Linda Joseph’s image of her nephew Harley in Kauri Creek is the overall winner of this year’s photo competition. The image features on the third edition of our annual Reef & Rivers Magazine, an annual lifestyle and environment publication.

The photo competition celebrates the beauty, diversity and importance of our waterways big and small. The panel of professional photographers who judged the entries agreed that Linda’s image was a standout from well over 100 outstanding entries.

Linda says the location of the photograph is a special place for her Tableland Yidinji family. Called JungalJungal, it is an ever-flowing spring that has been a Yidinji healing place since the Dreaming. At certain times of the year it is used exclusively by young men who visit aftre their initiation to be healed by their ancestors.

The winners of the individual categories were:

• Drone category – Rick Abom
• Landscape category – Uriel Hancock (featured on the cover of the 2023 Wet Tropics Waterway Health Report Card)
• Underwater category – Rachel Platte
• Wildlife & Water – Linda Joseph
• Under 15’s category – Mckinley Myers

Thank you to our judges for their time: Matt Curnock, Jürgen Freund and Julia Sumerling.

And a big thank you to all the local businesses who donated prizes:

• Harvey Norman
• Back Country Bliss
• Kuranda Koala Gardens & Birdworld
• Wharf One 
• Cairns Aquarium
• Cairns Adventure Group
• Tony’s Tropical Tours
• Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
• What SUP Cairns
• Hartleys Crocodile Adventures