The reFocus Awards has announced the winners of its annual Black & White Photo Contest, and the results are incredible. With entrants from 49 countries, the winners are a powerful, exciting representation of photography talent worldwide. From a clever photo of cats to an artistic look at different body types, the images demonstrate the creative capabilities of black-and-white photography.
The contest, which has both Professional and Non-professional divisions, named two photographers as the overall winners. Karylnne Wintels topped the Non-professional division with her fascinating photo titled Feline Harmony. The Dutch photographer takes advantage of the high contrast that black-and-white photography provides when capturing a photo of black cats and white cats on light and dark backgrounds, respectively. Playing with negative and positive space, the striking image highlights her ability to put together a memorable composition.
In the Professional contest, Italian photographer Roberta Vagliani won for her arresting portrait of a classroom in Zanzibar. Taken from the back of the classroom, Vagliani captures the moment when a curious student turns to look directly into the camera.
“I look for images that tell a story or excite, which excite me,” she shares in an interview with reFocus. “I look for images where I am an integrated but hidden part of a scene. Where my emotions come out together with the image.”
Given her win, Vagliani's image also excited the judges, who included Gary Hershorn, deputy director of ohotography at ABC News; Aaron St. Clair, director of editorial content at Shutterstock; and Rizzoli editor Daniel Melamud.
Scroll down to see more of our favorite winners from the competition, and then head over to reFocus for the full winner's gallery and to read interviews with the photographers.