The School, by Brett Ferguson

Winner in the people and portrait category. Shot in an abandoned and derelict school, Ferguson collaborated with dressmaker and model Meagan O’Keeffe who, inspired by Ferguson’s grandmother, handmade her period costume from scratch for a series of bold portraits that show the photographer’s love of mood and depth

Scenes of Xiapu, Fujian, China, by Niall Chang

Winner in the travel category. Chang’s winning series was captured in Xiapu, on China’s east coast. Its lure for photographers has brought significant income to the region

Scenes of Xiapu, Fujian, China, by Niall Chang

‘The geographic patterns formed by fishing nets and seaweed drying racks attracted me to visit Xiapu in May 2018,’ Chang says. ‘Despite urbanisation of many towns and cities along the coastline, Xiapu has managed to retain its coastal village charm, at least in some areas, natural and manmade alike’

Sands of Namibia, by Dennis Rickard

Winner in the aerial category. The Melbourne photographer’s series, captured from a light plane over the Sossusvlei area in southern Namibia, combines the best of abstraction with a lovely three-dimensional feel

Night at the Museum: Summon of the horse, by Derek Zhang

Photo of the Year. Captured at the Australian Museum in Sydney, Zhang’s image of his three-year-old daughter staring in awe at a giant horse skeleton is a lucky storytelling moment. ‘Storytelling is always the core and pursuit of my photographic work,’ he says. ‘That horse skeleton seems like a thousand feet taller than her from where she is!’

Monsoon Magic, by Harman Singh Heer

Winner in the junior category. Born in Kenya but now calling Australia home, Singh Heer developed a passion for wildlife and photography after picking up his mother’s old DSLR

Magic of New Zealand, by Jingshu Zhu

Winner of the landscape category. Sydney accountant Jingshu Zhu captured her winning landscape-category portfolio on a trip to New Zealand’s South Island in August 2017, a place she describes as a paradise for landscape photography

Magic of New Zealand, by Jingshu Zhu

Planning and research were key to the success of Zhu’s landscape series. She says she made four route plans to chase the best light in different weather conditions. ‘The places I like the most are Mount Cook and the west coast,’ she says. ‘Regardless of the conditions of the weather and tide, you always have a chance to shoot interesting images’

Shapes of Melbourne, by Cameron Meacham

Winner in the black and white category. For his series, the 37-year-old focused his lens on shapes and lines. ‘I have tried to capture lines that lead your eyes to different points of interest, highlighting the tones, textures and patterns of this incredible building,’ he says

On the Brink, by Jasmine Vink

Winner in the wildlife and animal category and overall Photographer of the Year. Based in Brisbane, Jasmine Vink is an ecologist with a passion for wildlife, especially reptiles and amphibians. ‘From surprisingly tender parental care to fierce chorus battles between competing males, frogs are fascinating if you give them a chance,’ she says