Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

Image: Damien Esquerre – 'Worlds Deadliest' (Image supplied)
Image: Damien Esquerre – 'Worlds Deadliest' (Image supplied)

Nature is in focus with the 2023 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year, a South Australian Museum exhibition. For two decades, this renowned exhibition has celebrated the impeccable artistry of some of the world's best nature photographers, and the astounding beauty and fragility of the world around us. Photographs can be captured anywhere, from remote landscapes in extreme conditions, to a hidden nook in the suburbs.

The exhibition features over 90 photographs that shine a light on the astonishing array of flora, fauna and landscapes that can be found across the Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea bioregion. This extraordinary region possesses a unique natural heritage, that stretches back more than 80 million years, and is home to wildlife and environments unlike any other.

The incredible works on display provoke a deeper connection with the natural world, offering an intimate insight into the delicate diversity of the environment and a reckoning with the changing climate that threatens its irreplaceable beauty.

The judging panel consists of Mike Langford, Adjunct Professor Wayne Quilliam and Jackie Ranken who evaluated more than 2,000 entries from 550 photographers.

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February

Canberra: Until 6 Sept 2026. Trent Parke’s photographic series The Christmas tree bucket 2006–09 is a tender and darkly humorous portrayal of his extended family coming together to celebrate Christmas.

March

Sydney: Until 7 Feb 2027. From his archive of more than 200,000 images, Close Up celebrates the historic moments and pivotal people he famously captured.

Melbourne: 5 March – 7 August 2026. Between the mid-1970s and early 1990s, artist and social documentary photographer Viva Gibb (1945-2017) documented the suburbs of North and West Melbourne, where she lived.

May

Sydney: Until 16 August 2026. PIX, Australia’s first pictorial news weekly, is brought to life in this exhibition, showcasing its archived images and stories for the very first time.

Melbourne: Until March 2027. Rehearsing the City presents archival photographs from Victoria’s government collections, alongside new work by contemporary street photographers.

Coffs Harbour: 28 May – 29 June 2026. West Of Somewhere East is a photographic series tracing a cinematic journey through the interior of New South Wales, shaped by long drives, fleeting encounters, and the reflective rhythm of return.

June

Sydney: June 6 – 19 July 2026. The World Press Photo Exhibition 2026 is returning to the State Library of New South Wales from 6 June to 19 July, offering Sydney audiences an uncompromising view of of the unending challenges that humans, and our planet face.

Melbourne: 6 June – 20 August 2026. Brook Andrew is an artist whose conceptual practice shifts across photography, performance, moving image, installation, public space and research, often through deep collaboration with artists, communities and friends.

Melbourne: 6 June – 28 June 2-26. We Built a House Out of Water is a deeply personal body of work that draws on memory, family, and culture – while understanding healing as an ongoing process.

Melbourne: 26 June – 2 August. Through analogue photographic processes, Dylan Negri aims to immortalised fragments of life that would otherwise disintegrate.