Artist Wins $20,000 Photography Contest With a Blank Photo Her Grandmother Scribbled On

The debate over whether photography can be truly considered an art takes another weird turn as the victor of aphoto competition in Australia took home a $ 20,000 prizefor what is essentially a blank pic covered in scratch and spit courtesy of her gran .

Inspired by watch her grandma trial pens by scribbling with each one on a piece of newspaper , artist Justine Varga handed her a large - format art object of film and asked her to continuing her diligent testing on the 4×5 - inch negative instead . In addition to those scribbles , the germinate exposure , called Maternal Line , also includes imprints of Varga ’s grandmother ’s hand , and intentional saliva smears .

According to Dr. Shaune Lakin , the Senior Curator of Photography at the National Gallery of Australia who guess the competition and awarded the2017 Olive Cotton Award , Varga ’s picture explored “ … what it intend today to make a picture of someone else , even if in the end it does n’t discover what they look like . ” Lakin further excuse his decision by manoeuver out that “ … picture taking has never just been about coming into court . It ’s also been part of the way that we experience things like memory and relationships . ”

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

Unless you ’re trying to impress your Instagram followers with holiday photos snapped at an alien locale , most of the fourth dimension you really only snap photos to help you recollect a moment , a place , or a individual . Varga ’s photo does n’t moderate an real image of her grandmother , but every time she looks at it the mark she ’ll undoubtedly be cue of a very specific aspect and moment in her grandmother ’s sprightliness that she otherwise would have probably forgotten .

But is the unique approach to photography deserving a $ 20,000 tremendous prize in a photo contest ? clearly , other photographers are n’t happy with the decision . In an article inThe Sydney Morning Herald , some critics have sack the photo as nothing more than unclear scribbles , while others are claiming Vargas ’ photo does n’t meet the competition ’s prerequisite , since the ikon was technically produced by her gran . Dr. Laukin stands by his decision , however .

Art and criticism will always go deal in hand , specially when it come to abstract rendition of a medium . Despite his works often selling for million of clam at auction bridge , there are still critic who scorn Jackson Pollock ’s paintings . Art is suppose to encourage hoi polloi to sing and hash out ideas and opinions , so I estimate this clause is proof that Vargas has done just that with her photo .

William Duplessie