The Exposure One Awards has announced the winners of its 2026 Photographers of the Year contest, bringing together some incredible black-and-white photography from around the world. This year’s competition received submissions from photographers in 87 countries, making it the organization’s largest contest to date.
The winning images show just how much can be captured through the black-and-white medium. A jury of photography and arts professionals selected the finalists, including experts from institutions such as SFMOMA, Leica Gallery Los Angeles, Aperture, and the Art Gallery of Alberta.
Scroll down to see some of this year's standout photographs, and join us in congratulating the talented photographers behind them!
#21 Non-Professional, Photojournalism: Amish Laundry Softball Day By William West
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Black and White book project. One afternoon south of Strasburg, PA, I happened upon a one room schoolhouse with an Amish Softball game in progress. It felt like I had gone back 150 years in time. The Amish don't use cars or electricity and live on small farms.
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#22 Non-Professional, Landscapes: Striking By Richard Cassey
From the 29th floor of a SoHo hotel, I watched a summer storm move across Manhattan. For a single instant, lightning found the city's tallest towers at once, revealing the raw power of nature against one of the world's most iconic skylines.
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#24 Non-Professional, Domestic Animals: The Weight Of Waiting Or Distanced By Jose Ignacio Del Barrio
Captured through a wet, condensed windowpane, a solitary dog peers into the dark. This monochrome study explores isolation, longing, and quiet patience, transforming a fleeting moment into a moody, fine-art canvas.
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#25 Non-Professional, Aerial: Anchored By Francesco Calarota
A vessel rests alone in dark waters, held to the rocky shore by a single fragile line. Seen from directly above, the scene becomes a study of isolation, scale and connection.
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#27 Non-Professional, Fine Art: Acumulacion Suspendida By Diego Arrigoni
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#31 Professional, Photojournalism: The Day Holloway Road Turned Red By Richard Photographer
Thousands of supporters filled Holloway Road as Arsenal's championship parade passed through North London. Photographed from an elevated viewpoint, this image documents the scale, atmosphere and collective emotion of a community united by a historic sporting celebration.
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#32 Professional: Fashion & Beauty: Where Seeing Begins By Stefan Groepper
Where Seeing Begins explores the space between seeing and being seen. Hands conceal and reveal, while vulnerability and strength coexist. What remains visible is not identity, but presence – a quiet encounter beyond appearance.
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#34 Non-Professional, Architecture: Bixby Creek Bridge By Reno Ditullio
The Bixby Creek Bridge is a famous concrete arch bridge on California State Route 1 in Big Sur. Opened on November 27, 1932, it stands 260 to 280 feet high and spans 714 feet. It is one of the tallest single-span concrete bridges in the world.
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#36 Non-Professional, Film/Analog: Where The Ground Gives Way By Caitlyn Gold
This body of work explores the tension between rapid industrial development and the loss of undeveloped land in my local community. Through photographs of warehouses and the remaining landscape, I examine how growth reshapes both the environment and a sense of place.
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#37 Non-Professional, Conceptual: Between Worlds By Adone Valiuliene
From above, distance erases scale and the sea loses its horizon. Alone vessel moves away from the U K coast as an offshore wind farm slowly disappears into the haze. For a moment, sea and sky seem to become one, leaving only traces of human presence between them. Photographed from the air, UK, 2026.
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