The Wandoan Photo Challenge in 2021 will be focused on “Work”. So much so there’ll be not just one, but two work categories, one for normal work photos and the other for close ups focusing on the finer details of work.

Each category will offer $1000 of prize money ($500 for 1st, $300 for 2nd and $200 for 3rd). Anyone entering three or more photos across all three categories (these two plus the standard “Small Town, Big Country” category for everything “non-work”) will also be in the running for the Best Photographer Award.

Work isn’t just the standard country pursuits and multitude of resources jobs but also the “invisible” work like cooking, caring for others and cleaning; retail and office workers; doctors, nurses, emergency workers and volunteers. What we’d love to see are photos that capture the essence of some aspect of a job, that bring out the skill, the feel, maybe even at times some of the drama, beauty or fear.

The “Close up” category is for shots that zoom in on details: hands working on wood, leather or metal; welding; an upper body and face as someone concentrates on a delicate task; some of the scrum around a calf at branding; a well lit, intriguing bit of gear. The only limit is your imagination and having a camera to hand. Fortunately, with smartphones that’s now pretty much a given.

This is an experiment. Work is so central to our lives and often involves so much skill, much of it arcane, that we suspect there’s a treasure trove of images just waiting to be taken. Or maybe already being taken. It’s also a way to bring more men into our comp.

Fingers crossed.

Helen & Ingolf

P.S. Pretty much everything else in the competition stays the same but there are a few changes as noted in “News & Updates” to the right.