This morning the Moran Arts Foundation announced the 150 semi-finalists for its annual ‘Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize’, believed to be Australia’s most valuable photography prize. This year’s Prize received over 2,700 entries interpreting the theme ‘Contemporary Life in Australia.’
Coming from a mix of professional and amateur Australian photographers the images capture the diversity of current day Australian lifestyles – from 
playful scenes celebrating the richness of our environment, to those that capture harsh reality of life in our driest drought affected states.
Images that retell the major Australian news stories of the past 12 months are balanced with the day to day. Shots of well-known faces are there alongside stirring portraits of families, couples and individuals from wide-ranging backgrounds and circumstances. Men and their sheds, cars and motorbikes, road trippers, girls and their hula-hoops, the incredible force of nature, and of course, the beach.
The ‘Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize’ awards an acquisitive prize of $50,000 to the winner, plus $1,000 to each of the 30 finalists.
Award- winning Australian photographer, William Long, who is co-judging this year’s ‘Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize’ (with New York based Aidan J 
Sullivan from Reportage/Getty Images) commented, “This year’s entries to the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize demonstrate the high level of excellence in visual communication and the diversity of imagination contained within the Australian community. Photography is now such an everyday part of our lives, and that has been clearly demonstrated by the wide variety of entries. Judging the entries has been a privilege and an exciting insight into contemporary Australian life.”
Thirty of the ‘Moran Contemporary Photographic 
Prize’ semi-finalist works will be selected as finalists, to be displayed as part of the Moran Art Prizes exhibition along with the finalists of the ‘Doug Moran National Portrait Prize‘.
The winners of the Moran Prizes will be announced on October 28, 2014.
Juniper Hall
29 October, 2014 to 15 February, 2015
Sydney
Images (top to bottom):
Kelly Brown, Till death do us part
Alison Harper, Child’s Play
Pamela Pauline, Pool Closed
Alistair Brown, Arlow and Nugget while Georgie stalks Tully
Adam Hourigan, On Fire
