Little Sydney Lives Retrospective

This retrospective exhibition highlights six years of Little Sydney Lives prize-winning photography, capturing a transformative period of global change.

Through their lenses, these young photographers share moments of joy, pride, and creativity, offering a heartfelt glimpse into their worlds. From cherished family moments to quiet reflections in nature, their images celebrate milestones and moments of stillness within a rapidly changing landscape. For this retrospective, we invited the photographers to share how winning the prize impacted them, the lasting impressions it left, and the subjects that inspire them today. Take a moment to see Sydney through the eyes of its young creatives and explore their award-winning perspectives of our city.

Through Young Eyes: A City in TransformationThis retrospective brings together six years of remarkable imagery from the Little Sydney Lives prize, spanning a period that challenged and changed us all. The photographs gathered here represent more than technical achievement—they offer windows into how Sydney's youngest residents experienced, processed, and ultimately celebrated life during extraordinary times.What strikes us most about this collection is its emotional honesty. These young photographers turned their cameras toward what mattered most: a grandmother's weathered hands, sunlight filtering through a bedroom window, the family dog mid-leap, a sibling's infectious laughter. In doing so, they created an intimate archive of resilience and wonder.For this exhibition, we reconnected with our prize winners to understand how this recognition shaped their creative journeys. Their reflections reveal something profound: that being seen and celebrated as artists at a young age left lasting impressions, emboldening many to continue pursuing photography and visual storytelling.We invite you to slow down with these images. Let them remind you of the power of perspective, the value of noticing, and the remarkable capacity of young people to find beauty and meaning in everyday moments.

Who Can Enter

Entrants must be aged 5–17 years at the time of submission Entrants must be residents of the Greater Sydney metropolitan area Photographs must be taken within Greater Sydney boundaries Each entrant may submit up to three photographs per competition cycle Photographs must be the original work of the entrant Both digital and film photography are accepted Basic editing (cropping, exposure adjustment, colour correction) is permitted; heavy digital manipulation is not Parental or guardian consent is required for all entrants under 18 Previous winners may enter in subsequent years with new work Group submissions are not accepted; all entries must represent individual work

By entering the Little Sydney Lives photography prize, entrants and their parents/guardians agree to the following: Ownership and Rights All photographs remain the intellectual property of the entrant. By submitting, entrants grant Little Sydney Lives a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to reproduce, display, and publish submitted images for exhibition, promotional, and archival purposes, with appropriate credit. Permissions and Consent Entrants confirm they have obtained consent from any identifiable individuals appearing in their photographs. For subjects under 18, parental or guardian consent must be secured. Entrants are responsible for ensuring all necessary permissions are in place. Judging and Selection Judging decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into. Judges may include professional photographers, educators, and arts professionals. Criteria include creativity, composition, emotional resonance, and connection to Sydney. Exhibition and Publication Selected works may be displayed in physical exhibitions, online galleries, printed catalogues, and promotional materials. Entrants selected for exhibition will be notified and invited to attend opening events where possible. Privacy Personal information collected during entry will be handled in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and used solely for prize administration and communication purposes. General Little Sydney Lives reserves the right to disqualify entries that do not meet eligibility requirements or that contain inappropriate content. The organisers reserve the right to amend these terms as necessary.

Little Sydney Lives: Six Years of Seeing A Retrospective Exhibition This catalogue accompanies the retrospective exhibition celebrating six years of the Little Sydney Lives photography prize. Within these pages, you will find the prize-winning images that captured judges' attention and audiences' hearts from 2019 to 2024—a period marked by profound change and remarkable resilience. The collection spans the full spectrum of childhood experience in Sydney: quiet suburban afternoons, bustling family gatherings, solitary moments of reflection, and bursts of uninhibited joy. Together, these photographs form a mosaic of our city as seen through its youngest inhabitants—observant, curious, and unflinchingly honest in their vision. Accompanying each image are reflections from the photographers themselves, now looking back on what winning meant to them and where their creative paths have led since. Their words offer insight into the lasting impact of early artistic recognition and the subjects that continue to inspire them. This catalogue serves as both celebration and archive—a testament to the extraordinary perspectives young people bring when given the tools and encouragement to share their view of the world.