First held in 1983, the National Photography Prize is Australia’s longest running acquisitive photography award. The MAMA Art Foundation has provided sponsorship of this Prize since 1988, enabling the museum to build its impressive photographic collection.
Every two years the National Photography Prize offers an opportunity to consider the vital role of photography in contemporary art in Australia. The National Photography Prize brings together artists from across Australia who are developing and challenging photographic language and techniques.
The Prize provides a forum for artists working with photography to present cohesive selections of work, or works in series, offering a depth of critical reflection that recognises the complexities and nuances of the history of the photograph and its contemporary manifestation.
Generously supported by the MAMA Art Foundation, the National Photography Prize offers a $30,000 acquisitive first prize, the $5000 John and Margaret Baker Fellowship for an emerging practitioner, and further supports a number of artists through focused acquisitions.