Women Sport Australia (WSA), the national advocacy body for women in sport, has opened submissions for the 2020 Women in Sport Photo Action Awards (#WISPAA).

With almost all sport around the world stopping as countries focus on preventing the spread of COVID-19, WSA are seeking images of sportswomen in action to showcase the amazing power of sport during this unprecedented time.

“There is no doubt that sport is hurting, not only in Australia but around the whole world right now. By running our #WISPAA online photography competition we look forward to being able to showcase amazing photos of Australian sportswomen doing what they love at a time when they can’t,” WSA President Carol Fox said.

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.

Despite the majority of sport being on hold right now, there are still plenty of sporting events which have taken place over the last 12 months featuring inspiring females.

Former captain of the Australian Cricket Team, Belinda Clark, reflected on the success of the T20 Women’s World Cup and how #WISPAA plays an important role in creating role models.

“Seeing 86,000 people flock to the MCG to watch a T20 World Cup final was a life highlight and a symbol of how far we have come as a country. However, there is still much work to do and #WISPAA is a great way to showcase the impact that our powerful, resilient and focused female athletes can have on shaping society,” said Clark.

The 2019 inaugural #WISPAA competition attracted hundreds of images from around Australia with Victorian Michael Willson crowned the professional winner for his iconic AFLW image of Tayla Harris, ‘The Kick’. 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.