Black and White Photo Awards 2026 is an international online photography competition dedicated to monochrome photography. The award brings together professional and amateur photographers from around the world and focuses on discovering strong black and white images across a defined set of photographic categories.

The 2026 edition invites entries in six categories: Architecture, Street, Portrait, Fauna and Flora, Landscape, and Open Theme. The Open Theme category has been added for black and white photographs that do not fit the five established subject areas, giving entrants a broader route into the competition.

Entries are judged by a five-member jury through a blind evaluation process, with photographs assessed on artistic merit, originality, theme, and style. For photographers working in black and white, the competition offers a focused platform to test individual images against an international field and to have selected work recognized through category awards, honorable mentions, and the annual awards catalog.

Entry fee: €15 per category, including up to 5 photographs in the chosen category.

Eligibility

Open to anyone over 18 worldwide, except Black and White Photo Awards employees, associated companies, and prize-sponsor employees; entries must be black and white photographs owned and authored by the entrant.

Prize

The Absolute Winner will receive €1,500, and the best photograph in each of the six categories will receive €200. The Street and Portrait category winners will also receive access to the Retouch4me photo editing suite, 15 honorable mentions will be awarded, and winning or featured photographs may appear in the Black and White Photo Awards promotional catalog.