logo
Black & White Photo Contest Featured Image

Contest Closed

View the 2023 Winner’s Gallery or subscribe to be the first to hear when the Black & White Photo Contest relaunches, as well as to receive news and updates about other contests.

Winner's Gallery

Black & White Photo Contest

Honoring the most extraordinary photographers of our time

Powered by

FRAMES Magazine & Podcast

SCROLL

Celebrating Today’s Most Exceptional Black & White Images

intro-1
intro-2

Welcoming both individual image and series submissions that honor and explore black and white photography.

Michael Knapstein
Michael Knapstein
Michael Knapstein
Michael Knapstein
Michael Knapstein
Michael Knapstein

Series
Submissions

Enter 2-5 images to be judged as a group rather than as individual photographs.

Individual
Submissions

A single image submitted to this contest should explore the power of photography through one incredible shot.

Gino Ricardo

“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart, and head.”

-Henri Cartier-Bresson-

Sinead Bunn
Jonathan Knowles

Photographers are encouraged to join us in celebrating the timeless, eternal nature of black and white photography.

Winners will receive career-enhancing cash prizes, a unique and immersive dedicated digital space to share their works on our artist platform, and way more.

Decorative image

Awards & Benefits

Winners of the reFocus Awards enjoy more than prizes; honorees will be actively promoted and celebrated throughout the year and beyond.

Prizes are designed to meet your needs as a photographer, wherever they are in their careers.

Cash Prizes

$4,000+ in cash prizes

Personalized Trophy

Elegant crystal trophies, engraved and customized

Global Exposure

Receive international press exposure as well as have your work judged by industry professionals, gallery directors, museum curators, and influential tastemakers

Winner’s Interview

A publicly-shared and promoted interview with links to your work and social profile will help you get the global recognition you deserve

Winner's Assets

Custom badges and certificates to seamlessly share your wins with the world and get your work the attention it deserves

Artist Directory

Receive your own personalized page with links to your website and social profiles as a year-round point of discovery for your work

Press Release

Customized press assets to help you share your win using a professionally written and formatted press release

Exhibition:

An artist-forward space dedicated to exhibiting your works online

The reFocus Trophy

Reserved for contest and category winners at the reFocus Awards, our custom engraved crystal and metal trophy signifies that the honoree is one of the most distinctive photographers of our time.

Contest Winners

Category Winners

* Winner's title and award distribution may vary depending on the contest.

View:

Professional

Non Professional

Powered by

FRAMES Magazine & Podcast

Contest Winners

Category Winners (Gold, Silver, Bronze)

People’s Vote Award

Honorable Mention

Nominee

Every Entrant

$2,500 in Cash Prizes

Personalized Black Crystal reFocus Trophy

Printed & Embossed Winner’s Achievement Certificate

Published Winner's Interview

Receive Feature in Dedicated Email to Global Audience

Premier Artist Placements Throughout reFocus Website

Custom Press Release Tailored to Your Achievement

Prominent Feature in Winner's Gallery

Eligible to Purchase the Clear Crystal reFocus Trophy

International Press Exposure to our Global Community

Public Profile in reFocus's Artist Directory

Free Entry & Placement In the People's Vote Award Gallery

Showcase in Winner's Gallery

Digital Winner's Certificate & Badge

Chance to be Featured on reFocus's Social Media & Newsletter

Winner Coverage:

We're thrilled to have helped the winners of our contests receive the attention their work deserves in global media placements.

Forbes
CNN
Smithsonian
Washington Post
Artnet
Artsy
Hyperallergic
Digital Camera World
My Modern Met
The Times
Insider
Peta Pixel
The Guardian
Daily Mail
ArtReview

Testimonials

“Receiving this honor further bolstered my credibility and boosted my confidence. It has had a hugely positive impact on both a personal and professional level and is a great calling card. This award led to two print publications as well as many digital ones. It’s also opened and continues to open doors and unlock new opportunities within the industry - including not so long ago being able to get my work featured on a website I really wanted to partner with.”

Mario Tarantino

Spain

Mario Tarantino  entry image
Mario Tarantino

“reFocus is a great portal to the world, helping me to make a career with my photos.”

Antonio Flores

México

Antonio Flores entry image
Antonio Flores

“Winning the reFocus Awards helped lend immense credibility to my work. This win shared the story of my photography way outside of my current network. This award has helped to validate my work as fine art, which is incredibly important as I prepare for a museum show.”

Bill Pack

United States

Bill Pack  entry image
Bill Pack

“Through the awards I've received at reFocus, I've had print sales and met collectors; being able to say I won an international award with you is a huge boost. Every aspect of the reFocus Awards is elevated.”

Jatenipat Ketpradit

Thailand

Jatenipat Ketpradit entry image
Jatenipat Ketpradit

“The reFocus wins, particularly being awarded International Discovery of the Year, undeniably triggered great interest in my work. This was evident in the number of visits to my website, of which I reached several hundred, and the number of invitations to interviews and participation in leading publications. I owe a lot to reFocus and how it presented my work to get it noticed by a wider audience.”

João Coelho

Angola

João Coelho entry image
João Coelho

“Winning gave me something that I think is more valuable in the long run than a job or press coverage. And that was appreciating my work and giving me self-confidence in my work while motivating me to create and experiment.”

Laura Zalenga

Netherlands

Laura Zalenga entry image
Laura Zalenga

“I have received awards in many international competitions, but winning the reFocus Awards was my greatest success. This award, especially the cash prize, had a meaningful impact on my life and those I love. I have received awards in many international competitions, but winning the reFocus Awards was my greatest success.”

Serkan Doğuş

Turkey

Serkan Doğuş entry image
Serkan Doğuş

“Receiving this honor further bolstered my credibility and boosted my confidence. It has had a hugely positive impact on both a personal and professional level and is a great calling card. This award led to two print publications as well as many digital ones. It’s also opened and continues to open doors and unlock new opportunities within the industry - including not so long ago being able to get my work featured on a website I really wanted to partner with.”

Mario Tarantino

Spain

Mario Tarantino  entry image
Mario Tarantino

“reFocus is a great portal to the world, helping me to make a career with my photos.”

Antonio Flores

México

Antonio Flores entry image
Antonio Flores

“Winning the reFocus Awards helped lend immense credibility to my work. This win shared the story of my photography way outside of my current network. This award has helped to validate my work as fine art, which is incredibly important as I prepare for a museum show.”

Bill Pack

United States

Bill Pack  entry image
Bill Pack

“Through the awards I've received at reFocus, I've had print sales and met collectors; being able to say I won an international award with you is a huge boost. Every aspect of the reFocus Awards is elevated.”

Jatenipat Ketpradit

Thailand

Jatenipat Ketpradit entry image
Jatenipat Ketpradit

“The reFocus wins, particularly being awarded International Discovery of the Year, undeniably triggered great interest in my work. This was evident in the number of visits to my website, of which I reached several hundred, and the number of invitations to interviews and participation in leading publications. I owe a lot to reFocus and how it presented my work to get it noticed by a wider audience.”

João Coelho

Angola

João Coelho entry image
João Coelho

“Winning gave me something that I think is more valuable in the long run than a job or press coverage. And that was appreciating my work and giving me self-confidence in my work while motivating me to create and experiment.”

Laura Zalenga

Netherlands

Laura Zalenga entry image
Laura Zalenga

“I have received awards in many international competitions, but winning the reFocus Awards was my greatest success. This award, especially the cash prize, had a meaningful impact on my life and those I love. I have received awards in many international competitions, but winning the reFocus Awards was my greatest success.”

Serkan Doğuş

Turkey

Serkan Doğuş entry image
Serkan Doğuş

“Receiving this honor further bolstered my credibility and boosted my confidence. It has had a hugely positive impact on both a personal and professional level and is a great calling card. This award led to two print publications as well as many digital ones. It’s also opened and continues to open doors and unlock new opportunities within the industry - including not so long ago being able to get my work featured on a website I really wanted to partner with.”

Mario Tarantino

Spain

Mario Tarantino  entry image
Mario Tarantino

“reFocus is a great portal to the world, helping me to make a career with my photos.”

Antonio Flores

México

Antonio Flores entry image
Antonio Flores

“Winning the reFocus Awards helped lend immense credibility to my work. This win shared the story of my photography way outside of my current network. This award has helped to validate my work as fine art, which is incredibly important as I prepare for a museum show.”

Bill Pack

United States

Bill Pack  entry image
Bill Pack

“Through the awards I've received at reFocus, I've had print sales and met collectors; being able to say I won an international award with you is a huge boost. Every aspect of the reFocus Awards is elevated.”

Jatenipat Ketpradit

Thailand

Jatenipat Ketpradit entry image
Jatenipat Ketpradit

“The reFocus wins, particularly being awarded International Discovery of the Year, undeniably triggered great interest in my work. This was evident in the number of visits to my website, of which I reached several hundred, and the number of invitations to interviews and participation in leading publications. I owe a lot to reFocus and how it presented my work to get it noticed by a wider audience.”

João Coelho

Angola

João Coelho entry image
João Coelho

“Winning gave me something that I think is more valuable in the long run than a job or press coverage. And that was appreciating my work and giving me self-confidence in my work while motivating me to create and experiment.”

Laura Zalenga

Netherlands

Laura Zalenga entry image
Laura Zalenga

“I have received awards in many international competitions, but winning the reFocus Awards was my greatest success. This award, especially the cash prize, had a meaningful impact on my life and those I love. I have received awards in many international competitions, but winning the reFocus Awards was my greatest success.”

Serkan Doğuş

Turkey

Serkan Doğuş entry image
Serkan Doğuş

People's Vote Award

Worldwide Exposure for All Nominated Images

One of our primary missions as an artist-first community is to ensure that your photography gets the exposure it deserves. That’s why all nominated entries are automatically entered into the People’s Vote Awards in addition to our juried awards.

During the People’s Vote Awards, the public is invited to be inspired by your work while supporting it by voting for their favorite images within each contest category.

This unique honor is one of the many ways we aim to increase the chances of our artists like you being discovered and receiving well-deserved recognition.

Judges

Our international panel of judges represents today’s topmost tier of influence and distinction within our photography community.

Judges include world-renowned photographers, curators, directors, and industry professionals who were chosen based on their respected positions within the global photography world.

Prev.

Next

View All

Contest Categories

Images can be entered into multiple categories and will be judged independently of one another based on the selected category.

We highly encourage you to be expansive in your interpretation and selection of categories for your work.

Abstract

Aerial

Architecture

Conceptual

Domestic Animals

Event

Fashion & Beauty

Film/Analog

Fine Art

Landscapes

Minimalism

Nature

People

Photojournalism

Portrait

Still Life

Street

Travel

Wildlife

Peter Lik

Entry Info & Pricing

2023 Black & White Photo Contest

Contest Closed

View the 2023 Winner’s Gallery or subscribe to be the first to hear when the Black & White Photo Contest relaunches, as well as to receive news and updates about other contests.

Title Sponsor

FRAMES Magazine & Podcast

FRAMES Magazine & Podcast

Get 10% off subscriptions with code refocus10 as part of our reFocus community

Subscribe

Award Sponsors

Bay Photo
Portfoliobox
Thinktank
Pixpa
WHETHERYOUR GOAL IS TO
EXPAND
THE VIEWER'S
WORLDVIEW,
EXPLORE
THE
UNEXPECTED
OR REFRAME
A SUBJECT
WE WANT TO
SEE YOUR IMAGES.
View All

Image Credits

Prev.

Next

Contests

Info

FAQ & RulesTerms of UsePrivacy Policy

Links

Facebook

Instagram

Contact Us

© Creative Resource Collective, LLC 2024. All Rights Reserved.

reFocus Awards is managed by Creative Resource Collective, LLC.

Learn More

Creative Resource Collective, LLC.