Call for Entries! Black & White Photography Awards 2024
The enduring appeal of black and white photography lies in its ability to transcend time, focus on essential elements of an image, and evoke strong emotional responses. In today’s image-saturated world, black & white stands out from the clutter and is an art form like no other.
We want to discover remarkable B&W photographers from all cultures and all experience levels, and connect them with global audiences and career-changing opportunities — including an exhibition in London during Photo London 2025. Are you ready for the world stage? Read on for information about award benefits, jurors and our free entry option for single image submissions (because every photographer deserves the opportunity to participate).
Michael Foley opened his eponymous gallery in the fall of 2004 after fourteen years of working with notable photography galleries, including Fraenkel Gallery, Howard Greenberg Gallery, and Yancey Richardson Gallery.
In 2002, Foley continued his interest in educating and working with artists by serving on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts, Fashion Institute of Technology, and International Center of Photography, where he teaches and lectures on contemporary photography issues at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
He joined Leica in 2023 as the Gallery Director of the New York Meatpacking Store & Gallery.
Foley lives in Manhattan with his wife, Maya, and son, Jack.
Mee-Lai Stone is a Picture Editor, Culture for The Guardian. She is part of the international team that selects and produces daily online photography galleries, essays, features and single images to be shared with The Guardian’s global audience of readers.
Jacob Aue Sobol is an award-winning photographer and member of Magnum Photos. He has published several monographs of his unique, expressive style of black-and-white photography and exhibited his work widely. His images focus on the universality of human emotion and the search for love within oftentimes harsh surroundings.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1976, he has lived in Canada, Greenland and Tokyo, before returning to Denmark in 2008. He has traveled extensively in the years since, photographing in Siberia, Thailand, Mongolia, America, and China while staying based in Copenhagen.
His book "I, Tokyo” was awarded the Leica European Publishers Award in 2008. In 2012 he began photographing along the Trans-Siberian Railroad and spent the next five winters photographing in the remote Russian province of Yakutia for his project "Road of Bones." He has ongoing projects in Denmark ("Home") and the United States ("America").
Born in Cortona in 1981, after years spent taking photographs Antonio decided to turn a dream into a real project; and so, in 2011, Cortona On The Move was born, an international festival of photography and visual narrative created together with a group of friends. In ten years Cortona On The Move has become one of Europe’s most important photography festivals. Antonio is currently deputy director at the Gallerie d'Italia in Turin, situated in Piazza San Carlo: Intesa Sanpaolo's fourth museum alongside those of Milan, Naples and Vicenza. An exhibition space dedicated to photography covering 9,000 m2 in Palazzo Turinetti, right in the heart of Turin.
Kris Graves is an artist and publisher based in New York and California. He is founder of MONOLITH EDITIONS, a Black-owned publishing house dedicated to showcasing work from artists of color across mediums that address issues of race, identity, equity, gender, sexuality, and class.
In his own photography, he uses a mix of conceptual and documentary practices to explore the subtleties of societal power and capitalism, among other important topics.
Graves also sits on the board of Blue Sky Gallery: Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts, Portland; and The Architectural League of New York as Vice President of Photography.
Yumi Goto, an independent curator based in Japan, specializes in comprehensive production, curation, photo editing, publishing, research, consulting, education, and talent development related to photography. Her main interests lie in conflict, contemporary social issues, human rights violations, and women's issues. Yumi has been involved in photography campaigns and publications for humanitarian and human rights organizations, as well as judging, nominations, curation, and production for international photography awards, photo festivals, and events. She also serves as a co-founder and curator for "Reminders Photography Stronghold" (RPS), facilitating versatile activities related to photography. Additionally, she established the “RPS KYOTO PAPEROLES" in 2020 and has been actively involved since then.
Jim Casper is the editor-in-chief of LensCulture, one of the leading online destinations to discover new contemporary photography from around the world. As an active member in the contemporary photography world, Casper loves to meet with photographers and talk about photography. He curates art exhibitions, publishes books, conducts workshops, serves as an international juror, nominates photographers for key awards, and is an advisor to arts and education organizations.
Exhibition at Photo London!
Winning photographers will be exhibited at the fabulous Somerset House in London during Photo London 2025, the premiere international photo fair that brings together hundreds of galleries, publishers and collectors, as well as an ambitious program of exhibitions, conversations, artist book signings and curated fair events.
An opening reception will be held for LensCulture artists, invited media, photo editors and industry insiders for a night of art appreciation and networking during the UK’s largest international art fair dedicated to photography.
I live in the shadow... I like shadow, that’s why I became a black and white photographer.”
More Awards & Benefits
Solo Feature Published on LensCulture
Top Series winners will have their work published on LensCulture, benefiting from the platform’s engagement with a global audience. Our features provide significant, ongoing exposure for your work, leveraging LensCulture’s high search rankings and site traffic.
Featured at International Photo Festivals
Winning works will be screened at photo festivals and events worldwide. In the past, our winners, finalists, and jurors’ picks were screened at festivals in the US, the UK, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, The Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Hungary, Serbia, and more.
Visibility With Industry Insiders & Creative Professionals
All it takes is one set of eyes to change the course of your career. If our jury ranks your submission highly, you will be included in LensCulture Discoveries, our directory of top-rated photographers. We provide this directory to key decision-makers including editors, book publishers, gallery owners, festival directors, creative directors, curators, and online media publishers.
Permanent Exhibition in LensCulture Online Gallery
LensCulture has become a key resource for discovering new photography work all over the world. All winners, finalists and jurors’ picks for this award will be prominently featured in the permanent online gallery on our site.
International Press Exposure
Award winners receive press coverage in publications and media outlets around the world — the kind of exposure that can lead to viral, global recognition of your work. Winners, finalists and selected entrants have been featured in major publications including BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Internazionale, VICE, The Times of London, Huffington Post, Spiegel Online, The British Journal of Photography, and The Telegraph.
Be sure to check out last year’s feature in The Guardian, a beautiful image gallery sharing the work of the 2023 Black & White Award winners.
Cash Awards & Recognition
Series Prize Winners
1ST PLACE - $3,500
2ND PLACE - $2,000
3RD PLACE - $1,000
Single Image Prize Winners
1ST PLACE - $2,000
2ND PLACE - $1,000
3RD PLACE - $500
Jurors’ Picks
Each juror will select an individual Juror’s Pick to receive special distinction, including quotes from the experts praising each of the selected series or single images.
25 Finalists
25 Finalists and their work will be highlighted and featured on the winners’ page, and in the worldwide promotions, along with the Winners and Jurors’ Picks.
Benefits for All Who Enter
| Benefits | Winners | Jurors’ picks | 25 Finalists | Editors‘ Picks(1) | Every Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 in Cash Awards | ⬤ | ||||
| Exhibition at Photo London 2025 | ⬤ | ||||
| Solo Feature Published on LensCulture(2) | ⬤ | ||||
| Visibility with LensCulture Insiders | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
| Featured in International Photo Festival Projections | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
| International Press Exposure | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
| Massive Exposure to our Global Audience of 3 Million | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | |
| LensCulture Portfolio Account(3) | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
| Opportunity to be in LensCulture Discoveries online directory of top-rated photographers(4) | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
| Share your Work with the Global Photography Community | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
| Opportunities for Immediate Exposure | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
Get a written review of your work
Enter 5+ single images or a series into this competition and you can add a professional written review of your submission for an additional $25. This is a unique opportunity to receive valuable and specific feedback on your work from one of our experienced industry professionals.
Show Us Your Work
Open to all types of B&W photography: fine art, experimental, fiction, documentary, visual storytelling, portraits, landscapes, staged/constructed, street, mixed media, alternative processes, conceptual.
Hear from a few winners about this career-changing impact.
Be persistent.
Many successful photographers enter the same work in several competitions before they finally win. This is an effective strategy to have your work seen by many different jurors and build your career. Persistence is the key to getting your work seen by influential experts worldwide - it only takes one person to make a positive impact on your creative journey!
Success Stories
For 20 years, LensCulture has been committed to supporting photographers of all levels move forward creatively and professionally. In that time, we have heard from hundreds of photographers who were able to achieve breakthroughs in their careers through participation in the LensCulture community.
