judges
Mieke Boynton
photographer
Mieke Boynton is an internationally-acclaimed landscape and aerial photographer. Her distinctive abstract aerials are taken from chartered helicopters and light planes, and her landscape photographs from all over the world celebrate the breathtaking beauty of nature.
Mieke became a full-time professional photographer in 2018. In 2019 she was awarded the title of AIPP Victorian Landscape Photographer Of The Year. Also in 2019, she was the first woman to receive the prestigious Epson International Pano Awards. In 2021 she was named NZIPP Photographer of the Year.
Mieke is a Master with Distinction of the New Zealand Institute of professional photography( NZIPP), A Master of the Federation Internationale de l'Art Photographique (FIAP), and a Grand master of the Australian Photographic Society(APS).
Mieke, together with her partner, Matt Palmer , owns and runs the Alpine Light Gallery in the Alpine township of Bright, Victoria.
Caroline Esbenshade
Shepparton Art Museum, Curator - cOMMUNITY
Born in the US, Caroline Esbenshade lives and works in Shepparton, Victoria where she juggles her curatorial role at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) with her contemporary arts practice while pursuing her Masters in Art Curatorship at the University of Melbourne. Esbenshade has been at SAM for nearly a year, before working in arts marketing and at Wyndham Art Gallery prior to that.
As SAM’s Curator – Community she looks after the Community Gallery, Children’s Gallery and Artist in Residence spaces. Across her curatorial and arts management career she has worked with a variety of artists and art organisations and is passionate about supporting creatives at all career stages.
In her contemporary art practice, she explores how the narrative of a moment shifts once it has been translated into a painting or photograph, ruminating on memories as physical objects and our experience of love and intimacy. She began experimenting with instant film after a decade hiatus from film photography in 2019, gravitating to it for its alchemy-like ability to distil time.
In 2022 she was a finalist in the Tacit Still Life Prize, Kangaroo Valley Art Prize, Little Things Art Prize and participated in two group exhibitions. She started 2023 off with a solo show of instant film photography, Things that shouldn’t last, at Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, Melbourne for which she received a Regional Arts Victoria Quick Response Grant.
MERCURY MEGALOUDIS
PHOTOGRAPHER
Meet Mercury Megaloudis, one of Australia's most passionate and renowned photographers with over 30 years of experience. He is the creative mind behind Megagraphics, Mercurymega and Coast Collections Images. His philosophy is to always be enthusiastic, creative, inspiring, and passionate. Mercury's photographs are not just pictures, but works of art that speak from the heart and capture the beauty and soul of his subjects. His designer images and original ideas have earned him respect from both his peers and appreciative clients.
Mercury's portraits are uniquely different and combine a blend of contemporary style, personality, and detail. He believes that everyone has beauty in their own unique way, and his job is to capture it. With his contagious energy and enthusiasm for photography, he is always looking to break new ground and push the boundaries of what is possible. Mercury is a true master of his craft, and his legacy will live on through his stunning works of art for generations to come.