Australia's Professional Photographer of the Year announced

Australia’s finest professional photographers gathered in Melbourne last night for the coveted Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards (‘Canon AIPP APPAs’). Portrait photographer, John Ansell walked away with $10,000 and the prestigious title of 2015 Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year for his images chronicling Australia’s history in a set of four photographs (featured above) in addition to the 2015 AIPP Australian Portrait Photographer of the Year award. 

“Winning this award is the most incredible accolade of my career. I’ve been a member of AIPP for 26 years and I’m proud to have grown and developed my passion to achieve the top honour,” says John Ansell. “At the APPA awards, your fellow photographers aren’t your competitors, they are your source of inspiration and what encourages me to push boundaries every year to try something new.” 

Shot as a set of four images, John’s winning portraits images are designed to communicate a visual timeline of Australian history, chronicling: Australia’s Indigenous community as the original land owners; a Queens scout signifying 200 years as a British colony; an Italian immigrant representing Australia’s rich multicultural society; and, a young Sudanese refugee breaking free of chains depicting the new direction of Australian society. 

In their 39th year, 648 entrants submitted a collective 2434 images to be judged as part of the Canon AIPP APPAs, vying for the grand prize of $10,000 and category prizes of $1,000 cash. 

“Each year we are amazed at the standard of entries and reminded of the ability of the best professional photographers to continually reveal new ways of seeing the world through their images,” said Canon’s manager of Professional Photography, Chris Macleod. “This year was no exception and we will see this flow on and inspire the next generation of photographers.” 

The awards were peer-judged over the past three days by some of Australia’s most recognised photographers, including Canon Master Photographers Darren Jew, Mike Langford, Jackie Ranken with each of the thousands of images entered critiqued in detail. 

“In today’s digital world, everybody wants to be able to capture images and remember great moments, but for professional photographers it is more than that. It is about using photography to tell brave, emotive stories that create powerful impressions and have an impact on the viewer,” says Canon AIPP APPA Judge and Canon Master, Jackie Ranken. “The APPA Awards is an incredible celebration of those who do it best.” 

The 2015 Canon AIPP APPA Awards also honoured two of Australia’s leading and most respected photographers who ascended to the coveted rank of AIPP APPA ‘Grand Masters’. These photographers include Andrew Campbell, 2015 AIPP Australian Science, Nature & Environment Photographer of the Year winner, and Mike Langford, Canon Master. 

For further information, visit www.canon.com.au/appa or www.aippappa.com.au

Winners for the 2015 Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards are:
- 2015 Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year – John Ansell, John Ansell Photography, Victoria 2015 AIPP Australian Advertising Photographer of the Year – Easton Chang, Easton Chang Photography, New South Wales
- 2015 AIPP Australian Alternate Process of the Year – Trevor Foon, Foons Photographics, Victoria 
- 2015 AIPP Australian Birth Photographer of the Year – Selena Rollason, Brisbane Birth Photography, Queensland 
- 2015 AIPP Australian Fashion Photographer of the Year – Vicky Papas, Vergara, Victoria
- 2015 AIPP Australian Commercial Photographer of the Year – Lisa Saad, Lisa Saad, Victoria 
- 2015 AIPP Australian Sport Photographer of the Year – Krystle Wright, Canon Master, Queensland 
- 2015 AIPP Australian Travel Photographer of the Year – Steve Scalone, Steve Scalone Photography, Victoria
- 2015 AIPP Australian Landscape Photographer of the Year – David Evans, David Evans Photography, South Australia
- 2015 AIPP Australian Science, Nature & Environment Photographer of the Year – Andrew Campbell, Generations Photography, Victoria 
- 2015 AIPP Australian Documentary Photographer of the Year – Johannes Reinhart, JR Photography, Western Australia 
- 2015 AIPP Australian Illustrative Photographer of the Year – Gee Greenslade, Gee Greenslade Photography, South Australia 
- 2015 AIPP Australian Portrait Photographer of the Year – John Ansell, John Ansell Photography, Victoria 
- 2015 AIPP Australian Pet / Animal Photographer of the Year – Kerry Martin, Akemi Photography, Victoria
- 2015 AIPP Australian Family Photographer of the Year – Katie Kolenberg, Heartstory Photography, Australian Capital Territory
- 2015 AIPP Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year – Kelly Tunney, Kelly Tunney Photographer, Australian Capital Territory
- 2015 AIPP Australian Creative Photographer of the Year – Peter Rossi, Highlights Photography, Queensland
- 2015 AIPP Australian Student Photographer Of The Year – Ricky Gestro, Western Australia
- 2015 AIPP Australian Emerging Photographer Of The Year – Jennifere Thompson, Jennifere Thompson Photographer, Victoria
- 2015 AIPP International Photographer Of The Year – David Edmonson, Edmonson Weddings, United States
- 2015 AIPP Australian Tertiary Photography Institution Of The Year – Photography Studies College – Melbourne, Victoria 
- 2015 Australian Highest Scoring Image Award – David Evans, David Evans Photography, South Australia
- 2015 AIPP Australian Album of the Year Award – Jerry Ghionis, Jerry Ghionis Photography, Victoria 
- 2015 AIPP Australian Photography Book Award – Robert van Koesveld, Robert Van Koesveld Photography, Western Australia