Sarah Macmillan's photo After Rugby Practice claimed top prize in the Auckland Festival of Photography’s annual 24-hour, day in the life of Auckland - Tāmaki Makaurau competition.

Grandmother's smartphone photo wins top prize at Auckland festival

Author: NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2025, 2:42pm

A grandmother wielding her trusty smartphone has captured the top prize in an annual Auckland Festival of Photography competition.

The 24-hour, day in the life of Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau competition took place over 24 hours from Friday June 6 to Saturday June 7.

The hundreds of entries submitted have added to an archive of more than 15,000 unique images of Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau taken since the competition began.

Sarah, a grandmother and avid photography enthusiast, said she couldn’t believe it when told she had won.

“It was such a fluke that I was there, as my daughter was stuck in traffic Friday afternoon and asked me to go and pick up my grandson, who is 11 years old, after his rugby practice at Silverdale Rugby Club, so I wasn’t expecting to be there and I didn’t use my DSLR as I didn’t have it with [me], this was taken on my phone!”

Judges said the image had excellent composition with “lots of angles and geometries, shades of green and the child’s posture, as if burdened by the expectations of what the day might hold”.

“The sign on the nearby container saying, ‘You Can Do Anything’, while a cherry picker and a sewer sit on the upper frame, add a touch of humour and depth.”

Second prize went to Jiongxin Peng’s group selfie image taken at Hobsonville Point, which the judges said was an “excellent example of street photography” capturing a moment that invites the viewer to ask questions about the scene, the people and the unfolding story.

Jiongxin Peng's image, Take a Group Photo, claimed second prize in the Auckland Festival of Photography’s annual 24-hour, day in the life of Auckland - Tamaki Makaurau competition.

The judges also appreciated how the image reflected the rich multicultural character of the City of Sails.

Nathan Smith claimed the Best New Under 25 prize with a “spur of the moment” shot centred on a classic Jaguar sports car taken at Smales Farm, Takapuna.

Nathan Smith claimed the Best New Under 25 prize in the Auckland Festival of Photography’s annual 24-hour, day in the life of Auckland - Tamaki Makaurau competition.