TRLA Photography Competition 2026 – Celebrating the Heart of Our Community

The TRLA Photography Competition is back for 2026, opening September 1 and running through to mid-October—and this year, it comes with a meaningful new focus.

In 2024, we explored Water in the Landscape, encouraging our community to capture the beauty and importance of water in our environment. In 2025, we celebrated the incredible biodiversity of our region—its plants, animals, and landscapes—through a stunning collection of images that highlighted just how rich and diverse our natural surroundings are. These themes connected us deeply to place.

But 2026 is different.

As the International Year of the Volunteer, this year’s competition shifts the lens from landscapes to people—the quiet achievers who make our region what it is. We’re shining a spotlight on volunteers. Not just within Landcare or the nursery, but across the entire community—those giving their time in op shops, community gardens and kitchens, sporting groups, environmental projects, charities, aged care, and countless other spaces where people show up, often without recognition.

Volunteers are the heartbeat of our towns and villages. They are the early risers, the behind-the-scenes organisers, the hands in the soil, the people making meals, checking in on neighbours, and keeping community spirit alive. They don’t do it for accolades—they do it because they care.

This year, we want to celebrate them.

We’re encouraging everyone to start snapping now. Keep your camera or phone handy and capture those everyday moments of generosity and connection—someone lending a hand, sharing knowledge, showing kindness, or simply turning up. These are the stories worth telling.

When you do, feel free to share some of your photos and tag TRLA so we can start celebrating these incredible people in real time. Let’s build a collection that reflects the true spirit of our region—the “gems” among us.

As always, the competition will culminate in an awards night and a celebration of our region’s talented photographers. But this year, it’s about more than just great images—it’s about recognising the people who make our communities stronger, kinder, and more connected.

So why wait? Start looking, start noticing, and start capturing the volunteers who make a difference every single day.

Because this year, the focus isn’t just on the landscape—it’s on the people who care for it, and for each other.