Black & White is such a visually rich medium, and it’s always inspiring to see how many photographers around the world choose it deliberately to make their most powerful work. This year’s LensCulture Black & White Photography Awards reveal just how expansive monochrome can be: these 37 winners, jurors’ picks, and finalists offer stunning images and stories drawn from cultures across the globe.
Together, they span remarkable documentary work, conceptual storytelling, unforgettable single images, and hybrid practices that blend digital craft with handmade alternative processes. Each artist taps into the expressive force of monochrome to create photographs that stand out from the crowd.
In addition to cash prizes and international recognition, this year’s top winners will be exhibited in New York during Spring 2026.
We hope you find work here that inspires you!
Series Winner
1st Place
United Kingdom
Todd Antony
Buzkashi
Series Winner
2nd Place
Finland
Francisco Gonzalez Camacho
You Can’t Enter the Same River Twice
Series Winner
3rd Place
Poland
Anita Andrzejewska
Dancing Your Dream Awake
The quality of the submissions to the LensCulture Black & White Photography Awards 2025 was exceptionally high, showcasing an extraordinary range of vision and emotional depth by photographers who push the boundaries of black & white photography.”
— Rachel Barker, Stanley/Barker Publishers
Single Winner
1st Place
India
Kartikeya Manan
Patience
Single Winner
2nd Place
Netherlands
Nina Hauben
Silent Dialogue
Single Winner
3rd Place
United States
Kennon Guerry
Weston Skater (Emma in the Doorway)
Jurors’ Picks
Each of our jury members selected one photographer to be awarded special distinction. Here are the jurors’ special selections, with a brief quote from each expert explaining what they especially appreciate about these photographers and their work.
Jim Casper
Editor-in-Chief LensCulture
The Netherlands
Maurice Wolf’s photo story of a sheep drive in Tusheti, Georgia captures the textures and moody atmosphere of this yearly winter ritual. He layers the story with spectacular scenic mountain views, dark stormy weather, and the humble details of a dinner table in the shepherds’ hut. His choice of black and white make this story feel even more timeless.
Karine Joly
France
Roy Kahmann
Photography collector, specialist and owner Hungry Eye Gallery
The Netherlands
Karine Joly’s work moved me deeply because of its striking simplicity and strength. The technique she uses makes you wonder whether you’re looking at a drawing or a photograph, yet the softness and timelessness of the image keep pulling you in. Her work lingers, inviting you to look again and again.
Stéphane Magnan
Director Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire
France
For Jozef, what made it for me is the way the stiffness of steel and the structured settings frame these very human situations. You can feel the efforts required by the hard work, and yet still the presence of life. The aesthetics of the blacks are also striking.
Scott Offen
United States
Rachel Barker
Co-Founder and Director Stanley/Barker Publishers
United Kingdom
I selected Scott Offen’s Grace for its wonderful ability to transform a lifelong relationship into a visual language of shared authorship and mystery. Through Grace’s presence in the landscape, the series reframes aging, solitude, and femininity with depth and reverence. It is a very powerful and poignant body of work.
MD Tanveer Rohan
United States
Ray Potes
Founder, Editor, Photographer Hamburger Eyes
United States
Every now and then in life we have to lift a stack of bricks with our heads. This photograph captures that recipe perfectly. A great burst of energy and a balance of speed and strength.
Juul Kraijer
Netherlands
Anna Walker Skillman
Owner/Director Jackson Fine Art Gallery
United States
We all seek connection—through our work, our relationships, and the world we move through each day. Juul Kraijer’s Untitled (portrait with butterflies) evokes that impulse for me, reminding me of several of my favorite portraits of women.
One is Hellen van Meene’s Untitled No. 501 (2017), a jewel box of color that I first encountered—and instantly fell in love with—in Paris. Another is Emmet Gowin’s Edith and Moth in Flight, his black and white image capturing the luminous traces left by moths as they circle Edith’s head—a love letter to transformation, resurrection, endurance, and hope.
In Kraijer’s portrait, a young woman carries life’s beauty, tinged with a quiet sadness—a feeling the Japanese call ‘mono no aware.’ The butterflies, very much alive, cling delicately to her, leaving their own mark as they, too, strive to survive in the otherworldly world we inhabit today.
This edition of the LensCulture Black & White Photography Awards 2025 has exceeded my expectations. The winners truly deserve it, and it confirms for me that photography is still growing and moving forward.”
— Roy Kahmann, Hungry Eye
Finalists
International Jury
Anna Walker Skillman
Jackson Fine Art Gallery
United States
Roy Kahmann
Hungry Eye Gallery
The Netherlands
Rachel Barker
Stanley/Barker Publishers
United Kingdom
Stéphane Magnan
Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire
France
Ray Potes
Hamburger Eyes
United States
Jim Casper
LensCulture
The Netherlands
Thank You
To everyone who shared their work with us, thank you! And a huge congratulations to all 37 winning photographers!
Want to start next year on a high? Enter your best work for the LensCulture Art Awards! Deadline for entries is Wednesday, 17 December 2025 and winners will be announced early 2026.
