The Ballarat International Foto Biennale is excited to announce that entries are now open for the 2025 GradFoto Award, celebrating the next generation of photographic artists emerging from tertiary institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.
Now in its sixth year, GradFoto recognises and showcases the outstanding work of recent graduates from photography, visual art, and related disciplines across Australia. The award provides a national platform for early-career artists to exhibit their work and gain industry exposure.
This year’s GradFoto Award will be judged by Daniella Zalcman, a documentary photographer and the founder of Women Photograph, an international nonprofit working to elevate the voices of women and nonbinary visual journalists.
All finalists will have their work exhibited online and promoted through Ballarat Foto’s digital channels, with the winner receiving a AUD $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to showcase their practice to a wide professional audience. A People’s Choice Award winner will also receive a AUD $500 cash prize.
Last year’s award received submissions from across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, highlighting the breadth of creative practice and skill of emerging photographers.
Reflecting on his experience, Lê Nguyên Phương, winner of the 2024 GradFoto Award, shared:
‘The GradFoto presented a unique opportunity to have my work viewed by Alejandro Acín, an internationally renowned artist and curator whom I greatly admire. Winning this prize not only provides the confidence to continue developing this body of work, which holds deep personal significance for me, but also offers the financial support to sustain and expand it.’
Harry Merriman, a highly commended finalist in 2024, described the recognition as ‘incredibly encouraging and motivating.’
‘This submission created over the course of my Masters is very personal and its recognition within the prize was a great honour.’
Emily Raffaele, also highly commended in 2024, said:
‘Having an opportunity to showcase a folio of work to an extended viewing audience, both professionals, peers and the general public is incredible. It has afforded me the platform to ‘exhibit’ for the first time and find an audience for my work that I could not imagine otherwise. Thank you.’
The 2025 GradFoto Award is free to enter and open to students who graduated from a tertiary qualification from an institution in Aotearoa New Zealand or Australia in 2025.
