Announced this week, The Award 2016 – The Noeline Kelly Award for Photography offers a $2,000 first prize and is open to Australian female photographers.

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Noeline Kelly, 1972.

The new award is an initiative of a group of seven women who call themselves the Photo Phemmes. Their senior member, Noeline Kelly has had a 35 year career working as a photographer, and did so at a time when not many women considered choosing such a career. Noeline is now a grande dame of 85, and the Photo Phemmes have banded together to offer the $2000 award for portrait photography in her honour.

There is no entry fee and The Award 2016 is privately funded by the Photo Phemmes. The purpose of The Award is to not only honour one of their number, but to raise awareness amongst female photographers and to promote excellence in the industry. Noeline worked tirelessly to express her vision of humanity and has used her passion and dedication to create an extraordinary yet humble life. Her work took her to four continents and has been sold and represented around the world. In selecting portrait photography, The Award aims to reinforce Noeline’s view of the world through the expression and viewpoint of those around us. A deeply spiritual person, Noeline believes in the fundamental goodness of humanity.

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Mallacoota, by Noeline Kelly.

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At the pub, by Noeline Kelly.

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Desert Tracks, by Noeline Kelly.

The Photo Phemmes is a group of friends who met through working together at the Australian Picture Library (APL), a prominent Sydney stock agency that is now part of Corbis. Their involvement in photography takes many forms and their combined experience is a unifying force in their desire to support talented female photographers. They believe that there is a need for more opportunities to support the passion and talent of women striving to work in the photographic industry.

For the inaugural year the Photo Phemmes are calling for entries from around Australia. Female photographers who reside in Australia are invited to submit a portrait of a person. The work can be either black and white or colour but needs to have been created in 2016.  Entries for The Award 2016 will be received until midnight on 30th September 2016.

Entries can be submitted from  The Award website  where more information can be found.