'.
Jonathan Armstrong, NSW, 'Going Down?'
Joshua Thomas, NSW, 'Points of Contact'.
Juliet Taylor, NSW, 'Gabi & Geoff'.
Justine Muller, NSW, 'Town in Mourning'.
Katrina Crook, NSW, 'Floating Twins'.
Laki Sideris, VIC, 'Life'.
Louise Whelan, NSW, 'Nadine's Sweet 16th'.
Natalie Grono, NSW, 'Taking Flight'.
Penny Stephens, VIC, 'Getting Dressed'.
Peta-Anne North, WA, 'Industrial Bronco
Rob Gale, VIC, 'Untitled'.
Simone De Peak, NSW, 'The Ominous Drive'.
Tess Rice, VIC, 'Stop Racism'.
Timothy Hillier, VIC, 'Bungul in Gapuwiyak'.
Timothy Hillier, VIC, 'Kathy - Pandanus Weaver'.
Toby Zerna, NSW, 'Sydney's Heart'.
Trent Mitchell, QLD, 'Boy in Boat. Hervey Bay, QLD 2015'.
Trent Mitchell, QLD, 'The Tipping Point. Laurie Towner, TAS, 2015'.
Zelko Nedic, NSW, 'Three Musketeers'
Jeremy Piper, NSW, 'Call to Prayer'.
Juliet Taylor, NSW, 'Gabi & Geoff'.
Trent Mitchell, QLD, 'The Tipping Point. Laurie Towner, TAS, 2015'.
James Brickwood, NSW, 'Filling the Void'.