After recently highlighting The Artist Gallery’s 2026 Architecture and Street Photography Awards, we’re now turning to another category where the power of a single frame feels especially clear: black-and-white photography.
The contest celebrates monochrome work in which contrast, composition, light, and storytelling take center stage, giving photographers a chance to show just how much emotion can be conveyed without color.
This year’s winners and honorable mentions bring together a striking variety of subjects, from quiet landscapes and architectural patterns to intimate human moments and scenes shaped by atmosphere, texture, and shadow. Without color to guide the viewer, every line, expression, and detail becomes more intentional, allowing each image to feel both timeless and immediate.
Scroll down to see the awarded photos, and don’t forget to vote for the ones that stand out to you most.
#1 “The Cheerful Eyes” By Saurabh Sirohiya
Location: India
Description: “A child’s face is framed by many hands, forming a powerful visual of unity and shared struggle. Reflects the reality of children growing up amid labor and limited access to education. Yet, the child’s bright smile stands as a symbol of resilience, hope, and the enduring spirit of childhood.”
Description: “A child’s face is framed by many hands, forming a powerful visual of unity and shared struggle. Reflects the reality of children growing up amid labor and limited access to education. Yet, the child’s bright smile stands as a symbol of resilience, hope, and the enduring spirit of childhood.”
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16points
#2 “Fortitude” By Preet & Prashant Chacko
Location: Maasai Mara, Kenya
Description: “Age cannot wither nor rain dampen her infinite fortitude. A lioness decides to brave the rain rather than rush for shelter, in the Maasai Mara in Kenya. We explore the theme of minimalism here and crafted the whole image with explicit purpose of saying a lot with little.”
Description: “Age cannot wither nor rain dampen her infinite fortitude. A lioness decides to brave the rain rather than rush for shelter, in the Maasai Mara in Kenya. We explore the theme of minimalism here and crafted the whole image with explicit purpose of saying a lot with little.”
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15points
#3 “Backlight Ritual” By Luisa Lynch
Location: Spain
Description: “This photograph captures two wild canaries illuminated in strong backlight, transforming their bodies into luminous silhouettes suspended in darkness. The light does not reveal - it defines. Feathers become sharp lines, wings unfold like radiant structures, and the birds emerge as sculptural forms.”
Description: “This photograph captures two wild canaries illuminated in strong backlight, transforming their bodies into luminous silhouettes suspended in darkness. The light does not reveal - it defines. Feathers become sharp lines, wings unfold like radiant structures, and the birds emerge as sculptural forms.”
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12points
#4 “Dignity And Identity: Waste Pickers Of Phnom Penh” By Steff Gruber
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Description: “Amid the mountain of trash at the Dangkor landfill, two small children sit beneath a wire mesh basket covered with a semi-transparent cloth. The two little children hold each other in their arms and look directly into the camera. Behind them, the mountain of trash rises up.”
Description: “Amid the mountain of trash at the Dangkor landfill, two small children sit beneath a wire mesh basket covered with a semi-transparent cloth. The two little children hold each other in their arms and look directly into the camera. Behind them, the mountain of trash rises up.”
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11points
#5 “Titans Clash” By Somdutt Prasad
Location: Kurile Lake, Russia
Description: “Titans clash during the Kamchatka salmon run. Two brown bears lock jaws in a ferocious test of dominance, mouths touching as teeth bare. Suspended water droplets capture the explosive energy, while the monochrome edit highlights the raw texture of wet fur in this primal face-off.”
Description: “Titans clash during the Kamchatka salmon run. Two brown bears lock jaws in a ferocious test of dominance, mouths touching as teeth bare. Suspended water droplets capture the explosive energy, while the monochrome edit highlights the raw texture of wet fur in this primal face-off.”
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11points
#6 “Above & Below” By Judith Kuhn
Location: Kirkjufell, Iceland
Description: “Incredible Northern Lights night at Kirkjufell in western Iceland.”
Description: “Incredible Northern Lights night at Kirkjufell in western Iceland.”
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10points
#7 “Mundari's Life” By Svetlin Yosifov
Location: South Sudan
Description: “In the Mundari cattle camps, kids are doing most of the daily work. Kids collect the fresh cow dung and put it into piles which are then set on fire. Those fire are useful as they repel the (extremely) numerous and voracious flies and mosquitoes of the South Sudanese countryside.”
Description: “In the Mundari cattle camps, kids are doing most of the daily work. Kids collect the fresh cow dung and put it into piles which are then set on fire. Those fire are useful as they repel the (extremely) numerous and voracious flies and mosquitoes of the South Sudanese countryside.”
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9points
#8 “Held” By Heidi Breugelmans
Location: Belgium
Description: “I will carry you as long as needed. Forever, if I can...”
Description: “I will carry you as long as needed. Forever, if I can...”
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9points
#9 “Crows With Man” By Axel Gorlach
Location: Nuremberg
Description: “This gentleman fed the crows in the park every day. One day I had my Fuji with me and asked him if I could take a photo, and he agreed.”
Description: “This gentleman fed the crows in the park every day. One day I had my Fuji with me and asked him if I could take a photo, and he agreed.”
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8points
#10 “Double Domes Abu Dhabi” By Karen Safer
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Description: “This is from my United Arab Emirates Series - domes and architectural wonders. Perfectly balanced image of the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.”
Description: “This is from my United Arab Emirates Series - domes and architectural wonders. Perfectly balanced image of the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.”
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7points
#11 “Hidden Stories” By Saurabh Sirohiya
Location: India
Description: “Three children peer through a narrow gap in worn wooden doors, their eyes intense and full of unspoken stories, capturing innocence, curiosity, and a quiet sense of mystery.”
Description: “Three children peer through a narrow gap in worn wooden doors, their eyes intense and full of unspoken stories, capturing innocence, curiosity, and a quiet sense of mystery.”
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7points
#12 “Skyfall” By Preeti & Prashant Chacko
Location: Maasai Mara, Kenya
Description: “One stormy day at the Maasai Mara, it looked like the sky would fall on our heads. And when the dramatic clouds and rays created an illusion of a giant tree in the sky, all that was left was to find a corresponding one on the ground to make to complete this image!”
Description: “One stormy day at the Maasai Mara, it looked like the sky would fall on our heads. And when the dramatic clouds and rays created an illusion of a giant tree in the sky, all that was left was to find a corresponding one on the ground to make to complete this image!”
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7points
#13 “Forest” By Sihang Chen
Location: Unknown
Description: “Using minimalist composition and delicate light and shadow, the textures of forest branches and leaves are intricately intertwined with reflections on the water, creating a unique visual rhythm where reality and illusion coexist.”
Description: “Using minimalist composition and delicate light and shadow, the textures of forest branches and leaves are intricately intertwined with reflections on the water, creating a unique visual rhythm where reality and illusion coexist.”
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7points
#14 “Brothers” By Paul Anthony Wilson
Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK
Description: “These two Gypsy lads were watching me take pictures of the 'Reading of the Charter' at Seamer horse fair, I spun around to take the shot, the oldest boy grabbed the other around the neck which made him smile...the missing teeth made the shot!”
Description: “These two Gypsy lads were watching me take pictures of the 'Reading of the Charter' at Seamer horse fair, I spun around to take the shot, the oldest boy grabbed the other around the neck which made him smile...the missing teeth made the shot!”
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7points
#15 “Hochtannbergspass” By Judith Kuhn
Location: Germany
Description: “The first real snow came early in the winter of 2025/2026. Fortunately, I was able to enjoy the freshly fallen white splendor; after that, there was a long period of nothing more.”
Description: “The first real snow came early in the winter of 2025/2026. Fortunately, I was able to enjoy the freshly fallen white splendor; after that, there was a long period of nothing more.”
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6points
#16 “In The Center” By Michiko Otomo
Location: Quebec City, Canada
Description: “This photo was taken in the National Museum of Fine Arts (Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec) in Quebec city, Canada.”
Description: “This photo was taken in the National Museum of Fine Arts (Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec) in Quebec city, Canada.”
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6points
#17 “Restless Lake” By Barbara Nichtern
Location: Dolomites, Italy
Description: “A lake, a hotspot in the Dolomites, dramatic and timeless, expressed in the gray scale according to Anselm Adams.”
Description: “A lake, a hotspot in the Dolomites, dramatic and timeless, expressed in the gray scale according to Anselm Adams.”
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6points
#18 “Untitled” By Gary Goldsmith
Location: Boston City Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Description: “Man riding a bicycle beneath a building, highlighted by the light shining through.”
Description: “Man riding a bicycle beneath a building, highlighted by the light shining through.”
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6points
#19 “In The Center” By Michiko Otomo
Location: Quebec City, Canada
Description: “This photo was taken in the National Museum of Fine Arts (Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec) in Quebec city, Canada.”
Description: “This photo was taken in the National Museum of Fine Arts (Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec) in Quebec city, Canada.”
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6points
#20 “Balconies Repeat” By Taso Katsionis
Location: Australia
Description: “Balconies form a geometric pattern, with the corner projecting a strong vertical line.”
Description: “Balconies form a geometric pattern, with the corner projecting a strong vertical line.”
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5points