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.
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
