Women Sport Australia (WSA), the national advocacy body for women in sport, are pleased to announce the judges for the 2020 Women in Sport Photo Action Awards (#WISPAA).
The four-person judging panel will consist of Federal Minister for Sport, the Hon. Richard Colbeck, multi-award winning journalist Samantha Lane, award winning photographer Ryan Pierse and WSA President Carol Fox.
Minister Colbeck said he was looking forward to being involved in the judging of WISPAA for 2020 following his support of the competition in 2019.
“Australia’s female athletes have provided some show-stopping moments on the world sporting stage in the past year,” Minister Colbeck said.
“We are determined to see that continue.
“The Morrison Government is dedicated to creating more opportunities for participation at all levels – from grassroots sport for women and girls, through to elite competition. That is something to look forward to.”
Sports Journalist Samantha Lane who is also the author of ROAR, a book on the rise of AFLW, thinks WISPAA is an important step for changing perceptions in our society:
“Images of men, freeze-framed in sporting glory, adorn walls of our stadiums, our local cricket and footy clubs and boardrooms. I dream of the day when the ledger is balanced because visibility roars volumes.”
Getty Images photographer Ryan Pierse is also pleased to be part of the judging panel, acknowledging the tough time sport is currently facing with COVID-19:
“During these times when sport has been silenced, there is no better moment to look back on the huge achievements of Women in Sport over the last year. I’m really looking forward to seeing how entrants have been able to capture Australia’s female athletes in full flight.”
Images can be entered for #WISPAA that were taken between 1 May 2019 and 30 April 2020 with two award categories: one for professional photographers and one for amateur photographers.
The 2019 inaugural #WISPAA competition attracted hundreds of images from around Australia. Victorian Michael Willson was crowned the professional winner for his iconic AFLW image of Tayla Harris, ‘The Kick’, while West-Australian Johan Schmidt was named the amateur winner for his women’s rugby union image ‘The hit-up’ featuring Sera Ah-Sam and Tayla Stanford.
To enter in 2020, photographers can submit up to three photos of Australian sportswomen in action via WSA’s dedicated #WISPAA web page.
Photos submitted must show an Australian sportswoman or sportswomen aged over 18 actively participating in sport at any level in Australia. The sport can be amateur or professional. Judges will favour photos that depict the athleticism, strength and the skill of a woman or women aged over 18 participating in sport. Further terms and conditions can be found on the #WISPAA website.
WISPAA entries will close on May 31.
