From nearly 6000 entries, judges whittled it down to 40 finalists and just a handful of winners, runners-up and highly commended. These are the finest frames of 2020.

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As the sun sets, Grenville Pitama starts the uplift of the hāngī during Matariki celebrations at Richmond Community Gardens, a revitalised part of Christchurch’s red zone. Alden Williams knew that uncovering the hāngī would be the day’s best opportunity for a photo—but had only a slim window of time to capture it.

Sheep shearer John Aramakutu prepares for a hard day at the office. Alden Williams made this portrait for a story about Aramakutu’s life—his experiences as a state ward, as an inmate, and losing a family member to suicide. “The moment captured was designed to show a battle-weary product of a tough upbringing still contributing in a backbone Kiwi industry.”

Early morning light breaks through the Christchurch fog on a midwinter’s day. Alden Williams captured this view from the Port Hills. Noticing the mist starting to disperse over the city below, he sought a clear vantage point to capture the filigree details of bare tree branches emerging from the haze.

Portrait of Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian-Kurdish refugee and author of "No Friend but the Mountains" which he wrote while incarcerated on Manus Island.

Three months after the Christchurch mosque shootings, a remembrance event was held at Hillmorton High School for the victims of the terrorist attack. Though Alden Williams had obtained permission to photograph at the event, he used a long lens to make his presence less intrusive to the crowd.

Police officer Constable Michelle Evans stands sentinel with a hijab head covering, a rifle and a rose outside Christchurch Memorial Park Cemetery, as victims of the mosque shootings are buried.

Gwen Young-James with her dog Bella (also on the embroidered wall hanging), who appeared on What Now in February.

Striking students gather for the March for Climate in Auckland, September 2019.

Rako/Buller’s shearwaters stream out past the Milky Way from their colony on Tawhiti Rahi, having fed their checks. Perched on the edge of a cliff, Edin Whitehead waited for the birds to fly along the trajectory she envisaged—then fired her flash, “freezing” them in place in the frame.

The last rays of sunlight scatter over the steep glaciated valleys of western Fiordland. William Patino attempted this photograph several times before successfully capturing what he calls the “sea of stone”. Bringing his vision to life involved trial and error: “The right altitude, humidity, light and angle were required to get this effect.”

It’s pretty cold in a Cessna in the middle of winter, especially with the door off, but Emma Willetts was on a mission: to photograph New Zealand’s rivers and beaches in a fresh way. Flying over Awaroa Bay at high tide, Willetts spotted oystercatchers dotting the inlet like sesame seeds.

Stopping on the snowy shores of Lake Lyndon on a winter road trip, Struan Purdie noticed the water was mirror-still. He vowed to return with a boat and wakeboarder. Two years later, conditions lined up to create the photograph he had envisioned. The biggest challenge? Finding someone willing to brave the near-freezing water.

A large male sperm whale rests on the surface of the ocean while two dusky dolphins investigate his head. “Sperm whales are often skittish, even to animals as small as dolphins and seals, so it was rare to catch a photo of one relaxed enough to let them swim around it,” says Toby Dickson.

Early morning light breaks through the Christchurch fog on a midwinter’s day. Alden Williams captured this view from the Port Hills. Noticing the mist starting to disperse over the city below, he sought a clear vantage point to capture the filigree details of bare tree branches emerging from the haze.

Fiordland is William Patino’s primary subject, and he visits Milford Sound whenever there’s a decent storm. He was waiting for the right moment to capture a close, wide-angle view of Stirling Falls when a wind gust sent the spray flying towards him. Patino pressed the shutter a moment before being engulfed by spray.

Capturing the different faces and moods of Tititea/Mount Aspiring has been Takashi Tsuneizumi’s personal project for the past six years. This image was made during stormy weather—despite cloud cover, Tsuneizumi gambled on taking a flight to his pre-scouted vantage point, and was rewarded when the sun broke through, revealing the summit.

The edge of the Ross Ice Shelf protrudes into the fog, one of its faces catching the light. The ice shelf, which is about the size of France, is the world’s largest by area. For Peter Drury, who spent more than 30 years as a press photographer, visiting Antarctica was the culmination of a lifelong dream.

When a kōtuku flew past Douglas Thorne near the Milford Sound ferry terminal, he leapt into action, thinking he’d photograph it on the wing, or with Mitre Peak in the background. Instead, he captured it scratching his head. It was a struggle to hold still amidst the sandflies long enough to get the shot.

A male kākāpō “booms” and “chings” by night in the bowl he’s sculpted, part of an elaborate routine to attract the ladies. Documenting kākāpō is a challenge—they’re shy and nocturnal—so Scott Mouat used an infrared camera and infrared lights. Concealed in a hide, he captured this scene without disturbing the birds.

A football octopus rides inside a salp, a translucent, jelly-like sea creature. Salps are common around our coasts, but football octopuses normally live in the open ocean. Though Crispin Middleton has photographed extensively around the Poor Knights Islands, it was the first time this octopus has appeared before his lens.

The dried remains of a kāruhiruhi/pied shag bake on the parched lakebed of the Lower Nihotupu Reservoir. This year, Auckland has experienced a record drought, with this dam dropping to a third of its capacity. One day, David White hiked around the reservoir, looking for pictures to represent the water shortage.

The Mangawhai Bowl Jam is the biggest skateboarding event in New Zealand, and Scott Sinton has photographed it several times over the years. In 2020, he decided to focus on individual participants, such as Jakob Robinson—the skateboarder pictured taking a moment after a serious fall. He went on to win the open finals.

Five flatmates in their early 20s pass the time during Alert Level 4 in a central Auckland suburb. The lockdown opened space for creative pursuits—reading, art—as well as home haircuts, tattoos and piercings. Becki Moss had more time for photography: “I have always documented the lives of the people I live with.”

Members of the 501st Legion—an international organisation dedicated to replicating the costumes of villains from the Star Wars films—high-five members of the crowd during the 2019 Richmond Santa Parade. Braden Fastier was covering the event for the Nelson Mail, looking for ways to isolate the many crowd events in single pictures.

At the international arts festival WOMAD, members of the crowd soak up the music in different ways. While photographing the mosh pit, Ashim GC noticed one attendee sleeping soundly, oblivious to the turbulence. Struggling to remain still amidst the push and movement of the dancing crowd, Ashim fired off a few frames.

Sheep shearer John Aramakutu prepares for a hard day at the office. Alden Williams made this portrait for a story about Aramakutu’s life—his experiences as a state ward, as an inmate, and losing a family member to suicide. “The moment captured was designed to show a battle-weary product of a tough upbringing still contributing in a backbone Kiwi industry.”

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