Updates
A living archive of recent news from my photographic and moving image practice, including exhibitions, screenings, publications, awards, and project milestones.
2026
June 2026
FotoDoc Photo Contest 2026-Selected Photo Essay
Coral Kids has been published as a selected Photo Essay for the 2026 FotoDoc Photo Contest in Brazil. The selected works will now continue to the next stage of jury review for finalist consideration.
Link: Coral Kids — FotoDoc Photo Contest 2026
People and Place — Artdoc Photography Magazine
Two images from Coral Kids were included in People and Place, an online exhibition by Artdoc Photography Magazine. Made in Aitutaki, Cook Islands, the project follows children, families, and community partners as they use photography, storytelling, and lagoon knowledge to build a community-held visual archive.
Link:People and Place — Artdoc Photography Magazine
Postcards: Images and Whispers-Athens Ostuni Foto Festival
Postcards: Images and Whispers is presented as part of the 2026 Ostuni Foto Festival programme in Ostuni, Italy. A photograph from Coral Kids was included in the exhibition, continuing its international presentation following the Athens exhibition earlier in the year.
Link: Postcards: Images and Whispers-Ostuni Foto Festival
Fotoslovo Awards — Honourable Mention, Experimental Photography
My series Mother received an Honourable Mention in the Experimental Photography category of the 2026 Fotoslovo Awards. Made underwater with a reclaimed and malfunctioning Nikonos II camera, the work allows seawater, film damage, chance, and material decay to become part of the image-making process.
Link: Series, FotoSlovo 2026, Experimental Photography, Honourable Mention
Rainshot Photo Exhibition
A photograph from Roads, work in progress, was selected as a Curator's Pick for the RainShots International Photo Exhibition 2027 in Tokyo, Japan. The invitation followed a direct approach from the exhibition curator. The selected image will be included in the exhibition programme alongside works by photographers from around the world.
Link: Instagram Announcement
A Book of Simple Pleasures Vol. 1 — South Australian Tourism Commission
My underwater work was included in A Book of Simple Pleasures Vol. 1, published by the South Australian Tourism Commission.
May 2026
ProfiFoto OFF Arles Exhibition, Arles, France
Mother has been selected for the ProfiFoto OFF Arles exhibition during the Rencontres de la Photographie in Arles. It is a meaningful moment for the work to be shown in an international photography context, especially as the series continues to grow from an intimate, material relationship with the ocean.
Link: Profifoto Arles OFF 2026
April 2026
Postcards: Images and Whispers-Athens Women’s Photo Festival
A photograph from Coral Kids was selected for Postcards: Images and Whispers, an international group exhibition presented by the Women's Photo Festival at the Melina Mercouri Cultural Centre in Athens, Greece. The exhibition explores themes of memory, communication, and connection through the postcard format.
Link: Women’s Photo Festival
March 2026
Topographies of Self — The Griffin Museum of Photography, Virtual Gallery
Coral Kids was selected for Topographies of Self, a virtual group exhibition presented by The Griffin Museum of Photography. The exhibition brings together artists working with identity, place, memory, and personal geography.
Link: Topographies of Self Griffin Museum of Photography
Lomography Magazine — Interview Feature
I was interviewed by Lomography Magazine about Mother, underwater analogue photography, and working with a reclaimed Nikonos II camera. The conversation traces how the ocean became an active collaborator in the work, leaving physical marks across the film.
Link: Ocean’s Fingerprints: Raquel Trejo on Underwater Analogue Photography
AIDC 2026 — Coral Kids
I attended the Australian International Documentary Conference to continue developing Coral Kids and the Coral Gardener, with support from the South Australian Film Corporation. The project follows children in Aitutaki as they reconnect with their lagoon through coral restoration, swimming, and intergenerational knowledge.
Links: South Australian Film Corporation
February 2026
Inner Lens – Inner Worlds — Artdoc Photography Magazine
Two images from Mother were included in Inner Lens – Inner Worlds, an online exhibition by Artdoc Photography Magazine. The series continues to unfold as a personal and ecological work about motherhood, erosion, water, and the instability of photographic seeing.
Link: The Inner Lens- Inner Worlds ArtDoc Photography Magazine
Ephemere, Anarchy, Vol. 3, Japan
An image from First Swims was published in Anarchy, Vol. 3, a black-and-white photography volume by Ephemere, Tokyo. The photograph comes from my ongoing interest in first encounters with the ocean, childhood, water, and vulnerability.
Link: Anarchy°3 Ephemere
Memory Cult Magazine, Issue 2, USA
An image from Coral Kids was included in Memory Cult Magazine, Issue 2. The publication gathers contemporary photographic work concerned with memory, place, atmosphere, and image-making as a form of trace.
Link: Memory Cult Magazine Issue 02: Fall 2025
2025
October 2025
LOOK! Prize — Museum of Australian Photography, Australia
Mother was selected as a finalist for the LOOK! Prize at the Museum of Australian Photography. This recognition was especially significant as the series began to find a wider audience within Australian photography.
Link: Look! MAPh Members Photography Prize
Narnimmaginaria — Projection Selection, Italy
Mother was selected for projection at Narnimmaginaria in Italy.
Link: Proiezione di una selezione dei Lavori del Circuito Off
November 2025
PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris — Honourable Mention, State of the World
My work was shortlisted in the State of the World section of PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris.
Link: State of the World Shortlist 2025
Other 2025 Recognitions
International Photography Awards — Official Selection, Professional
Leafie was in the Official Selection in the Professional category of the International Photography Awards.
One Shot Award — BBA Prizes, Berlin, Germany
I was nominated for the One Shot Award by BBA Prizes in Berlin.
Link: https://bba-prizes.com/exhibitions/10-year-anniversary-exhibition-2025
Capture Awards — Highly Commended, Art & Conceptual, Australia
My work received a Highly Commended recognition in the Art & Conceptual category of the Capture Awards.
Link: https://www.thecaptureawards.com.au/
Australian Photographic Prize — Highly Commended, Portrait Category, Australia
My work received a Highly Commended recognition in the Portrait category of the Australian Photographic Prize.
Link: https://australianphotographicprize.com.au/
Foto Nostrum Pollux Awards — Honourable Mention, Barcelona, Spain
My work received an Honourable Mention in the Foto Nostrum Pollux Awards.
Link: https://www.fotonostrum.com/
Analog Sparks Awards — Bronze Winner, Technique
Mother received Bronze in the Technique category of the Analog Sparks Awards. The recognition feels closely connected to the physical process of the series: damaged film, seawater, light leaks, and the unpredictable behaviour of an old underwater camera.
Link: Analog Sparks Winner Bronze in Technique
The Flow Photography Competition — Honourable Mention, USA
My work received an Honourable Mention in The Flow Photography Competition.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMgJeSBTnPs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Grounded Festival of Yorke Peninsula — Second Prize, Australia
To the Moon received Second Prize at the Grounded Festival of Yorke Peninsula. The work was shown in a regional South Australian context, close to the coastlines and waters that continue to shape much of my practice.
Link: https://www.facebook.com/YorkePeninsulaCouncil/
2025 Exhibitions
Ephemere Photo Festival, Tokyo, Japan
My work was included in Ephemere Photo Festival in Tokyo.
Link: https://www.ephemere.tokyo/
A Scientific Approach — LoosenArt, Rome, Italy
My work was included in A Scientific Approach, a group exhibition presented by LoosenArt in Rome.
Link: https://www.loosenart.com/
Blue — Decode Gallery, Tucson, Arizona, USA
My work was included in Blue, a group exhibition at Decode Gallery in Tucson, Arizona.
Link: https://www.decodegallery.com/
To Slime Away — Outhouse Gallery, London, UK
My work was included in To Slime Away at Outhouse Gallery in London.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/toslimeaway/
2023
October 2023
Australian Geographic — Digital Cover, Australia
One of my underwater images was featured as a digital cover for Australian Geographic.
Link: https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/
AdMental Campaign — Runner-Up, South Australia
I was runner-up in the 2023 AdMental campaign in South Australia.
Link: Catch up to Unwind Admental
