Spotlight on 2023 Nikon Prize Winners and Walkley Award photography finalists

See hero images from each photographer nominated for the 68th Walkley Awards.

Matilda Joy: Australian players celebrate as goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold stops France’s penalty shot by Eve Perisset in the penalty shoot out during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Quarter Final match between Australia and France at Brisbane Stadium.

WINNER: NIKON PHOTO OF THE YEAR

Quinn Rooney, Getty Images, ‘Matilda Joy’

Quinn Rooney has been named the winner of the 2023 Nikon Photo of the Year Prize for “Matilda Joy”.

The 2023 Walkley Photography Judges kept using the term “jubo” — a newsroom abbreviation for the images of jubilation that editors look for after a sporting victory. And there was no better example of the jubo that swept the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the nation, than Quinn Rooney’s frame of the Matildas celebrating after goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold stopped one of France’s penalty shots in the Quarter Final match.

The judges said, “It’s a moment that encapsulates the spirit of the country. The eyes on it, the emotion we have invested into it. It’s the peak of action, a global moment. Of all the Matildas’ celebration jubo photos, that one really nailed it. It includes many of the key players on the team, caught in a perfect moment. Poetry in motion.”

Quinn Rooney is an Australia-based staff photographer with Getty Images. His passion for sports photography has led him to travel the world covering major sporting events, including Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Swimming Championships.

WINNER: NIKON PORTRAIT PRIZE

Eddie Jim, The Age, ‘Fighting Not Sinking’

Fighting Not Sinking: One of the elders on the remote Kioa Island in Fiji, Lotomau Fiafia was born in 1952 on the island and has lived his whole life there. He and his ten-year-old grandson John swim in the bay almost every day. In this photo they are standing where the shoreline used to be when Lotomau was young, but the sea level now is up to his chest.

Eddie Jim’s portrait shows the impact of climate change on remote communities such as those on the Fijian island of Kioa, population 500. Lotomau Fiafia has seen first hand the encroachment of the shoreline onto the land he grew up on.

Eddie Jim said, “In capturing this image of Lotomau and his grandson John, I wanted to document and share the impact of climate change in a powerful way, making it more relatable and understandable to a wider audience. Their presence serves as a visual anchor to the reality of the situation, as well as a testament to the knowledge being passed down through generations. The tranquil water was flat like a mirror and their faces were perfectly lit by the early morning light, drawing attention to the message they convey.”

The judges said, “This is a technically excellent environmental portrait. It would have been so easy for Eddie Jim to take it completely out of the water, but he’s also gone under the water. This image tells a story, and says everything it needs to say. When the old man was standing there as a little boy, he would have been above water. There’s a generational theme, a metaphor, and it’s a well-executed shot. He’s a master of light. It’s a cracker.”

The Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism

All finalists detailed below were announced today alongside all the finalists in the 68th Walkley Awards.

The Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism recognise the work of photographers across a range of genres, from news and sport to portraiture and photographic essays. This exhibition lets us reflect on the year in news, through the individual worldviews and skilled lenses of Australia’s best photographers.

You’ll be able to see the two prize-winners — and all finalists in the Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism — with the Nikon-Walkley Press Photography Exhibition hanging in the State Library of NSW from October 21 until January 21, 2024.

Judges for this first round are selected by the Walkley Judging Board. You can find information about the Walkley Awards judging process here and the Terms and Conditions of the Awards here.

All Walkley Award winners will be announced at a gala dinner in Sydney on Thursday November 23.

The winners of the Nikon Photography Prizes are announced below, along with the list of photographic category finalists for all the Walkley Awards.

2023 NIKON PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE WINNERS

These are not Walkley Awards, but prizes administered by the Walkley Foundation on behalf of Nikon. These photos will also appear in the Nikon-Walkley Press Photography exhibition.

NIKON PHOTO OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Quinn Rooney, Getty Images, ‘Matilda Joy’

NIKON PORTRAIT PRIZE

WINNER: Eddie Jim, The Age, ‘Fighting Not Sinking’

68th Walkley Photography Award finalists

SPORT PHOTOGRAPHY

Finalist: Robert Cianflone, Getty Images and Daily Telegraph, ‘Just Another Day’

That’s gonna hurt: Mario Suryo Aji of Indonesia, rider of the #64 Honda Team Asia Honda, crashes out of the Moto3 World Championship race during the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

Finalist: David Gray, AFP, ‘Moments in Sport’

Golden Kiss: Spain’s Salma Paralluelo kisses her medal as she lies on her back amongst confetti talking on her phone, after Spain defeated England 1–0 in the final of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup at Sydney’s Stadium Australia.

Finalist: Quinn Rooney, Getty Images, ‘Beauty in Sport’

Matilda Joy: Australian players celebrate as goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold stops France’s penalty shot by Eve Perisset in the penalty shoot out during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Quarter Final in Brisbane.

NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY

Finalist: Ian Munro, The West Australian, ‘Banksia Hill Riot’

Special operations group officers storm the roof of Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre near Perth, bringing an end to 14 hours of chaos after the youths set fire to accommodation, armed themselves with weapons and climbed onto the roof. The inmate in this picture is a youth and cannot be identified. The face has been blurred and the T-shirt colour changed.

Finalist: Dean Sewell, Oculi and Guardian Australia, ‘Return to Uluru — The Repatriation of Yukun’

An emotional Abraham Poulson, great grandson and nephew of Yukun, carries his ancestor’s remains to the ceremony.

Finalist: Darrian Traynor, Getty Images, ‘A Dark Day’

Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover, shocked and bleeding, is escorted from the pitch by teammates.

FEATURE/PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY

Award Partner Canva

Finalist: Matthew Abbott, The New York Times and The Washington Post, ‘As China Expands Pacific Reach, a Tug-of-War for Island Nations Ensues’

Solomon Islanders gather to observe the Solomons Scouts and Coastwatchers memorial service at Unity Square to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal. The USS Oakland is in the background.

Finalist: Justin McManus, The Age and The Sunday Age, ‘Leaving the Land of Plenty’

The Last Sheep: Effie Tsagalidis tends the last of her sheep before they are sold.

Finalist: Jason South, The Age, ‘Water, Water, Everywhere’

Making the Best of It: After most of the suburb is evacuated due to flooding the sun returns and a spot of tanning and paddling is the order of the day in South Shepparton.

NIKON-WALKLEY PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Award Partner Nikon

Finalist: Diego Fedele, Getty Images and Ms. Magazine, ‘Eastern Ukraine Portfolio’

440: Wooden crosses mark a mass burial site where people were interred during the Russian occupation of Izium. On September 15, 2022, Ukrainian forces discovered the site containing at least 440 bodies in a section of the Izium cemetery, in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.

Finalist: Jake Nowakowski, Herald Sun, Sunday Herald Sun and The Daily Telegraph, ‘Jake Nowakowski’

Yes: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews takes to the stage at a Labor Party function at the Village Green Hotel to celebrate winning a third term in government in the 2022 State Election.

Finalist: Jason South, The Age, ‘Pictures of the Year’

“I’m Not Leaving”: Graham Baldwin, 71, lived with calf-high water throughout his house for days after flooding in Echuca East.

For media enquiries, please contact James Gorman on james.gorman@walkleys.com.

View the Nikon-Walkley Press Photography Exhibition at the State Library of NSW from October 21, 2023 until January 21, 2024.