Spectacular Award-Winning Black and White Photos from the 2025 reFocus Photography Awards

Overall Contest 1st Place Winner: “Toxic Lake” by Radek von Hirschberg

The 2025 reFocus Photography Awards have once again celebrated the art of visual storytelling, with black and white photography emerging as a powerful highlight.

This year’s 33 award-winning monochrome images strip away color to reveal raw emotion, striking form, and masterful composition. From soul-baring portraits to minimalist landscapes, these photographs speak with a clarity and depth that color can sometimes obscure. Each frame captures a moment that feels timeless—haunting, elegant, or bold in its simplicity. Together, they reaffirm black and white photography as a vital, enduring language of artistic expression.

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2nd Place Winner: “Alone In Silence” by Herri Susanto

3rd Place Winner: “An Internal Odyssey” by Tzion Essel

Aerial – Gold: “Snowy Rivers, India” by Kristine Clark

Aerial – Silver: “Neurons” by Leszek Paradowski

Aerial – Bronze: “Inis Oirr – Ruins of St. Caomhan’s Church” by Zack Carroll

Architecture – Gold: “Symphony of Strings” by Jacquie Matechuk

Architecture – Silver: “Old New York” by Pamela Baker

Architecture – Bronze: “Underneath the Motion” by Thomas de Franzoni

Fine Art – Gold: “Seeking Perspectives” by Jens Winkler

Fine Art – Silver: “The Gathering” by Thomas de Franzoni

Fine Art – Bronze: “Wings of the Forest” by Fenqiang Liu

Landscapes – Gold: “Antarctic” by Jeff Schewe

Landscapes – Silver: “Travail au champ” by Christopher Méthot

Landscapes – Bronze: “Mist Trail” by James Bourret

Minimalism – Gold: “North Uist Landscape” by Jens Winkler

Minimalism – Silver: “By The Light of the Silvery Moon” by Vicki Santello

Minimalism – Bronze: “The Bookmark” by Stéphane Malassine

Nature – Gold: “Frost On My Windows” by Peter Jeschke

Nature – Bronze: “The Golden Eagle Unveiled” by Fernanda Narchi Harp

Nature – People’s Vote Award: “Visitor” by Maddison Woollard

People – Gold: “Aghori Baba” by Hirak Bhattacharjee

People – Silver: “Being armed for life” by Emilie Favier

People – Bronze: “Maria Polly Cutmore” by Jessica Hromas

Photojournalism – Gold: “West Bank & Jerusalem” by Michael Christopher Brown

Photojournalism – Silver: “Impetus” by Roberta Vagliani

Photojournalism – Bronze: “Insecticide Diffusion” by Aurélien Ernst

Street – Gold: “The boys” by Ahmad Mansour

Street – Silver: “Children of the Wall” by Alonso Oliveros

Street – Bronze: “Up” by Daniel Mittermeier

Wildlife – Gold: “The Watchman” by Jacquie Matechuk

Wildlife – Bronze: “The Conversationalists” by Preeti & Prashant Chacko

Wildlife – Bronze: “Wait for MEEEEE!” by Vicki Santello