FOCUS entries

The FOCUS local history photo competition is back with cash prizes for the best amateur photographs.

The purpose of this annual competition is to grow the photographic history collection of Birtwistle Local Studies Library. It is designed to capture aspects of the City of Armadale and all of its suburbs as it looks today, and to encourage donations of historic photos for viewing by future generations.

This online only competition opens for entries from 1 February to 31 March 2026.

The Categories

The Three categories are:

  • Bridges & Waterways - Photograph Category
  • Bridges & Waterways - Drone Category
  • Open Theme - Historical Pre-2000 Category

For the theme Bridges & Waterways categories we ask you to submit present-day photographs or drone images that capture the City’s waterways—both natural and man-made—and bridges that span water or roads. Images should highlight these features within the context of their surrounding landscape, showcasing their beauty, functionality, and connection to the environment.

Natural waterways Man-made waterways
  • Rivers
  • Streams
  • Creeks
  • Brooks
  • Lakes
  • Ponds
  • Wetlands
  • Canals
  • Aqueducts
  • Ditches
  • Reservoirs
  • Drainage channels
  • Dams

The Open Theme - Historical Pre-2000 Category asks for scans of photographs more than 25 years old that show any aspect of how life was in our district over the past decades. Open your old photo albums and show us what life here was like pre-2000.

Prizes for each category are:

1st Prize      $300 and a Professional print of their photograph.
2nd Prize   $200 and a Professional print of their photograph.
3rd Prize   $100 and a Professional print of their photograph.

Who can enter?

This online-only competition is open to all amateur photographers 18 years and over who are Australian residents. Please read the Terms and Conditions for more information.   

Before you enter

  • Have you read the Terms and Conditions. By submitting an entry, entrants accept the Terms and Conditions of the competition.
  • Have you renamed your image file in this format:
    Surname_TitleOfPhoto (e.g. Smith_Forrestdale Lake)
  • Images must be JPEG format, Minimum 1MB, maximum 15MB.
  • Only photos taken within the borders of the City of Armadale will be accepted.
  • No digital enhancement other than cropping, resizing or reasonable adjustments to tone is permitted.

You may enter as many photographs as you wish. Each photo must be submitted via the online entry form - up to five photos per form. A confirmation email will be sent to you for each entry form.