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Locals capture today’s Wollongong for future generations - Wollongong, NSW
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More than 450 photographs have been submitted to a new local-history project documenting everyday life across Wollongong.
### Locals capture today’s Wollongong for tomorrow’s generations
Wollongong residents have been invited to help preserve the story of their city through photography, with the winners of the inaugural **Illawarra Images Photography Prize** announced on 9 September 2026. The competition, presented by Wollongong City Libraries, attracted more than **450 photographic entries from 200 people**, highlighting the different ways residents experience and connect with Wollongong.
The photography prize was created to encourage local residents to become community historians by documenting everyday life across the city. Rather than focusing only on major landmarks or historic events, the competition encouraged participants to capture ordinary moments, people, places and experiences that represent Wollongong in 2026. The resulting photographs provide a snapshot of contemporary life that can potentially become part of the city's historical record for future generations.
Entries were divided into three age categories: **18 years and older, 13 to 17 years, and 6 to 12 years**. A total of **$2,000 in prize money** was offered across the competition. The strong response from the community meant judges had a substantial collection of images to consider when selecting the winners and finalists.
The winning photographs cover a broad range of themes associated with modern Wollongong. They include images connected to **sport, surfing, outdoor recreation, family life, migration, development and everyday community experiences**. One of the winning photographs, taken by Oliver Risi, features his grandfather outside the family home after arriving in Wollongong from Italy in 1960 with only one suitcase. The image connects a personal family story with the broader history of migration and settlement in the region.
Other winning entries capture younger residents' perspectives of the city. The 13-to-17 category included photographs titled *My Stadium*, *The Shadow* and *Radiant Rowers*. In the 6-to-12 category, winning photographs included *Kid’s Eye View*, *Girl Walking* and *Grandma in the City*. Together, the images demonstrate how differently people of various ages see and interpret the same city.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown said the response demonstrated the community's pride in the city and highlighted the value of residents documenting their everyday experiences. According to the council, the photographs reveal important contemporary themes and provide future generations with an opportunity to understand what life in Wollongong was like in 2026.
A selection of the winning and finalist photographs has now been added to **Illawarra Images**, the photographic collection maintained by Wollongong City Libraries. The collection contains **more than 50,000 images spanning the 1800s to the present day**, meaning the new photographs will sit alongside generations of historical material documenting the Illawarra region.
The competition also represents a new approach to collecting local history. The Illawarra Images Photography Prize replaces the previous Local History Prize on a trial basis and encourages residents of all ages to become “citizen collectors” by contributing photographs that document the city's living history.
WollongongCityPhotographsImagesResidents
### Locals capture today’s Wollongong for tomorrow’s generations
Wollongong residents have been invited to help preserve the story of their city through photography, with the winners of the inaugural **Illawarra Images Photography Prize** announced on 9 September 2026. The competition, presented by Wollongong City Libraries, attracted more than **450 photographic entries from 200 people**, highlighting the different ways residents experience and connect with Wollongong.
The photography prize was created to encourage local residents to become community historians by documenting everyday life across the city. Rather than focusing only on major landmarks or historic events, the competition encouraged participants to capture ordinary moments, people, places and experiences that represent Wollongong in 2026. The resulting photographs provide a snapshot of contemporary life that can potentially become part of the city's historical record for future generations.
Entries were divided into three age categories: **18 years and older, 13 to 17 years, and 6 to 12 years**. A total of **$2,000 in prize money** was offered across the competition. The strong response from the community meant judges had a substantial collection of images to consider when selecting the winners and finalists.
The winning photographs cover a broad range of themes associated with modern Wollongong. They include images connected to **sport, surfing, outdoor recreation, family life, migration, development and everyday community experiences**. One of the winning photographs, taken by Oliver Risi, features his grandfather outside the family home after arriving in Wollongong from Italy in 1960 with only one suitcase. The image connects a personal family story with the broader history of migration and settlement in the region.
Other winning entries capture younger residents' perspectives of the city. The 13-to-17 category included photographs titled *My Stadium*, *The Shadow* and *Radiant Rowers*. In the 6-to-12 category, winning photographs included *Kid’s Eye View*, *Girl Walking* and *Grandma in the City*. Together, the images demonstrate how differently people of various ages see and interpret the same city.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown said the response demonstrated the community's pride in the city and highlighted the value of residents documenting their everyday experiences. According to the council, the photographs reveal important contemporary themes and provide future generations with an opportunity to understand what life in Wollongong was like in 2026.
A selection of the winning and finalist photographs has now been added to **Illawarra Images**, the photographic collection maintained by Wollongong City Libraries. The collection contains **more than 50,000 images spanning the 1800s to the present day**, meaning the new photographs will sit alongside generations of historical material documenting the Illawarra region.
The competition also represents a new approach to collecting local history. The Illawarra Images Photography Prize replaces the previous Local History Prize on a trial basis and encourages residents of all ages to become “citizen collectors” by contributing photographs that document the city's living history.
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