Thanks to everyone who took part. Delighted to share the 2025 winners announced, see more here.

People’s Choice winner will be displayed on the Festival website, generate local media interest and social media exposure - plus the public are invited to vote for the People’s Choice prize for one week in late June online.

your photos, one city - 24 hours - midday to midday - this June -

Auckland Photo Day - 2025 - 24 hours

12pm 6th June Friday to 1159am 7th June Saturday

Thanks to Fujifilm NZ for the prizes.

Sarah Macmillan - After Rugby Practice

1st place - Sarah Macmillan - After Rugby Practice - 1st Prize 2025 Auckland Photo Day

Taken Friday 6th June

Sarah, a grandmother and avid photography enthusiast, says "Can’t believe it, it was such a fluke that I was there, as my daughter was stuck in traffic Friday afternoon and asked me to go and pick up my grandson, who is 11 years old after his rugby practice at Silverdale Rugby Club, so I wasn’t expecting to be there and I didn’t use my DSLR as I didn’t have it with, this was taken on my phone!"

Our judge’s comment: “A everyday scene of a child after a sporting event in Auckland's North Shore, the photographer capturing a fleeting image of this kid's journey. The composition is excellent: lots of angles and geometries, shades of green and the child's posture, as if burdened by the expectations of what the day might hold. The sign on the nearby container saying, 'You Can Do Anything', while a cherry picker and a sewer sit on the upper frame add a touch of humour and depth.”

2025 Judges:

Federico Monsalve, former editor D Photo Magazine

NZ/Auckland based former editor of D Photo, New Zealand's leading photography magazine and has a worked within the photography sector to publish news stories and career stretching across the arts sector. He was also the former editor of Urbis and Interior magazines. He is a writer and journalist, and his work has appeared in a range of local and international media including The New Zealand Herald, Monocle (UK), Urbis, Flying Nun, ARTnews (NY) and Interior.

Janette Dalley, Director Visuals, Freelance

Former NZ Herald News Director Visuals at New Zealand Herald, bringing experience from previous roles in London, and BAFTA. Janette Dalley holds a 2005 - 2007 MA in Film, Television and Visual Media @ University of London.

Alex Burton, Photojournalist

Alex Burton is a photographer based in Tāmaki Makaurau. He has worked both as a freelance photographer/videographer, a picture editor/multimedia editor and visual journalist for national media outlets. Currently working on a book project, he lives in West Auckland with two children and a cat called Liberty.

Background

Auckland Photo Day is a community engagement project initiated in 2004 by the Festival as way to build democratic visual cultural currency and build an inclusive and equitable arts and cultural environment.

It invites anyone, anywhere in Auckland during a 24 hour shoot to share their perspectives of our region. It creates new on the day photos that offer democratic visual conversations about the place we live, work and play.

We want to see the fascination in the everyday, what is surprisingly different and what is comfortingly familiar. This event celebrates the many individual pockets of culture and identity present in New Zealand's biggest city by building cultural currency.

Whilst celebrated in a spirit of fun this event also fulfills the important role of documenting our life right here and now in the world we live in. A DAY IN THE LIFE of Auckland.

Previous participation has seen thousands of images taken by thousands of members of the community, professionals, enthusiasts, students, young, elderly, men, women, all shades of our rainbow across the Auckland region.

All images are kept in a digital archive for future generations.

If the photo is good enough to show your friends and family - your built-in audience - it might be good enough to win a prize in Auckland Photo Day. Groups, individuals, families, children - anyone with access to an imaging device is encouraged to take a photo or 3 of the scenes, people and places that reflect their Auckland region.

Photographs are kept in an archive for future exhibition and to provide a visual resource for the region. All images submitted are available to view for reference, research and limited use for promotional purposes under licence.

We want to thank the thousands of participants who have taken part in this popular 24 hour day in the life of Auckland competition since 2004.

As part of the archive and history of Auckland Photo Day to date, we encourage you to view previous winners and watch the Auckland Photo Day compilation on YouTube.

2025

Media release: June 2025 - Auckland Photo Day: North Shore Grandmother's Capture beats the odds

More about 2024 winners:

To date over 15000 images have been created and entered to Auckland Photo Day since its inception in 2004. Previous winners can be seen for 2004-2022.