Here we go for a 5th edition of the Black & White International Photo Awards competition. After the previous edition which crowned the work of two photographers Simone Morelli and Adam Neuba, our competition come back this year with the renewed ambition of revealing new talents and introducing the public to new winning photographers.
The competition returns this year with a new edition that is not like the others. ALL the winners, jury's special nominees and finalists of the 2026 edition will all have their work exhibited in New York and Paris in two prestigious galleries, which will host a major exhibition organized by our team dedicated to black and white photography.
A major exhibition in Paris and New-York :
This is how we are pleased to announce that not only the two grand prize winners of the competition, but also the jury's special nominees and the finalists of this year, will see ALL their work exhibited in two prestigious galleries, one located in the historic district of « Manhattan » in New York and the other located in the historic district of « Marais » in Paris, must-see places for art dealers, collectors and lovers of art and photo exhibitions.
The exhibition in New York will take place during the month of June from the 25th to the 28th, and the one in Paris will take place in November during the week of Paris Photo.
Publication of a photo book :
We are also pleased to announce that we have also renewed our exclusive partnership with Snap Collective, a publishing house that grows from year to year, and which this year will give our winners, jury's special nominees and finalists the chance to publish their first photo monograph. Being able to edit a photo book is a dream and a challenge that all photographers want to accomplish at some point in their career.
Snap Collective is an innovative and unconventional publishing concept, founded by Dr. Philipp W. Müller, specifically designed to help to bring to life portfolios of international photographers and artists. The idea behind Snap Collective is to give artists a possibility to publish a photo book or a portfolio of their work without enormous efforts, offering a streamlined platform with some of the best printing and distribution partners, support of a design team and more.
Why a Black and White competition ?
Black and white has been the essence of photography since its invention almost 200 years ago. Beyond its timeless side and its simplification of reality, black and white, with its emphasis on textures, its shades of gray and the contrasts it brings out, gives images a unique imprint that enhances the image. signed in black and white and elevates it to an artistic rank whose potential exceeds, in the eyes of many photographers, that of photos interpreted in color.
At B&W IPA we believe that black and white is a separate genre of photography which alone deserves a dedicated competition to reward the best photographers of this genre. Participating in a photo competition is always an opportunity to confront your author's perspective with the critical eyes of experts in the field. It is also a way to compare yourself to others in order to assess your level, to progress as a photographer and to build a true author's perspective.
It is also an opportunity for the winners to include an additional line in their artistic CV with the rewards they can obtain via our jury as well as the participations in renowned festivals and prestigious exhibitions that they can win once they are winners. Recognition which is sometimes difficult to obtain in normal times.
An effective support strategy :
As usual. We will not just offer a cash prize to the winner and turn the page. Our philosophy is always based on the principle of « support until recognition », for us it requires the fact that the work of the winners can live for a long time and circulate not only virtually online but also physically as an artistic work in its own right.
All via a strategy well established for years, which is to show the work of the winning photographers not only to an audience of black and white photography enthusiasts but above all to key players in the world of photography (curators, collectors, gallery directors...) so that they can help photographers to break the glass ceiling and open new doors with their talent, which will open the way to new opportunities... and so on.
Key partnerships :
As usual, we worked on the packaging of this edition of the B&W IPA in order to announce to our participants good news and better rewards comparing to last year.
Publish your work in two top photo magazines - Openeye and FotoSlovo :
OPENEYE "Le regard d'aujourd'hui sur la Photographie" is a magazine of a new genre, which takes a contemporary view of Photography. Through its various issues, it aims to meet the expectations of all lovers of images, who see how things are moving very quickly in the field of photography. It also helps to reveal young creators who are booming, while not forgetting established talents.
FotoSlovo is a magazine about photography, art and multimedia. It writes about famous photographers, reveal the secrets of well-known images and publish works of emerging talented photographers. It share with its readers new inspirations, tell about exhibitions, explore new trends and interview iconic Artists. FotoSlovo is all about images that became an Art. Readers will find examples of such creative works in different styles.
We believe that black and white has a magic, that it both sublimates and simplifies the photographic message. The democratization of photography via mobile phones in recent years gives everyone the opportunity to express themselves through black and white photography by playing on parameters such as sharpness, artistic blur, framing, composition or light...
