2025 Olive Cotton Award

16 August 2025 - 2 November 2025

2025 Olive Cotton Award Finalist Paula Mahoney
Seb, Portrait of a Young Gentleman 2025
pigment print
100 x 67 cm
Image courtesy the artist © the artist.

The Olive Cotton Award for photographic portraiture showcases new portraits by professional and emerging artists. The Award recognises excellence in photographic portraiture and is generously funded by the family of Olive Cotton, one of Australia’s leading twentieth century photographers.

2025 marks the 20-year anniversary and includes a major award of $20,000.

65 finalist selected by 2025 Guest Judges Sally McInerney, photographer and daughter of Olive Cotton; Glenn Iseger-Pilkington (Nhanda Yamatji and Noongar Peoples), Director of Content, Strategy Partnerships for the Aboriginal Cultural Centre Project, WA; Angela Connor, Senior Curator, Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh), Vic; and Shaune Lakin, Senior Curator, Photography at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

The $20,000 Award winner for 2025 will be announced at the Official opening and awards announcement on Saturday 30 August. Bookings essential.

The Olive Cotton Award is funded by the family of Olive Cotton with additional awards funded by the Friends of Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc.