Rutherglen High School teacher Kerrie Ware's "undies" sort of became the talk of the town when she irreverently posted a fun-filled photograph to Facebook and Instagram, asking for ideas for a title.

The puns flew thick and fast but she eventually settled on her cousin Lani's suggestion - 'Witch Wears'.

The shot, which involves large knickers and a hills hoist - "quintessentially Australian back yard stuff" - won the 2020 Federation Photography Prize Illustrative section.

Kerrie, an English teacher by trade who dabbles in art and photography as a hobby, says she took the spur-of-the moment shot on her iPhone.

"It was a bit of fluke and it's involved a lot of laughs," she says.

"The image just presented itself - the sun was there and I just thought, 'Oh, my gosh look at that'.

"The hills hoist has a bird on top of it and, along with the undies, the image just took on a surreal life of its own.

"... (And) at least they were the lacy undies."

Chiltern's Nat Ord, who judged the competition with Turks Head Gallery director Dirk Wallace and photographer to the stars David Anderson, said she absolutely loved the undies photo.

"As soon as I saw it, I thought that should win," enthuses the acclaimed commercial and fine art photographer and principal of Manifeasto Photography.

"(While) technically it wasn't perfect, there was a story there straight away.

"It was very cool and different from the usual offering you might expect."

This year there were more than 100 entries in the annual photography competition and exhibition, which is followed by the Federation Art Prize (which will go on exhibition from October 23 to November 3), at Oddfellows Hall, Corowa.

The five photography categories included Illustrative, Landscape, Nature, Portrait, and Pet/Animal.

Well-known Rutherglen photographer Ann Killeen is a perennial darling of the competition and once again didn't disappoint with her offerings.

She took out the Nature section with a petulant-looking subject for her photograph entitled Cloak & Dagger.

" It had to be the bloody pelican," she laughed.

"You can read the disdain in his eyes. They are really tricky buggers to sneak up on."

It's not the first time she has been in the spotlight with the big-billed birds.

In 2017 she captured media headlines with her rescue attempts of a pelican that had its beak snared in barbed wire.

The ungrateful bird took exception to its well-meaning rescuer and at one point had her face well and truly in its clutches.

And while its feathers were somewhat ruffled, the pelican escaped unscathed leaving Ann with a few scrapes and scratches.

Meanwhile in the same section, Audrey Hogan, 13, a student at Xavier High School, won the junior award with Blooming Magic.

"I was taking some photos around the Albury train station and a flower patch near Cafe Musette," Audrey explains of her shot.

"I decided to put the camera down near the ground and was able to capture this crisp composition contrasting the light pole."

It appears artistic talent runs in the Hogan family with her cousins Will Hogan, 9, and Lachie Hogan, 14 also claiming prizes.

Will's arresting photo, Eye, took out the Junior Portrait section - "I was trying to see what was inside the camera; I like to take photos and see how they turn out".

Lachie's Untitled image of a man working with a horse claimed the junior Pet/Animal section - "I'm interested in all the different angles and compositions you can capture just by moving the camera around".

The boys' sisters Indi, 11, and Sommers, 12, Hogan also submitted photographs for the competition.

Mum Susie (Scott), an art teacher, encourages her children to explore their creativity and the Federation Photography and Art Prize is also a fantastic community initiative.

The Lowesdale family's kitchen table is currently covered in a range of canvases ahead of next week's art competition.

Nat Ord absolutely believes in the worth of staging "accessible" regional art and cultural events.

"You forget how much talent can be uncovered in these types of country community art shows," she says.

"Often it might be the only opportunity someone has to show their work in public.

"There are several works here I would love to hang on my own wall."

Nat also says some of the winning images, taken on smart phones, prove you don't need a $5000 camera to take beautiful photographs.

"There's a good photo technically and then there's a good photo that tells a story and holds priceless memories," she says.

Other major photography winners included:

The exhibition's final days are October 17-18, 10am-4pm, at Oddfellows Hall, Corowa.