Incredible Winners of the 2023 Black and White Photo Awards

Black and White Portrait of a gelada

“My Copyright” by Patric Quillard. Absolute Winner.

The timeless elegance of black and white photography is celebrated once again by the Black and White Photo Awards. The winners of the 2023 photo contest have just been revealed, with the images being selected from the nearly 3,000 photos that photographers from 92 countries entered in the competition. French photographer Patrice Quillard was named the Absolute Winner thanks to his stunning image, My Copyright.

His portrait of a gelada—a primate only found in the Ethiopian Highlands—is striking. The animal gazes straight into the camera, building a connection with the photographer and, ultimately, us as the viewer.

Suddenly and for a brief moment, he turned towards me, looked at me intensely, and I understood the full force of his dominance over his troops,” Quillard recalls of the moment when their eyes met. “It was an unforgettable moment for me, exactly what I was looking to bring out through a photograph.”

Though this is just the second edition of the awards, the talent pool was astounding. Winners were also named in five categories—Street, Landscape, Flora and Fauna, Architecture, and Portrait. Whether photographing a lightning storm or documenting the joys of childhood, all of the winners show the versatility of black and white photography.

In addition to the category winners, one photographer was singled out for their creativity. Ágnes Dudás took home the Special Prize for Creativity with her Painted Portrait. The exceptional photograph blurs the line between painting and photography and shows the vast creative possibilities of the medium.

Take a look at more of our favorite winners from the 2023 contest, and then get your cameras ready for the 2024 Black and White Photo Awards, which will open for entries on January 1, 2024.

Here are some of our favorite winners from the 2023 Black and White Photo Awards.

Black and white image of a thunderstorm

“The Power of Thunder” by Edoardo Frenquelli. Winner, Landscape.

Black and white portrait of a woman looking into a bowl

“Reflection” by Michael Potts. Winner, Portrait.

Kids Playing

“Childhood” by Joy Saha. Winner, Street.

Black and white image of street lamps in Ottawa

“Street Lights – Ottawa” by Gareth Jones. Winner, Architecture.

Overhead photo of people in boats

“Boats filled with travelers” by Azim Khan Ronnie. Second Winner, Street.

Black and white underwater image of seals hunting a school of fish

“Lobos de cacería” by Arturo de Frias Marques. Winner, Flora and Fauna.

Black and white photo of the interior of the museum of the future

“The museum of the future” by Saqer Alattar. Second Winner, Architecture.

Black and White Photo Awards

“Another Mushroom?” by Hector ballester. Silver Mention, Architecture.

Portrait of a woman in sand dunes

“Gazelle in the Dunes” by Michael Potts. Silver Mention, Portrait.

Creative Black and White Portrait

“Painted portrait” by Ágnes Dudás. Special Prize for Creativity.

Black and white underwater photo of a humpback calf and its mother

“Newborn Humpback Calf and Its Mother” by Ricardo Nascimento. Second Winner, Flora and Fauna.

Award Winning Street Photography

“Untitled” by Gavin Libotte. Golden Mention, Street.

Black and white portrait of an elephant

“Majestic Rhapsody” by Lalith Ekanayake. Silver Mention, Flora and Fauna.

Black and white seascape

“Knudshoved” by Troels Bjerre. Second Winner, Landscape.

Black and white portrait of a child

“Deeply Focus” by Abhishek Basak. Bronze Mention, Portrait.

Black and white photo of lava spurting from a volcano

“Untitled” by Jean Paul Soujo. Golden Mention, Landscape.

Chinese sea snake

“Chinese Sea Snake” by Lars Oliver Michaelis. Golden Mention, Flora and Fauna.

Black and White Photo Awards: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the Black and White Photo Awards.

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Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Staff Editor and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book "Street Art Stories Roma" and most recently contributed to "Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini." You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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