ReFocus Black and White Photography Awards 2025 Showcases Stunning Monochrome Talent

The 2025 ReFocus Black and White Photography Awards have once again highlighted monochrome imagery‘s enduring power and beauty. This year’s contest drew submissions from 80 countries, showcasing a diverse range of creative voices pushing the boundaries of black and white photography.

The winning images, ranging from striking conceptual pieces to intimate street photography, demonstrate why the medium remains a timeless expression that reflects technical mastery and compelling storytelling. Here are the winning images:

Overall Winners

Professional

1st Place
Radek von Hirschberg
Toxic Lake
“Poles across the country embraced winter swimming as their favorite pursuit. It became the ‘it’ thing to do among the Polish middle class. This was evident, for example, in social media, once flooded with selfies of people standing in cold water. Standing almost everywhere, like e.g. in Toxic Lake.”

2nd Place
Herri Susanto
Alone In Silence

3rd Place
Tzion Essel
An Internal Odyssey
This series explores spiritual transcendence and self-reflection through poetic landscapes, using nature as a metaphor to invite stillness and introspection amid the noise of modern life.

Non-Professional

1st Place
Maria Ehrlich
Nuerki
“Girl with traditional hairstyle sitting in front of a house in Nima, Accra, Ghana”

2nd Place
Asok Sengupta
AGELESS PORTRAIT
“This is an outdoor shot, depicting the relationship between old and young”

3rd Place
Jesper Bjarke Andersen
Hanging Divers
My approach to UV photography was the same as on land: using a small camera, without lights or flash, and shooting exclusively in black and white (Leica Q2 mono). This photo was taken purely on instinct—framed in the moment, with no need for adjustment afterwards.”

Here are our favourites from the rest of the winning entries:

Gold Winners: Professional

Domestic Animals

Aga Karmol
IG Handle: @agakarmol.art
How Beautiful You Are
“A Welsh Pony stallion admiring his own reflection in the mirror.”

Travel

Aga Karmol
The cowboys of Cappadocia
“Local Turkish ‘cowboys’ maintain the last herd of semi-wild yilky horses, living in a vast valley of Cappadocia”

Fine Art

Eric Hagemann
The Shape of Light

Architecture

Jacquie Matechuk
Symphony of Strings
“Getting lost in the intricate symmetry of a modern cable-stayed bridge, transforming its structure into a mesmerising display of geometric precision. An interplay of converging lines and curving forms creates a sense of movement and balance, evoking both architectural strength and delicate artistry.”

Landscapes

Jeff Schewe
Antarctic B&W

Minimalism

Jens Winkler
North Uist Landscape
“An abstract of the landscape on the island of North Uist, Scotland.”

Gold Winners: Non-Professional

Street

Bruce Fraser
Kyoto At Night
During the day, Kyoto, like many of Japan’s cities, is often bustling. However, at night, it is a different story, as the streets become quiet, allowing photographers to roam at ease.”

Fine Art

Christian Basetti
“Va, pensiero” (“Go, thought” from “Nabucco”)
“Oh my homeland, so beautiful but lost Oh remembrance so beloved, but so painful. Golden harp inspiring the great Poets. Why are you so silent and abandoning yourself to tears? Rekindle memories in our hearts. Tell us again about our glorious past!” Giuseppe Verdi inspires the Italian glory in decay.”

Photojournalism

João Coelho
Too soon
“Madalena is still a child, but she has to look after her little sister while her parents work. It’s always been like this, her mother and grandmother also had to suffer the same fate of being premature mothers. But her gaze, vacant and sad, doesn’t lie! It was too soon!”

Fine Art

Venkatesh Kittur
Orangutan: The Person of the Forest
“Here, I am presenting a portrait of an Orangutan with deep, soulful eyes, reflecting both intelligence and sorrow. Their gaze speaks of a quiet plea for survival, haunted by the encroachment of deforestation and habitat loss, a silent struggle for existence and survival in a rapidly changing world.”

Travel

Xavier Ayme
Fishermen’s Dance Among Inle’s Mangroves
“Fishermen skillfully working the serene waters of Inle Lake, surrounded by lush mangroves, their traditional techniques blending harmoniously with the tranquil landscape.”

All the winning images can be seen on the ReFocus Awards website.

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