Guardian Australia’s Carly Earl wins high award in 2025 Australian Life images competitors | Images

Guardian Australia’s image editor, Carly Earl, has received the $10,000 high award within the 2025 Australian Life images competitors, with the judges praising Earl for capturing “a beautiful insight into reality of life in rural Australia” in her portrait of younger drovers in central Queensland.

Earl, a Sydney-based photographer and movie editor for Guardian Australia, took the portrait of 19-year-old Riley Swanson whereas overlaying a droving crew working south of Roma in central Queensland.

“Young drovers in rural Australia spend months on horseback moving cattle, far from modern distractions,” Earl wrote in her artist assertion for the successful work. “Sleeping in trailers and riding 12-hour days, they face isolation, injury risks and financial loss. Many quit early, but a few, like Riley Swanson, endure the harsh, romanticised life on remote, decades-old stock routes.”

Australian Life, an annual competitors and exhibition run by the City of Sydney council as a part of their public artwork program Art and About, showcases works from newbie {and professional} photographers.

Earl’s {photograph}, one in all 30 finalist photographs throughout totally different age classes, was awarded the highest prize by judges Hank Paul, who received final yr; photographer Milly Hooper; and documentary and journey photographer Matt Horspool.

Hooper mentioned Earl’s portrait provided “a beautiful insight into reality of life in rural Australia – an ordinary story that most city folk wouldn’t be aware of”, whereas Horspool praised her “use of shadows, colour and composition”.

Earl’s win was introduced at a ceremony at Sydney’s Customs House on Thursday evening, together with the winners of Australian Life’s youth class, open to photographers aged 13 to 17, and the Little Sydney Lives competitors, open to photographers aged 5 to 12.

Callum Poling received Australian Life’s teen class for his black and white {photograph} February Boat Carnival, displaying the “organised chaos” of a surf boat carnival, whereas Chloe Wiseman received the Little Sydney Lives class with a black and white portrait of her mum titled Home-made Mummy Double-Exposure, utilizing a double-exposure method.

Zoe Morris was named runner up along with her ebullient {photograph} Sibling Love, capturing “the close bond between a brother and a sister”.

The finalists from Australian Life will probably be showcased in an out of doors exhibition at Circular Quay, whereas the finalists for the Little Sydney Lives competitors will probably be exhibited at Customs House close by.