Absolutely. I’d present Charlotte as the sole winner, then group Adeel, Vani and Kae together as Runners-up, with no ranking between them.
Celebrating the 2026 APGA Photo Competition
The 2026 APGA Photo Competition once again provided a fantastic snapshot of the people, projects and engineering that define Australia and New Zealand’s pipeline and gas industry.
This year’s competition attracted a strong collection of images from across the industry, capturing everything from major construction and drilling activities to complex maintenance and remediation projects.
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit an image and share the story behind their work. The quality of this year’s entries made selecting the winning photographs no easy task.
2026 Winner – Charlotte Lyndon, UEA Pty Ltd
Congratulations to Charlotte Lyndon from UEA Pty Ltd, winner of the 2026 APGA Photo Competition.
Charlotte’s photograph captures the final stages of the reaming phase of the Refresh Vaucluse Diamond Bay pipeline project.
The 1.84 km section of pipeline was installed using horizontal directional drilling and forms part of critical new wastewater infrastructure designed to improve water quality, protect public health and safeguard Sydney Harbour’s iconic beaches.
The image provides an impressive perspective on the scale of the works involved and the engineering capability required to deliver major underground infrastructure in a challenging urban and coastal environment.
2026 Runners-up
Three photographs were also selected as runners-up in this year’s competition, each showcasing a different aspect of the work being undertaken across the pipeline and gas industry.
Adeel Mushtaq, Firstgas
Captured near Mōkau, Taranaki, New Zealand, in March 2026, Adeel’s drone image documents repair works on the DN750 Maui gas transmission pipeline.
The project used specialist BISEP technology alongside a DN300 bypass pipeline to maintain supply while a wrinkle defect was repaired. The photograph captures the BISEP isolation points, temporary bypass, wetland crossing and pipeline de-straining excavations, providing an outstanding aerial view of a complex pipeline maintenance operation.
Vani Chiavone, Lochard Energy
Vani’s photograph was captured at the Mylor wellsite, the endpoint of the Heytesbury Underground Gas Storage pipeline, and marks the completion of drilling for Lochard Energy’s new Mylor wells.
When completed, the HUGS Project will significantly increase underground gas storage capacity by developing the existing Heytesbury depleted gas fields, strengthening energy security and reliability for eastern Australia and supporting the transition to a lower-carbon future.
Kae Ken Foo, Verbrec
Kae Ken’s photograph, “Orchestrating the HDD Pullback Lift”, captures the execution of a major gas pipeline relocation for South Australia’s River Torrens to Darlington major infrastructure upgrade project.
The image showcases a critical HDD operation for an AGIG transmission pressure pipeline designed by Verbrec. Multiple excavators work in precise coordination to manage the pipe string entry angle during pullback, demonstrating the planning, teamwork and field execution required to successfully deliver a complex pipeline engineering project.
Thank you to our entrants
The APGA Photo Competition is about more than producing a great photograph. It provides an opportunity to document the work happening across our industry and showcase the scale, complexity, people and environments behind Australia and New Zealand’s pipeline infrastructure.
Thank you to everyone who entered the 2026 competition and shared a part of their work with the broader APGA community.
The winning and runner-up photographs will also be showcased in large format during the 2026 APGA Convention & Exhibition in Darwin, giving delegates the opportunity to see some of this year’s outstanding entries up close.
Congratulations again to Charlotte, Adeel, Vani and Kae, and thank you to everyone who contributed to the 2026 APGA Photo Competition.
I’ve deliberately kept the three runners-up under one heading so there’s no implication that Adeel is second, Vani third, etc.