A unique photo competition for rural and remote cotton growers has yielded some of the most impressive images ever captured in rural and regional Australia, along with the heart felt stories behind them.

Cotton growers, their families and other industry figures, were invited to submit images that captured an element of their life on the land as part of this year’s Click 24 Photography Competition, with prizes in several categories including those that reflect the industry’s sustainability framework: Planet.People.Paddock.

Around 300 spectacular images were entered in the contest, from Kununurra in the west to Adelaide River in the north and as far south as Leeton, highlighting the diverse and vibrant world of cotton growing. Some of the stories accompanying the images were also emotive and inspiring as farmers spoke about their life and their hopes for the future.

People’s Choice nominee Jasmine Morrison from Moree has three children under the age of four. Her photo of 3-year-old Teddy, standing in a cotton crop complete with astronaut costume has special meaning. “Like an astronaut discovering new planets, we pioneer techniques that ensure the health of our soil and the well-being of our community.

“We want our children to be able to shoot for the stars despite the challenges of being in a remote location. If they decide to leave for the education that the major cities can provide, we always want them to know they can come back and excel in the remote environment that we have made home.”

Johanna Mahon submitted several amazing photos capturing many elements of life on a cotton farm in a remote location in the Northern Territory. “Living in a cotton community in the NT means the nearest daycare is 2 hours away. While mum does a smoko run, one little boy must play. Many families are behind these operations and bringing the little ones along to connect experiences and to admire their role models is an opportunity not many get to have!”

Paddock category winner JB Copin, a cotton grower from Hilston in NSW, captured a stunning image of his crop on dusk as a contractor was finishing off one of his paddocks. The lighting, the colour and the natural beauty of the scene caught the eye of judges.

The quality of the images generated made the task difficult for judges, including Cotton Australian CEO Adam Kay and renowned Narrabri photographer Josh Smith. The category winners will be on display at the Cotton Conference on the Gold Coast from the 6^th of August where attendees will also choose the winner of the People’s Choice category.

The award recipients are:

• First Place Winner: Kieran Shepherd, Narrabri, for his photo of farm supervisors Tess and Ellie overseeing picking.
• Runner Up: Belinda Dimarzio-Bryan, Warren, for her photo titled ‘Find a bale, climb the bale, chill on the bale. Kids will be kids!’
• Planet Winner: Brodie Ryan Cronau, Brookstead, for his photo of the sun setting after the first in-crop water.
• People Category Winner: Michelle Hutchinson, Moura, for ‘Performance ready cotton’.
• Paddock Category Winner: Jean-Baptiste Copin, Hillston, for ‘A busy round paddock’.
• Wildcard Winner: Annabelle Rogan, St George, who celebrated that there’s no place like home where it is all paws on deck during picking after a long-awaited trip back to the family cotton farm after being at boarding school.

One of the standout themes in this year's competition was pride and hard work. As one entrant shared, "There is always a buzz around the town and the farm watching fields of green turn to white gold. The long days may blur into one but, pulling up and taking a second to admire it ending gives me a sense of pride knowing all the hard work paid off."

Contest organiser and CA Communications Manager – Digital, Desley Sheedy said the photo competition achieved its objective of encouraging growers to delve deep into the heart of the industry and cotton growing communities, to highlight the dedication, hard work, and innovation that defines modern cotton production.