Black & White Award April 2017


  • Winning Photographer Gabriele Casini

    Winning Photographer Gabriele Casini

    This photo was taken on a search and rescue vessel in the Mediterranean sea. A 9 months pregnant woman from Eritrea fainted because of the intense heat and gasoline fumes from the engine of the dangerously overcrowded boat she was traveling on, in a desperate attempt to reach European shores. She took the incredibly hard decision to leave her home country, ruled by an oppressive regime, and embark on dangerous journey to guarantee a better future to her baby. She survived the crossing and gave birth few days later. Unfortunately hundreds of others - including many children - encounter a far grimier fate. In fact, in 2016 alone, over 5000 people drowned while attempting this same journey. © Gabriele Casini – Instagram
  • Finalist Rui Caria

    Finalist Rui Caria

    © Rui Caria – Website
  • Finalist Nadav Ariel

    Finalist Nadav Ariel

    © Nadav Ariel – Website
  • Finalist Abbey Bratcher

    Finalist Abbey Bratcher

    © Abbey Bratcher – Website
  • Finalist Scott Hoyle

    Finalist Scott Hoyle

    © Scott Hoyle – Website
  • Finalist Nancy Lin

    Finalist Nancy Lin

    © Nancy Lin – Website
  • Finalist Gil Barez

    Finalist Gil Barez

    © Gil Barez – Website
  • Finalist Nicolas Desport

    Finalist Nicolas Desport

    © Nicolas Desport
  • Finalist Keiichi Ichikawa

    Finalist Keiichi Ichikawa

    © Keiichi Ichikawa
  • Finalist Dan Tyler

    Finalist Dan Tyler

    © Dan Tyler

Finalists

Jury's Feedback

  • black and white photography with high contrast and flash by francesco merlini
    © Francesco Merlini

    Judge: Francesco Merlini

    Francesco Merlini is an Italian photographer and photo editor at the international photographic agency Prospekt.

    Working primarily in Black & White, Francesco likes to explore reality and use it as a mirror to reflect on himself and to create unique visual languages. From the vivid tone and texture of Farang to the extreme grey spectrum of Le Tchad Dense, Francesco Merlini likes to work out of his comfort zone, always evolving and often moving in extreme contrast.

    After covering Italian news for publications such as Internazionale, Rolling Stone, Le Monde or Wired, Francesco Merlini now works mainly on personal long-term projects, corporate-work and editorials. His work has been published in the MONO book Vol. One alongside renowned photographers such as Daido Moryiama, Anders Petersen and Antoine D’Agata. His project ‘Farang’ has been recently exhibited in Paris and his photography has been featured on TIME Lightbox among the new most interesting contemporary Black & White photographers.

Francesco Riccardo
© Francesco Riccardo

Open to All Photography

Be part of a vibrant community: The competition award is a unique opportunity to gain exposure and provides a platform to celebrate the very best of contemporary photography.

Open for entries

color portrait photo of a sadhu and monkey in Varanasi, India by Mahendra Bakle
© Mahendra Bakle
2025 Visual Story AWARD

Win $2700 Cash Awards & International Exposure

In February, we are looking for photographers who produce compelling narratives in a wide range of genres: portraiture, documentary, street, fine art, travel, and more – Enter today and show us YOUR stories!

  • Win $2700 in Cash Prizes
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Submit Photos
Deadline: 28 February 2025

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