Sydney photography to shine at Hyde Park

Central Sydney onlookers can catch an array of outdoor photography lining the central walkway of Hyde Park this spring.

The Sydney Life exhibiton, a part of annual outdoor festival, Art and About asks photographers to capture what Sydney means to them. Photographer and curator, Sandy Edwards will be on this year’s panel.

“Sydney Life is one of the most successful public art projects in Sydney,” Ms Edwards said. “Over ten years old now, it has been running with the same brief with slight fine tuning since it was initiated.”

More than 600 photographic entries were received this year, underlying the popularity of the event.

“The public walkway of Hyde Park has an uninterrupted nature and that allows the large scale photographs to sing without competition,” Ms Edwards said. “The public have embraced it and it is viewable 24 hours a day.

“It has also provided a superb platform for the best of Sydney’s photographers to shine. This is the first year we have judged without identifying the photographers, and they still appear well selected.”

The $10,000 prize will be announced on September 21, the opening night of Art and About.

“The other great thing about Sydney life is that it is a truly democratic competition,” Ms Edwards said. “Anyone can enter and has the potential to be selected. It is a rare thing … a feel good competition, prize and exhibition.”

City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone said of this year’s Sydney Finalists: “This is Sydney seen through the eyes of some of our most talented photographers, who have captured original and striking observations of life in our dynamic city.

“Using the city as a canvas and the iconic Hyde Park as gallery space, this much-loved competition celebrates our uniquely Sydney lifestyle and culture in Australia’s oldest park.”