The Black and White Photo Awards 2022 is a newly-created international photography contest designed to recognize and reward talent in the fields of Black and White Photography. This year's inaugural edition of the competition has now concluded, with an image of a cheetah and cubs claiming the top spot.
The jury comprised of professionals in the field of black and white photography, including assistance from Haida and the team of NCJ Media Solutions. The jury made its decision public on August 19, coinciding with World Photography Day.
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The title of Absolute Winner from the very first Black and White Photo Awards 2022 was granted to Belgian photographer, Johan Willems, for his exceptional black and white image titled Cheetah with cubs. He will receive a 1,000 euro (approximately $1,003 / £856 / AU$1,447) cash prize as a reward.
The capture shows a litter of what looks like four (maybe five) cheetah cubs with their mother all staring poised in the same direction, as they lay in long grass. The shot is beautifully composed and the contrast of cheetah spots with tall vertical grass vines pairs together flawlessly.
The competition had a total of five different themes/categories for photographers to enter that included Architecture, Street, Portrait, Landscape, and Fauna and Flora. One winner from each category was chosen by the judging panel, as well as an "Absolute Winner" and additional special prize for creativity and Haida special award.
The winning images from each category were selected by a jury that included fine-art photographer, author and educator: Joel Tjintelaar, multiple award-winning and internationally acclaimed photographer: Julia Anna Gospodarou, as well as global brand ambassador for Fuji Japan: Charles Paul Azzopardi.
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Winner of the special prize for creativity was awarded to Dusty Cooper for his image Levitate, that displays three separate exposures of a dancer mid-performance. “My photography and love for dance collide and I think my passion for both shows in my work” he shares.
Haida, in partnership with the competition, supplied one additional winner with a Kit 3 ND filter valued at around 300 euros as a reward, and also selected one entry to receive the Haida Special Award, which was granted to photographer George Digalakis for his image Echoing Spaces.
The winning photographers and special honorable mentions selected by the jury in each of the other remaining categories were:
Architecture:
Winner - Hector Ballester Ballester, with: A light at the end of the tunnel.
Golden mention - Antonio Figueras Barranco, with: Waves.
Silver mention - Juan Jesús González Romero, with: La cúpula.
Bronze mention - Lars Oliver Michaelis, with: Stairways from heaven.
Bronze mention - Zhenwei Wang, with: The Last Emperor.
Street:
Winner - Saurabh Sirohiya, with: Patterns Of Eid.
Golden mention - Jason Au, with: Obsession.
Silver mention - Walter Sinigoi, with: (Untitled entry).
Silver mention - Michael Duckworth, with: Ramble and roam.
Bronze mention - Hervé Boutrouille, with: The artist and his fans What better fans than smartphones?
Landscape:
Winner - Vasilis Livanos, with: Sea of Sand.
Golden mention - Ales Krivec, with: The Dolomites Seiser Alm.
Silver mention - Juan Lopez Ruiz, with: The land of water.
Bronze mention - Xu Dong, with: Country Road Take Me Home.
Bronze mention - Andy Gray, with: The famous Great Ridge walkway.
Portrait:
Winner - Kazutoshi Kawakami, with: Pattern.
Golden mention - Corine Bakker, with: Ode.
Silver mention - Andres Montoya Arango, with: Una lucha infinita por aceptarse y ser aceptado.
Silver mention - Karen Gajate Schoormans: Entre luces y sombras retornan sus sueños.
Bronze mention - Antonio Damián Gallego, with: Estudiante de Bobo-Dioulasso.
Fauna and Flora:
Winner - Enric Adrian Gener, with: Mobulas in the Mediterranean Sea.
Golden mention - Ricardo Tormo Massignani, with: Posado de girafas.
Silver mention - Pavlos Evangelidis, with: Fan Club.
Silver mention - Alessandro Accordini, with: Backlight horse.
Bronze mention - Enric Adrian Gener, with: Bottlenose Dolphins surface reflections.
In this first edition of the competition, more than €1700 in prizes were distributed to the winning photographers, a figure that the team of organizers expect to exceed in the upcoming 2023 edition of the competition. The team say they are already working on establishing the next edition, though little is known on the entry details and fee, or when we'll be able to apply.
“What is clear to us is that we will continue working to become one of the main references among photographers who, like us, love black and white” shares the team behind the Black and White Photo Awards. Take a look at the amazing winners image gallery showcasing the finalists and honorable mentions for the first ever Black and White Photo Awards 2022.
You may also be interested in discovering How to make your black and white photography more intentional, as well as the best photo editing software. Let us also teach you How to print professional-quality black and white photos at home, and find out why we think that Every photographer should print photos.
