Perrin, Golden Mention, Portrait category; A direct, intimate studio portrait
Michael Potts – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
The Black and White Photo Awards have unveiled the winners of this year’s edition, celebrating the timeless artistry and transformative power of monochrome photography through awe-inspiring images by photographers from across the globe.
Chosen for their creativity, originality and technical excellence, the winning images in five categories — Portrait, Street, Fauna & Flora, Architecture and Landscape — were chosen from entries from more than 90 countries and are an ode to artistry, vision and storytelling in black and white.
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The “overall winner” title, which features a €1,000 prize, was won by Portuguese photographer João Coelho for his haunting work The Kingdom of Flies. The image portrays a man battling over food scraps with swarms of flies indifferent to their invasion of his territory. At first glance, the scene evokes a post-apocalyptic vision, yet it’s the stark reality of survival for many who live on what others discard. With its raw social commentary, the photograph transcends aesthetics to deliver a message of human dignity under siege.
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In addition to the main prizes and category winners, the photo competition honored second-place finishers in each category and awarded Golden, Silver, and Bronze Mentions.
Black And White Photo Overall Winner And Main Prizes
The Kingdom of Flies, Overall Winner
João Coelho – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
This man competes with flies for scraps of food. It may look like a post-apocalyptic vision, but it reflects the harsh reality of many who survive each day on what others discard — a hidden “kingdom of flies” unknown to the world.
Where the Shadows Lie, Runner-Up; Arizona’s canyons
Mark Seawell – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
For the first time, the competition introduced a ‘Runner-up Award’ claimed by Mark Seawell for Where the Shadows Lie. Captured in the canyons of Arizona, the image reveals how flickering light dances across textured stone, creating fleeting moments of beauty only found in the shadows.
Electric Silhouette, Special Prize for Creativity
Adebayo Rotilu – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
The ‘Special Award for Creativity’ went to Adebayo Rotilu for Electric Silhouette, a daring portrait where the subject was lit exclusively by laser beams later converted to black and white, producing a futuristic interplay of light and shadow that pushes the boundaries of portraiture.
No Words, Master of Light Special Award; An elderly woman in India covers her face with her striking, gnarled hands.
Roberto Corinaldesi – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
The Master of Light Special Award was won by Roberto Corinaldesi for No Words, The portrait of a woman in India isolated against a black background. The decision to strip away all context intensifies its emotional weight, transforming silence into an overwhelming presence.
Black And White Photo: Landscapes
The Wedded Rocks, Winner Landscape Category; Meoto Iwa, Japan
Robert Bolton- Black And White Photo Awards 2025
The sacred “wedded rocks” symbolize the union of heaven and earth are bound by a heavy rope renewed three times each year against the sea’s erosion.
Landscape Second Category
Silent Steps, Second Place winner, Landscape Category
Elias Ejderhamn – Black and White Photo Awards 2025
Fauna And Flora
Leopard Jump, Winner Fauna and Flora category; Mono Londolozi Reserve, South Africa
Willem Kruger – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
After mating, a male leopard must escape the female’s claws within seconds. This image freezes that moment of danger and survival in a rare glimpse of the wild.
Big Hug, Golden Mention, Fauna and Flora category
Robin Scholte – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
Two young male elephants wrestle in play — practice for the challenges of adulthood.
Black And White Photo Portraits
Proud Artisan, Winner Portrait category; Anatolia, Turkey
Nur Tucker – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
In a dimly-lit pottery workshop, terracotta artisans carry on a centuries-old craft accompanied by traditional tea.
Forever, Second Place winner, Portrait category
Neil Buchan Grant – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
A Vietnamese couple with a combined age of 196 years embody enduring love and humor. Despite having just one tooth between them, their bond shines with affection and playfulness.
In The Streets
Trapped in a Frame, Winner Street Category
Yanitsa Genova – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
Once in a Lifetime, Second Place winner, Street category
Susana Sánchez González – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
During Storm Filomena’s historic snowfall, photographers braved the cold in Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain, to capture a once-in-a-lifetime scene.
Define the Gravity Together, Silver Mention, Street category
Sanghamitra Sarkar – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
Architecture, Black and White Photo
Brilliant Design, Winner Architecture Category
Remuna Beca – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
A staircase spirals upward in the shape of a lightbulb — an unexpected fusion of architecture and idea. Captured in Prague, the image transforms a functional space into a symbol of inspiration.
Cubist Cityscape, Second Place winner, Architecture category
Martin Wacker – Black And White Photo Awards 2025
The innovative Cube Houses of Rotterdam appear as an abstract urban puzzle. Light and shadow play across the tilted façades, creating a dynamic and surreal composition.
All the winners and finalists for the Black and White Photo Awards, which are open to amateur and professional photographers over 18 years old, can be seen here.
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