2023 : 06 June Alex Mao Youth Award

Shafeek Allie;Hut;Huff, puff, blow the house in
Reanna Hinds;Oh, The Places You’ll Go!;My mum has such a strong sense of adventure and it was awesome seeing her in her element.  She had a significant accident, and as part of her recovery she set about conquering all the volcanoes in Auckland (all 52!).  I love that I captured her achievement.  Her favourite book to read to us as kids was the Dr Suess book ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go!’. This photo shows her adventurous spirit and makes me think of her favourite quote from the book “So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ per cent guaranteed) KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!”   Dr Suess
Reanna Hinds;Skimming;Capturing the beautiful combination of the sunset, the water and my dad skimming stones at the Mangere Bridge waterfront.
Shafeek Allie;Rough seas;Tawharanui storm
Abby Cullinan;Sunset Web;This gives you a spooky feeling with the blood red sunset, the spooky web and the tear droplets.
Reanna Hinds;The Heart of the Ocean;I enjoyed taking photos of the ocean while I was on holiday in the Catlins. I was so excited when I looked at the photos afterwards that the splash from the waves in this picture had formed a heart shape.
Sophie Hansen;Man's Best friend;Brave, loyal working dogs Ash and Teddy help draft bulls in the yards on a cold, foggy, morning.
Abby Cullinan;Adventure Valley;I LOVE looking at this valley and seeing the depth from small mountain ranges to gigantic giving the feeling of the adventure to be had.
Abby Cullinan;Spooky Spider;The fine white web lines can give the impression of a spider swimming with the web being the expanding ripples.
Sophie Hansen;Playful;As we entered the coromandel harbor on our boat a pod of dolphins joined us as I took photos from above on the bow.
Abby Cullinan;The Shag;The light, colours and texture can be seen clearly on the shag’s wings and this is nicely contrasted against the soft soothing water.
Junwei Li;Afternoon

Stay informed of our festivals and news

Subscribe to our newsletter and we'll send you periodic updates.