Calling all professional and budding photographers, 2024 is the year to kick your skills up a level because Sony’s annual Alpha photography competition is back. This year, there’s some excellent coin (we’re talking more than $50k worth of Sony camera gear) and serious bragging rights up for grabs.
Providing a platform to showcase the best photography from around Australasia, the Alpha Awards Photo Competition gives applicants the chance to get snap happy with their Sony Alpha camera and lens, and enter across a range of categories including nature, seascapes, sports, landscape, astro, portrait, city and much more—scope the full list here.
Not sure where to start? We’ve sussed out some truly incredible places across Australia and New Zealand—to inspire you to pick up your camera and snag the winning shot.
Get Among The Action At The Tiwi Islands AFL Final
Sure there are the usual footy finals—the kind that fill huge inner city stadiums and get broadcast on prime-time TV—but if you want to capture the beauty of sport in a single image, then you need to pay a visit to the Tiwi Islands AFL grand final. The cluster of islands—located just 80 km north of Darwin—is home to a booming footy community, with the island’s residents proudly wearing their support loud and proud. It all culminates with the grand final each September, where the chanting is deafening and fans storm the field when the final whistle blows. It’s goosebump-inducing stuff.
Seek Out The Southern Lights In New Zealand
You don’t need to travel to Iceland to flex your astrophotography skills. Swap the Northern Lights for the jaw-dropping beauty of the Southern version, which streaks the skies of New Zealand in shades of purple, pink and green. The best places to catch the Aurora Australis include Lake Tekapo and Aoraki Mt Cook National Park in Canterbury, The Catlins in Otago, Eely Point in Wanaka and deep in Aoteaora’s south, Stewart Island, which you can access via ferry.
Light It Up At Parrtjima
Shooting at night is without a doubt one of the hardest photography skills to master, but when you nail the perfect shot, all the hard work instantly becomes worth it. For endless night-time opportunities, head to Parrtjima, in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), for the only Aboriginal light festival of its kind. Taking place this 12-21 April, the festival celebrates the world’s oldest living culture. Prepare to capture breathtaking light displays projected over the MacDonnell Ranges, set to haunting music, then walk amongst incredible art installations—all of which come alive as the sun goes down.
Discover Where Fire Meets The Sea In Tasmania
When it comes to capturing a beautiful seascape, you’re spoilt for choice in Australia and New Zealand. To help you narrow it down, we’re serving up a recommendation that’s impossible to take a bad snap at—the Bay of Fires in Tassie. Nestled on the island’s northeastern coast, here you’ll sink your toes into powder-white sand, and meander amongst lagoons and rocky bluffs that are framed by huge granite boulders and covered in bright orange lichen—giving 0ff a fiery appearance. Beautiful at any time of day, there are various campsites dotted around the area so you can stay overnight and capture this stunning spot from dusk until dawn.
People Watch At The Adelaide Central Market
South Australia’s culture-soaked capital city is brimming with incredible shoot locations. From historic churches to vibing restaurants—landscape, portrait, creative and street photography opps abound. But if you want to capture a truly colourful moment, head to the iconic Adelaide Central Market. There are 70 stalls to explore, slinging everything from farm-fresh produce to international eats. Watch family-run stalls roll pasta and steam dumplings, and capture the food magic unfold IRL.
Wake Up With The Wallabies At Cape Hillsborough
If you’re looking to connect with nature in the deepest of ways, then you’ll want to pay a visit to Cape Hillsborough (just 45 minutes north of Mackay). At sunrise every morning—as the sky streaks pink and orange—clusters of tiny, adorable wallabies congregate by the water’s edge on Casuarina Beach. The sight is nothing short of phenomenal. While the wallabies bask in the sand throughout the day, get there with your camera about an hour before sunrise, so you can snap them waking from their slumber and venturing into the rising sun.
Step Back In Time In Fremantle
While cutting-edge modern buildings can grab attention, there’s something special about strolling through a historic neighbourhood, where every facade tells a story. A visit to Fremantle, 25 minutes from Perth, will see you whipping out your camera to capture every angle of the UNESCO-listed streets. Like something straight from a movie set, there are plenty of heritage buildings to shoot, nestled amongst street art, buskers and breweries. The vibe here is 11/10.
Get Lost In The Rift In Melbourne
Yes, the Melbourne laneways will always be an incredible photo opp, but for something a little different, why not get snap-happy in Melbourne’s incredible live music scene? The city is thrumming with epic venues and local musicians blessing revellers' ears. Check out iconic spots like The Espy, The Corner, The Tote and Cherry Bar for some cracking photo opportunities. Just check with the venues before you get snapping.
Float Amongst Nature In The Daintree
If you want to capture nature at its most jaw-dropping, then a visit to North Queensland’s Daintree Rainforest is a must. This magical spot is over 130 million years old (that’s older than the Amazon) and was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1988, so the photo opps here are plentiful. Explore the rainforest’s beating heart in Mossman Gorge on a Dreamtime Walk with a Kuku Yalanji guide, go river drifting with Back Country Bliss or hunt for bush tucker amongst the mangroves on Walkabout Cultural Adventures. Trust us, a moment captured in the Daintree won’t soon be forgotten.
Transport Yourself To Mars In NSW
Discover ancient landscapes that will blow your mind at Mungo National Park in NSW. A 12-hour road trip west of Sydney, this UNESCO World Heritage-listed park is awe-inspiring to say the least. Picture a labyrinth of ancient lakes, now dried out, that has given way to towering dunes and white-washed basins that give the appearance of something from another planet entirely.
Itching to get involved? The Alpha Awards presented by Sony are now open and close on 24 June—so grab your camera and get shooting.
Editor’s note: this article was produced in partnership with Sony Australia. Thank you for supporting the partners who make Urban List possible. To read our editorial policy, click here.
Images: Urban List, Sony, Unsplash