Fine Art / Open
Black and White Photo Awards
Worth considering for photographers with a tightly edited group of black-and-white images. The category bundles make the cost understandable, while past winners have received real photography press coverage. Treat it as a selective showcase rather than a dependable route to income.
Our assessment · Worth considering
A focused monochrome award with a sensible small-entry option and modest cash prizes.
Our judgement: a single well-chosen category entry is defensible if monochrome is central to your practice. The fee buys consideration of five photographs, so there is little reason to spread money across categories simply to collect more chances. The cash awards are useful but limited; the stronger reason to enter is to have distinctive work assessed within its own medium. We would prioritise photographs that need black and white to communicate, rather than colour pictures converted to suit a contest. [2][3][4]
A good fit for
Photo Competitions’ editorial judgement · 2026 — published entry round has closed · Reviewed 4 Oct 2026
What you will actually pay
Entry costs, explained.
€15 per category, including up to five photographs in that category; no verified free route.
| Entry route | Cost | Who and what it covers |
|---|---|---|
| One category | €15 for up to 5 photographs | Photographers meeting the over-18 wording and other entry rules; professional and amateur work welcomed. [2][1] |
| Two category entries | €30 in total | Calculated from two €15 category fees; each category has its own five-picture allowance. [2] |
Choose a subject category before paying. Five images distributed across different categories are not one €15 entry. The calculation above illustrates the cost, rather than an advertised discount. [2]
What the competition rewards
The six subjects are architecture, street, portrait, fauna and flora, landscape, and Open Theme. That final route was added for 2026 to accommodate work outside the established subjects. This gives photographers a useful choice between recognisable subject expertise and more experimental pictures; Open Theme should not be mistaken for a portfolio award. [4]
Judges assess artistic merit, originality, theme and style through blind scoring and a later vote. In editorial terms, a photograph needs to work on its own: submitting a bundle is an entry convenience, not a promise that the five pictures will be considered as a connected story. [2]
A young award with documented coverage
The awards began in 2022. PetaPixel published a substantial feature on the 2025 winners, including João Coelho's overall-winning social documentary image and work from architecture, wildlife and portrait categories. That is tangible evidence that selected photographs can travel beyond the organiser's gallery. It does not establish an audience size, likely commissions or publicity for every finalist. [5]
The advertised panel includes Joel Tjintjelaar, Julia Anna Gospodarou and Charles Paul Azzopardi. Specialist monochrome expertise is relevant here. We would describe the award as an emerging specialist platform rather than place it on the same footing as much longer-established international institutions. [1]
What winners actually receive
For 2026, the overall award is €1,500 cash and each of six category winners receives €200. Street and Portrait winners also receive Retouch4me software access. The advertised package exceeding €5,500 combines benefits across recipients and includes software; it is not a €5,500 individual cash prize. Honourable mentions recognise additional work without a stated cash payment. [3]
The homepage also describes an annual catalogue for winning and featured photographs. These benefits support a portfolio or publicity effort, but the published material does not establish paid assignments or a guaranteed sale. Do not budget on recovering your entry expenditure. [1]
Who and what can enter
The rules say over 18, exclude organiser/sponsor employees, and impose no capture-date limit. Film and digital photographs qualify, but entries must originate entirely in photography and belong to the entrant. Someone exactly 18 should confirm the age wording before payment. [2]
Copyright and the publicity licence
Copyright remains yours. Winning images receive unlimited, non-exclusive unpaid use across award-related media and promotion. The rules prohibit unrelated marketing, image sales and commercial rights for sponsors, and require attribution. This remains a lasting licence, so consider whether it fits any other commitments attached to the image. [2]
Preparing an entry and checking the next round
The published 2026 deadline was 15 June. The homepage still contains entry invitations and 2025 winners, so this review describes the documented round; it does not announce a new opening. Check the official rules when the next call is issued. [1]
Submit unwatermarked, borderless JPEGs with at least 2,500 pixels on the long edge. Finalists must supply a RAW file or an unmodified original with EXIF where RAW capture was unavailable. Preserve originals: an attractive export alone is insufficient verification. [2]
Details still worth checking.
A later opening date, confirmed 2026 results date and exact closing time zone were not established in the reviewed pages. The rules allow deadline extensions; the June date is the published deadline, not a claim about an unseen later extension. [1][2]
The evidence behind this review
Sources & last checked.
Fees, rules and prize details come from the organiser. Independent reporting supports our assessment of reputation; it does not guarantee publicity or a return on your entry fee.
- Black and White Photo Awards - Black & white photography contestOrganiser source · Checked 4 Oct 2026
- Rules - Black and White Photo AwardsOrganiser source · Checked 4 Oct 2026
- Awards - Black and White Photo AwardsOrganiser source · Checked 4 Oct 2026
- Categories - Black and White Photo AwardsOrganiser source · Checked 4 Oct 2026
- The 9 Marvelous Winners of the 2025 Black and White Photo Awards | PetaPixelIndependent reporting · Checked 4 Oct 2026
Dates, fees and terms can change. Read the current rules on the official competition website before entering.