“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.
“The Power of Thunder” by Edoardo Frenquelli. Winner, Landscape.
“Reflection” by Michael Potts. Winner, Portrait.
“Childhood” by Joy Saha. Winner, Street.
“Street Lights – Ottawa” by Gareth Jones. Winner, Architecture.
“Boats filled with travelers” by Azim Khan Ronnie. Second Winner, Street.
“Lobos de cacería” by Arturo de Frias Marques. Winner, Flora and Fauna.
“The museum of the future” by Saqer Alattar. Second Winner, Architecture.
“Another Mushroom?” by Hector ballester. Silver Mention, Architecture.
“Gazelle in the Dunes” by Michael Potts. Silver Mention, Portrait.
“Painted portrait” by Ágnes Dudás. Special Prize for Creativity.
“Newborn Humpback Calf and Its Mother” by Ricardo Nascimento. Second Winner, Flora and Fauna.
“Untitled” by Gavin Libotte. Golden Mention, Street.
“Majestic Rhapsody” by Lalith Ekanayake. Silver Mention, Flora and Fauna.
“Knudshoved” by Troels Bjerre. Second Winner, Landscape.
“Deeply Focus” by Abhishek Basak. Bronze Mention, Portrait.
“Untitled” by Jean Paul Soujo. Golden Mention, Landscape.
“Chinese Sea Snake” by Lars Oliver Michaelis. Golden Mention, Flora and Fauna.