Acknowledgement of Country

Ballarat International Foto Biennale acknowledges the Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work and create. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and honour the deep traditions of storytelling, culture and connection held by First Nations peoples across Australia.

Ballarat Youth Photography Prize Terms and Conditions

The Ballarat Youth Photography Prize 2026 (“the Prize”) is presented by Ballarat International Foto Biennale Inc. (ABN 70 496 228 247), trading as the Ballarat International Foto Biennale (“we,” “us” or “our”).

The Prize has been developed with GroupFoto, the Ballarat International Foto Biennale’s youth council. Entry is free.

By entering, entrants agree to these Terms and Conditions. Entrants under 18 must also have the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

Eligibility and entry dates

Entry is open to people who:

  • are aged between 12 and 25 inclusive on 30 August 2026, and
  • live, work or study in Ballarat or Victoria’s Central Highlands.

For the purpose of the Prize, Victoria’s Central Highlands includes the following municipalities: Ararat Rural City, City of Ballarat, Golden Plains Shire, Hepburn Shire, Moorabool Shire and Pyrenees Shire.

Entries open on Monday 10 August 2026 and close at 11:59 pm AEST on Sunday 30 August 2026. Late entries will not be accepted.

We may request evidence of an entrant’s age or connection to the eligible region.

Ballarat International Foto Biennale employees may not enter the prize. GroupFoto participants may enter and have eligible work exhibited, but they are not eligible to receive a category prize or the People’s Choice Award.

Prize categories and entry limits

The Prize has two categories:

  • Open: photographs of any subject.
  • Connected: photographs exploring connection, belonging and/or disconnection.

Entrants may enter each category once only. Multiple entries per category are not permitted.

Each entry must be a single photograph. Photographic series will not be accepted.

Image requirements

Each photograph must:

  • be the entrant’s own original work
  • be submitted as a JPEG or PNG file
  • be at 300 dpi
  • be at least 2,000 pixels along its longest edge
  • be no larger than 20 MB
  • not contain a watermark.

Basic editing processes are permitted. Entrants must describe any extensive editing processes used.

Images that are created using generative artificial intelligence are not eligible. This includes images in which generative AI has created, replaced or substantially reconstructed significant visual elements.

We may ask an entrant to provide more information about how an image was made or to provide a higher quality file for printing.

Information about the work

For each entry, entrants will be asked to provide:

  • a title, or ‘Untitled’
  • the year the photograph was made
  • information about editing processes used, and
  • an optional short description about the work.

Descriptions are encouraged but not compulsory. An entrant’s writing ability will not be judged.

The description provided with an image will not be included in the exhibition; it is for judging purposes only.

We may lightly edit titles for spelling, grammar, clarity, accessibility or length without changing their intended meaning.

Originality, consent and safety

Entrants confirm that their photographs are their own original work and do not infringe another person’s copyright, privacy, moral rights or other legal rights.

Entrants must obtain permission from anyone who can reasonably be identified in a photograph. Permission must cover entering, exhibiting, publishing and promoting the photograph.

Where an identifiable person is under 18, permission must be obtained from the young person, where they can meaningfully provide it, and their parent or legal guardian.

Entrants are responsible for obtaining any permission required to photograph on private property or to share culturally sensitive material.

We may decline or remove an entry where we consider that:

  • the entry does not meet these Terms and Conditions
  • appropriate permission has not been obtained
  • the entry infringes another person’s rights, and/or
  • exhibiting or publishing the work may create a serious legal, cultural, ethical, privacy or safety concern.

Where practical, we will contact the entrant before making a final decision.

Judging and prizes

Eligible prize entries will be judged in the following way:

  • Open, 12–17 years
  • Open, 18–25 years
  • Connected, 12–17 years
  • Connected, 18–25 years

The judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence about judging decisions will be entered into.

Five cash prizes will be presented:

  • Winner, Open Category, 12–17 years: at least $150
  • Winner, Open Category, 18–25 years: at least $150
  • Winner, Connected Category, 12–17 years: at least $150
  • Winner, Connected Category, 18–25 years: at least $150
  • UFS People’s Choice Award: at least $150.

These are the minimum guaranteed amounts. Prize values may increase if additional sponsorship or funding is secured.

A photograph may receive both a category prize and the People’s Choice Award.

If a winning entry is later found to be ineligible, we may withdraw the prize and select another eligible entry.

UFS People’s Choice Award

All eligible exhibited entries may be included in People’s Choice voting, except entries by GroupFoto participants.

Voting must reflect genuine individual engagement. We may exclude automated, duplicate, fraudulent, coordinated or otherwise invalid votes.

Voting dates, methods and limits will be published on the Prize webpage.

Exhibition

Every eligible entry will be printed and included in the Ballarat Youth Photography Prize exhibition at the National Centre for Photography.

The exhibition is scheduled to run from 20 September to 4 October 2026 during advertised opening times.

We will determine the print size and method, exhibition layout, labels and installation. Minor changes to sizing, cropping or colour reproduction may be made where reasonably required for printing.

Printed photographs may be collected after the exhibition. Collection arrangements and deadlines will be communicated to entrants.

We may make reasonable changes to the exhibition dates, venue, opening hours or format where necessary.

Copyright and use of entries

Entrants retain copyright in their photographs.

By entering, entrants grant the Ballarat International Foto Biennale a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence for three years to:

  • print and exhibit their photographs
  • include them in an online exhibition
  • publish them through the Ballarat International Foto Biennale’s website, newsletters and social media accounts
  • use them to communicate, document and promote the Prize and associated youth photography programming
  • provide them to media for editorial coverage, and
  • include them in reports to funders, partners and sponsors.

We will credit entrants using their nominated display name wherever reasonably practical.

The Ballarat International Foto Biennale will not sell an entrant’s photograph, reproduce it on unrelated merchandise or license it for an unrelated commercial purpose without further permission.

Personal information and entrants under 18

We will collect personal information required to administer the Prize, confirm eligibility, communicate with entrants, present the exhibition, conduct judging and voting, award prizes and meet our child safety responsibilities.

An entrant’s nominated display name, age group, region, photograph, title and prize outcome may be published. Personal contact details, dates of birth and parent or legal guardian details will not be made public.

Personal information will be managed in accordance with the Ballarat International Foto Biennale’s Privacy Policy.

Entrants under 18 must provide the details and consent of a parent or legal guardian.

General

We are not responsible for incomplete, corrupted or unsuccessful entries caused by technical problems.

We may disqualify an entry that does not comply with these Terms and Conditions and may make reasonable changes to the Prize where necessary. Significant changes will be published on the Prize webpage and communicated to affected entrants where practical.

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes any right or remedy that cannot legally be excluded.

Questions about eligibility, permissions, access, privacy or preparing an entry can be directed to:
Ballarat International Foto Biennale
Email: education@ballaratfoto.org
Telephone: (03) 5331 4833
Website: ballaratfoto.org