Black and White Photo Awards 2026
Competition Brief
The Black and White Photo Awards is an international online photography contest open to photographers of all levels — amateur and professional alike. The competition focuses exclusively on black and white photography, accepting both film and digital images across six thematic categories. It is organized by NCJ Media Solutions and has been running since 2022 with documented editions and published winners each year. The contest positions itself as a meeting point for monochrome photographers worldwide, with a particular emphasis on artistic merit, originality, and visual style. For those interested in the relationship between photography and architecture, the competition includes a dedicated Architecture category.
Intent
The competition aims to recognize and reward talent in black and white photography across a range of subjects. It operates as a blind jury process, where judges score each photograph individually without knowledge of the photographer’s identity. The average scores determine the finalists in each category, followed by a second voting round to select category winners and the overall absolute winner.
Purpose
Beyond prize distribution, the competition aims to build visibility for participating photographers through online publication, inclusion in a printed promotional catalog, and social media promotion of winning images. The organizers retain non-exclusive rights to use winning images for contest-related promotional purposes, while copyright remains with the photographer at all times. You can compare this with other international design and photography competitions covered on ArchUp.
Requirements
Participants must be 18 years or older. Only black and white images are accepted. Submissions must meet the following technical specifications:
- File format: JPG only
- Color space: sRGB or Adobe RGB
- Minimum dimension: 2,500 pixels on the long side
- Maximum file size: 100 MB
- No watermarks, logos, or borders
- No AI-generated images; only photographs taken with a camera or similar device
- Finalists must provide a RAW file (or unmodified original JPG with EXIF data) to confirm image ownership and verify editing extent
Each registration covers up to 5 images per category. Additional categories can be entered separately. Images must be original works owned solely by the submitting photographer, and any persons photographed must have granted appropriate consent where required by law.
The six competition categories are: Architecture, Street, Portrait, Fauna and Flora, Landscape, and Open Theme. The Open Theme category is new to the 2026 edition.
Jury
The jury is composed of 5 members for the main panel, plus an assistant jury from the NCJ Media Solutions team. The named jury members for 2026 are:
- Joel Tjintjelaar – Black and white fine-art photographer and educator; designer of novel B&W photography software
- Julia Anna Gospodarou – IPA International Photography Awards Professional Architecture Photographer of the Year
- Charles Paul Azzopardi – President of the Malta Institute of Professional Photography
- Kazutoshi Kawakami – IPA International Photography Awards First Prize winner; Black and White Photo Awards 2022 Portrait category winner
- Nestor Rodan – Victory Photo Serbia Awards Gold Medal recipient; Moscow Photo Awards finalist
The assistant jury is composed of professional photographers from the NCJ Media Solutions team. Their individual names are not disclosed.
Fees
| Item | Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Registration Fee (per category) | 15 euros | Includes up to 5 images per category |
| Additional Categories | 15 euros each | Each additional category requires a separate registration fee |
| Payment Methods | N/A | Credit card or PayPal |
Rewards
| Prize | Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute Winner | 1,500 euros | Overall best photograph across all categories |
| Best in Category (x6) | 200 euros each | One winner per category; total of 6 category prizes |
| Street and Portrait Category Winners | Additional | Also receive access to the Retouch4me AI photo editing software suite |
| Honorable Mentions | Non-monetary | At least 15 honorable mentions across all categories |
| Printed Catalog | Non-monetary | Winning and featured photographs included in a physical promotional catalog |
| Total Cash Prizes | Over 5,500 euros | Combined across all prize levels |
Dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Competition Opens | Open now (2026) |
| Submission Deadline | 15 June 2026 |
| Winners Announced | To be confirmed |
| Contact Email | info@bwphotoawards.com |
✦ ArchUp Competition Review
The Black and White Photo Awards is organized by NCJ Media Solutions, a Spanish media company that also runs the competition’s assistant jury internally — a structural overlap that limits the independence of the evaluation process. The five named main jury members have verifiable professional credentials in photography, which adds a reasonable degree of credibility, though the panel is relatively small for an international open call. The competition is best categorized as a commercial photography contest: it charges entry fees per category, retains broad promotional rights over winning images, and offers prizes that, while clearly stated, are modest relative to the total potential entry fees collected. The 15 euro entry fee per category covering five images is competitive with similar online contests. For photographers seeking international exposure and a printed catalog credit, the competition offers a structured platform with a documented track record since 2022. Those entering the Architecture category specifically will find a jury with relevant expertise in that field. The practical benefit is primarily visibility and portfolio documentation rather than financial return, and participants should factor in that the organizer retains non-exclusive promotional rights across all media without additional compensation. Browse more international competitions on ArchUp for comparison.
Final Thoughts
The Black and White Photo Awards has been operating since 2022 with four documented editions and publicly available winner galleries. That track record is short relative to more established photography awards, but the consistency of annual editions and the availability of past results give it a degree of verifiable legitimacy.
The jury structure is partially transparent. Five named judges with credible professional backgrounds are listed, but the assistant jury — drawn entirely from the organizing company NCJ Media Solutions — is not individually identified. For a competition that charges entry fees and claims international status, fuller disclosure of all evaluators would strengthen its credibility.
The prize structure is straightforward: 1,500 euros for the absolute winner and 200 euros per category winner. These figures are reasonable for an online photo contest at this scale, but should be weighed against the entry fees and the organizer’s retention of non-exclusive promotional rights over winning images across all media. Photographers retain copyright, which is a clear and important provision. For those interested in similar student and emerging photographer competitions, the Architecture category in particular offers a niche entry point.
For photographers building an international portfolio, this competition offers a low-barrier entry point with a clear output: online recognition, catalog inclusion, and social media promotion. It is most useful as a visibility tool rather than a career-defining award. The new Open Theme category in 2026 broadens the scope of eligible work, which may attract a wider range of submissions and strengthen the overall quality of the pool.
Registration Deadline
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