As summer evening light enveloped Bondi Beach, Herald photographer Edwina Pickles toyed with taking her young daughter to the petting zoo across the road from their home. It was an annual tradition to go to the Hanukkah celebrations, but for no real reason, they decided against it.
Less than 10 minutes later, gunshots rang out across her long-time neighbourhood as Pickles sat in her lounge room. She immediately grabbed her cameras and ran the short distance past her daughter’s school to the footbridge which now stands as a symbol of the horror that unfolded on December 14 last year.
A man passed her, warning Pickles there was a “shooter on the footbridge” – which was gunman Sajid Akram. He was eventually shot dead by police. In front of her was the car belonging to Akram’s son, draped with a homemade ISIS flag, and two victims who had heroically tried to stop Akram lay dead on the footpath. An overwhelmed female officer slumped against a police vehicle that had arrived amid the first wave of emergency services.
Now, this previously unpublished image captured by Pickles has won the Asia-Pacific and Oceania section of the prestigious World Press Photo contest. Pickles, who has been a Herald photographer for more than 20 years, said she had been “really indecisive” about entering the powerful and emotive image.
However, she said it captured the moment, with “heroes and first responders” firmly in the frame.
“I was torn about entering this award, but it was such a big story and I do not want it to be forgotten,” Pickles said. “This is one of the first photos I took when I arrived, and it is the only one I am OK to have published because the rest are too graphic – what I saw after this will never leave me.”
Shell-shocked, Pickles returned home to comfort her daughter, who had been crying as she raced out the door. However, with adrenaline pumping through her body, Pickles returned to the beach later that night and continued photographing. In the end, 15 people were killed and more than 40 injured in the attack on the Jewish community.
Akram’s son Naveed was shot by police and is now facing dozens of charges relating to the Bondi Beach shooting, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist attack.
“This is my backyard and the impact hasn’t left me because every time I walk out the door I am reminded of it, and the whole community is still healing,” Pickles said.
The 2026 regional winners are the best of 57,376 photographs entered by 3747 photographers from 141 countries. The overall international winner will be announced on April 23.
The World Press Photo exhibition will be held from June 6 to July 19 at the State Library of NSW.
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Alexandra Smith is a senior writer and former state political editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.