Just your friendly neighbour here to alert you to the fact that photo and video entries are now open for the Sun Studio's annual Emerging Photographer Award. The theme this year? Faces and Places, a prompt that encompasses everything from portraiture, fashion and documentary to landscapes, travel and architecture.

The prize is a chance for young and emerging image makers to have their work shared anonymously before a panel of industry veterans. With previous winners including beloved Ivana Martyn-Zyznikow. The two categories of Photography and Videography will have three judges assigned to each. This year Nicky Catley, Georges Antoni, Adam Ferguson, Dave May, Andy Taylor and Carolyn Constantine will decide the finalists.

How to enter

While landing a big break in any creative field involves a whole lot of hard work, dedication and a heaping spoon of luck. It's no secret that the barriers to entry are greater for some more than others. SEPA, as the award is affectionately known, recognises this and aims to mitigate these barriers by making the Award free to enter and allowing entries from all across Australia. There is no age limit to either, but you must be an emerging artist. Sun Studio's defines an emerging artist as someone with less than five years experience professional experience. You can submit up to ten images or videos.

The prizes

Part of what makes this Award so valuable to emerging photographers, is the nature of the prize. Rather than following the passé approach of prescribing an avenue for the winner to go down in order to achieve success in the industry. Creators of SEPA will instead allow recipients of the Award to decide what tools they need to flourish. And so, the prizes are versatile and customisable. This year, all category winners will receive $6,000 'Sun Dollars' to spend across Sun Studios however they see fit. Whether that is on products or services like studio and equipment hire and fine art printing. And if you're nominated as any of the two People's Choice winners, you'll find yourself with $500 'Sun Dollars' to spend on your practice.

The deadline for entry is 23 August 2021. Have a go, you may just surprise yourself.