Say Cheese Photography Competition

 

SAY CHEESE! is a photography contest conducted by the Alliance Française network and the French Embassy in Australia to celebrate the Bicentenary of Photography.

 Two hundred years ago, a French engineer changed the world forever by inventing permanent photography. Now it’s your turn!

Submissions are open from 1 to 30 September 2026.

 Whether you shoot on your camera or your phone, this is your moment to be part of a global celebration that started in a small French village two centuries ago.

 How to enter:

The contest is free and open to everyone in Australia over the age of 16, no matter your experience, and you don't need to be a member of the Alliance Française to participate.  

The key points are:

•         📅 Submissions: 1–30 September 2026

•         🇦🇺 Open to: Everyone across Australia

•         📸 Format: Camera or mobile phone

•         🎯 Theme: None — No rules of subject — just your eye, your light and your story. You are free to photograph whatever you choose, no prescribed subject, any style, any colours…

•         🏷️ Title: Give your photo a title in French

•         🇫🇷 Occasion: 200 years of permanent photography, originating in France

•         ✨ Creative brief: Your eye, your light, your story, your “spirit”

 

Winning prize:

🥇$200 courtesy of the French Embassy in Australia, in a form of cash, a subscription to a French magazine, a 5 year family membership for the Alliance Française, or even free entries to Alliance’s events (restaurant, concerts…etc.)

 The Winning entry will be showcased at national level across the Alliance Française Australia network and the French Embassy in Australia. A National Winner will be selected by public vote.

 Entry guidelines:

-  Photographs in JPG or PNG format
   (refer to Terms and Conditions)

-  One submission per participant

-  Submit photo after 1 September via [a link to the Google Form will be added on 01/09/26]

-  By submitting your entry, you agree to the Contest Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Key dates:

Submissions Open       1 September 2026

Submissions Close      30 September 2026

Winner Notified           Mid October

Winner Announced      Early November

Australia Winner          Late 2026 (French Embassy’s Instagram profile)

 Questions?

Contact Alliance Française of the Sapphire Coast here.  

 

🎥 🧀 😀

 

© David Dare Parker

Say Cheese! is proud to have Martine Perret, French-Australian photographer, as Ambassador.

 “Photography is my language for articulating ideas and creating dialogue. I see the process as relational - built on trust, collaboration, and ensuring the people I work with have agency in how they are represented. I believe photography can be a form of social engagement and meaningful change. The bicentenary represents an opportunity not only to reflect on the past, but to question whose histories have been remembered and whose have been overlooked.

 I encourage photographers from across the Alliance Française network in Australia to take part in this competition. Your perspective matters, and your images will become part of the bicentenary of photography. Say Cheese!”

Martine Perret

 

About the Alliance Française Network in Australia:

The Alliance Française Australia network was created to promote the French language and culture, and to encourage cultural, intellectual, and artistic exchange between Australia and the French-speaking world. Since 1989, the annual Alliance Française French Film Festival has become a major event in Australia, bringing the best of French cinema down under.
 

Today, 29 Alliances Françaises operate throughout Australia as not-for-profit organisations, as do more than 800 chapters worldwide.

                                              

About the Bicentenary of Photography:

In 1826-27, French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce captured what is considered the world's first photograph from the window of his Burgundy estate, “Point de Vue du Gras”. That single image launched a revolution that transformed art, science, journalism, memory, and everyday life across the globe. Two hundred years later, photography is more alive — and more democratic — than ever. Say Cheese! is the Australian Francophile community's contribution to this extraordinary anniversary.

 To know more about the Bicentenary of photography, visit the Ministère de la Culture website.

   

Point de vue du Gras – The original plate is on display at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas in Austin.