Australian Life photography finalists announced

From capturing the devastating impact of this year’s floods to celebrating Australia’s numerous cultures, the 28 photographers who have made this year’s finalists list for the Australian Life photography competition have met and exceeded the brief.

The annual competition, run by the City of Sydney, calls on casual, amateur and professional photographers to capture the stories, people and scenes that make up the personality of Australia.

Finalists are in the running for two awards: a $10,000 Grand Prize awarded to the most outstanding work in the exhibition as decided by a panel of judges, and The People’s Choice Award, which offers an Olympus professional pack valued at over $5,000 to the photographer who receives the most votes from the public.

Public voting will be open until 5pm on September 13 through the City of Sydney’s website.

The carefully chosen finalists will be on show in an outdoor gallery at Sydney’s Hyde Park from September 15 until October 9, with the winners of the awards to be announced when the exhibition opens.

To help you decide on your favourite, we’ve compiled all of the finalists below.

Images: Matthew Abbott / Bob McKendry / Elise Derwin