SAY CHEESE! is a photography contest conducted by Le Festival Français in conjunction with Alliances Française and the French Embassy in Australia.
Submissions Open 1–30 September 2026!


Two hundred years ago, someone captured the world and changed it forever. Now, it's your turn!

Say Cheese! is a photography contest open to everyone across Australia, brought to you by the Alliance Française network to mark the Bicentenary of Photography. No theme, no rules of subject — just your eye, your light, and your story. 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 — and hasn't stopped since.

Say Cheese! is proud to have Martine Perret, renowned 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!”

HOW TO ENTER

-  Photographs in JPG or PNG format (refer to Terms and Conditions)
-  One submission per participant
-  Submit photo between 1 and 30 September via the button below
-  By submitting your entry, you agree to the Contest Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

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

SUBMIT FROM 1 SEPTEMBER SUBMIT FROM 1 SEPTEMBER

KEY DATES

Submissions open
 1 September 2026
Submissions close
 30 September 2026
Winners announced 
 24 October 2026


QUESTIONS

Write to us here: contestsaycheese@gmail.com

PRIZES & RECOGNITION

Each Alliance Française across Australia will select one winning photograph and award a specially crafted local prize to their winner.

All winning photographs will then be featured on the social media channels of the Alliance Française Australia network and the French Embassy in Australia — sharing your image with thousands of francophiles across the country and beyond.

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 Martine Perret

Martine Perret is a photographic artist who was born in Paris and now lives and works in Margaret River. She is known for her startlingly beautiful portrayal of the Western Australian landscape, often employing aerial captures and portraiture to tell important stories of our times. Her approach to artistic work is based on a career in photojournalism, which includes a decade covering UN peacekeeping missions in conflict zones such as South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Timor-Leste, and West Africa, where she documented the Ebola crisis.

Recent projects like “Ngala Wongga (Come Talk), Cultural Significance of Languages in the Goldfields”, exhibited across galleries in WA and in 2019 at the UNESCO International Year of Indigenous Languages at the Australian Embassy in Paris and “Belong: Language Connecting Feeling, Culture, Country” exhibition at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in Perth highlight the importance of First Nations’ languages.

In December 2022, Martine had the honour of travelling to travel to Paris with Wardandi Elders Vivian Brockman Webb, Mitchella Hutchins, and artist Roly Skender to launch the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages. This included presentating of the collaborative audio-visual work Wannang Biridge (Light of the Peppermint Tree).

Her evolving audiovisual practice unfolds through interlinked installations that explore the convergence of language, identity and culture within immersive visual environments, resonant photographic imagery, and textured narrative frameworks.

About the Bicentenary of Photography

In 1826–1827, French inventor 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.


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


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