Celebrating the river
Known as Dyarubbin, the Hawkesbury-Nepean River holds spiritual significance for many, is a lifeblood for farmers, inspiration for artists, a place to play and relax and much loved for its spectacular beauty. It also wreaks havoc through the devastating force of floods. This competition will showcase all aspects of the mighty river giving entrants a chance to win a share of the $5,000 prize pool.
Max Dupain, Playing on the Nepean River, 1948 © Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW
Enter your photo
Enter a photograph and tell us what it means for you.
If people are identifiable in your photo, you must have their permission to enter and publish the photograph. By submitting, you confirm that you have all necessary rights and permissions to use the images as part of this competition. View full terms and conditions.
Image credit: Joy Lai, Exploring Dyarubbin © State Library of NSW
Why enter
Your photos will help shine a light on the diverse roles the river plays in our lives and contribute to the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Disaster Adaptation Plan (DAP).
By sharing your images, you’ll also help raise awareness about emergency preparedness in our communities.
© Penrith City Council
$5,000 in prizes across multiple categories
With over $5,000 in prizes, there’s something for everyone – from students to seasoned photographers. The categories are:
Category | Prizes |
|---|---|
Primary school | 1st Prize $150 gift card, highly commended $100 gift card |
Secondary school | 1st Prize $200 gift card, highly commended $100 gift card + a chance for your school to win a photography workshop valued at $2,200! |
Open | 1st Prize $300 gift card, highly commended $150 gift card |
Semi-professional | 1st Prize $500 gift card, highly commended $250 gift card |
AI Generated Images | 1st Prize $200 gift card |
People’s Choice | $500 gift card, Runner up $250 gift card, 2nd runner up $100 gift card |
Key dates
- 20 September 2024
Entries open. - 2 February 2025
Entries close. - 3 February 2025
Voting open for People’s Choice awards. - 10 February 2025
Winners announced. - From March 2025
Curated exhibition displayed in the Hawkesbury-Nepean region.
Ruth Hart
Frequently asked questions
Photographs can be submitted by clicking the ‘Upload Photo’ link and entering the details specified in the upload form. You will automatically be registered for the competition when you upload your photograph and will receive a confirmation email.
In order to be suitable for publication, photographs that are submitted must be of high resolution in JPEG (.jpg) format. The file needs to be a minimum 2000 pixels on longest side for website uploads and a maximum 3500 pixels at max 10MB in size. NOTE: Large files may take some time to load, depending on your internet speed – please be patient when uploading.
Up to 5 images per person.
Yes, but you must have the permission of any identifiable people in your photograph to enter the competition and for the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) to publish the image. It is your responsibility to get this permission.
Yes. Images taken on a phone or camera will be accepted.
We are hoping to announce the winners by the end February 2025. Entrants who have placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd will be notified by email and a phone call using the details disclosed on the entry form. The winners’ names and their winning entry will also be published on this website and RA Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
- Primary school
1st Prize $150 gift card, highly commended $100 gift card - Secondary school
1st Prize $200 gift card, highly commended $100 gift card + a chance for your school to win a photography workshop valued at $2,200! - Open
1st Prize $300 gift card, highly commended $150 gift card - Semi-professional
1st Prize $500 gift card, highly commended $250 gift card - AI Generated Images
1st Prize $200 gift card - People’s Choice
$500 gift card, Runner up $250 gift card, 2nd runner up $100 gift card
The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. The judging panel includes two senior NSW Reconstruction Authority staff and a professional photographer.
Photographs will not be publicly displayed on Facebook until approved by the RA. Photographs will generally be approved within 1-3 days of submission. If the RA do not consider the photograph suitable for the competition it will not be approved.
Yes.
Yes, and colour photographs changed to black and white are acceptable for submission.
Yes, and you must have permission for any identifiable people if featured.
The copyright of each entry submitted remains with the photographer, however, the RA reserve the right to use any entry in publicly available documents and for promotional purposes and at no charge.
Get in touch
Please send any questions or feedback to
hnv_dap@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au