There’s something about black and white photography that just hits different. Strip away the color, and suddenly every shadow matters, every highlight tells a story, and emotion steps into the spotlight. That raw power is exactly what the 2025 Exposure One Awards: Black & White Photographers of the Year celebrates—artists who know how to turn light, contrast, and timing into unforgettable visual statements.
This year’s winning collection is stacked with talent from across the globe. Photographers competed across multiple categories, with each one crowning a Photographer of the Year, along with Silver, Bronze, and the always-crowd-pleasing People’s Vote Award. Together, these honors spotlight the most distinguished black and white photographers of the year—creatives who understand that monochrome isn’t a limitation, it’s a superpower.
At the top of it all stands Arturo Gómez Sierra, the Overall Winner of 2025, whose hauntingly beautiful photograph titled “Lux” stole the spotlight. In the image, light descends in perfect symmetry, converging on a silent cross—minimal, spiritual, and loaded with meaning. It’s the kind of photograph that makes you pause, breathe, and really feel what you’re seeing. No gimmicks. Just pure visual poetry.
Across the other categories, the winning images explore everything from human emotion and street life to landscapes, architecture, and abstract form. Each photograph proves that black and white photography is alive, evolving, and more expressive than ever. These aren’t just winning shots—they’re reminders of how powerful simplicity can be when handled by the right eye.
Scroll through this year’s winners, and one thing becomes crystal clear: in black and white, every detail counts—and these photographers nailed every single one.
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#1. International Photographer of the Year: "Lux" by Arturo Gómez Sierra
"Light descends in perfect symmetry, converging on a silent cross. Visual artist based in Mexico. With a background in Digital Art, his work reflects a deep love for experimentation, visual storytelling and introspection. Known for a signature style that blends aesthetics and spirituality."
#2. Abstract – Photographer of the Year: "The Forgotten History" by Lee Ching Kai
"The historical windows were captured in the 120-year-old Concubine Lane in Malaysia. The concept of cracked, burnt windows conveys the message that the historical values of famous places are wearing off as modernization occurs, and how good it is if we can remember those beautiful values, isn’t it?"
#3. Abstract – Silver: "Traces" by Alexandra Thannhäuser
"Life’s journey is filled with experiences and connections which leave traces in our lives like imprints of where we’ve been and who we’ve been with. Together they shape who we are, creating a tapestry of steps each one representing a memory, a lesson, a feeling."
#4. Abstract – Bronze: "Conceptual Installation" by Gregory Buck
"An installation of gleaming rods suspended, as if in mid-air."
#5. Aerial – Photographer of the Year: "Bulevardi" by Paulo Dos Santos Sousa
"From above, the wide, structured Bulevardi i Ri, in Tirana, slices through the city like a sharp line of progress, contrasting vividly with the narrow, winding roads of the older neighborhoods it intersects."
#6. Aerial – Silver: "Moonlit Silence of Eboliang" by Zhengjie Wu
"Shot under the moonlight, this aerial view of Eboliang’s Yadan landforms reveals an alien, wind-carved world. In the vast silence, a lone light glows—human presence dwarfed by geologic time. Stripped of color, only shadow, form, and eternity remain."
#7. Aerial – Bronze: "Devils pitchfork" by Jandré Germishuizen
"The towering dunes of Sossusvlei , from the air opens up a whole new perspective."
#8. Architecture – Silver: "Look up, Budapest, Hungary" by Jana Hejzlarova
#9. Architecture – Bronze: "Timeless Line" by Pierluigi Gualano
"A corridor of time. Steel, rust, and shadow layered in infinite rhythm. Each arch frames a moment, each line carries memory. Beneath the towering industrial arches of Parco Dora, Turin — past and present speak through texture and geometry."
#10. Conceptual – Photographer of the Year: "Inverted Realities" by Alexandra Thannhäuser
"At its heart, it speaks to the quiet strength that comes from shifting perspectives—questioning your direction, embracing change, and steadily aligning your path with your hopes rather than your fears."
#11. Conceptual – Silver: "Skatepark" by Jozef Danyi
"High contrast, tension, and kinetic energy. In the skatepark, BMX riders and skateboarders merge with the geometry of space, creating a rhythmic visual symphony where strength, speed, and architecture blend into a single motion."
#12. Conceptual – Bronze: "DE-ICED" by Alessandro R. Moser
"An aircraft wing is being sprayed with de-icing fluid. The fine mist contrasts sharply with the dark metal. In the background: winter cold, blurred contours – a silent, technical snapshot."
#13. Domestic Animals – Photographer of the Year: "Loneliness" by Chico Lima
"This image was originally taken with 4×5" color film, and then converted to B&W. This turtle is still my pet today and is now 8 years old. Each rock was hand painted black on a black background, so when viewed in color, it barely changes at all, except for the color of this little animal."
#14. Domestic Animals – Silver: "Icelandic Horse" by Jules Oldroyd
"I traveled to Iceland earlier this year to photograph Icelandic Horses & tried to capture their beauty, resilience & spirit not only in the winter landscape, but also in more intimate portraits such as this one."
#15. Domestic Animals – Bronze: "Lusitano – Portugese Horse" by Jeff Schewe
#16. Event – Photographer of the Year: "Jumping into Chaos" by Thomas Ebner
"A punk icon mid-leap, frozen in raw energy. This black-and-white shot captures the untamed spirit of a live show—leather, sweat, rebellion. The airborne frontman channels pure adrenaline while the guitarist grounds the scene. Punk’s not dead—it’s airborne"
#17. Event – Silver: "Flying Beer, Heavy Riffs" by Thomas Ebner
"This high-energy black-and-white concert photo captures the raw spirit of a metal show: shirtless guitarist, roaring crowd, and a mid-air beer cup frozen in flight. A visceral moment of chaos, sound, and celebration—pure, unfiltered live music culture."
#18. Event – Bronze: "Hair Rasing Ride" by David Liam Kyle
"Hair Raising Ride" 8-10-1981 Grandma hangs on for dear life as three-generation families enjoy the Cuyahoga County Fair."
#19. Event – Bronze: "Road Less Traveled" by David Liam Kyle
"Taken on 8-15-1984, in Brunswick Hills, Ohio. While driving in search of feature photos, I noticed a runner ahead. I accelerated up the hill, parked, and quickly ran out onto the street, capturing the moment just in time. The image was taken with a Nikon FM2 manual camera using Ilford HP5 film."
#20. Fashion & Beauty – Photographer of the Year: "Ling" by Adam Amouri
"Precision in every curve. The light sculpts her neck and glossy hair, where elegance meets art in a single frame."
#21. Fashion & Beauty – Silver: "Brune" by Adam Amouri
"In her silence, you can hear a world come alive."
#22. Film/Analog – Photographer of the Year: "Where the Wild Things Are" by David Zlotky
"I made these photographs with my 4×5 view camera on sheet film. They represent the beauty and mystery to be found in the quiet places of Colorado and Wisconsin. When I photograph these natural cathedrals, I feel as if I’ve heard whispered secrets that I can only share through the lens of my camera."
#23. Film/Analog – Silver: "Edge of the Universe" by Mahlon Todd Williams
#24. Film/Analog – Bronze: "Free diver watching scuba divers" by Pedro Arieta
#25. Fine Art – Photographer of the Year: "Sugar Gallery" by Jozef Danyi
"Inspired by the form of a sugar loaf, this fine art portrait explores themes of purity, anonymity, and tradition. The sculptural fabric conceals and reveals, evoking sweetness, silence, and introspection through a minimalist, surreal lens."
#26. Fine Art – Silver: "Paper Wish" by Amber Botterill
#27. Fine Art – Bronze: "Beneath the Sea" by Karen Haberberg
#28. Landscapes – Photographer of the Year: "After the snow" by Philippe Ricordel
"Group of trees covered by the snow fallen during the night storm at the top of a hill where the sky meet the snowy ground."
#29. Landscapes – Silver: "Silence" by Stefano Pasquini
"Sunrise on Castelluccio di Norcia Plateau. Umbria, Italy"
#30. Landscapes – Bronze: "Morning Light" by Jim Guerard
"First light arrives and the fog begins to dissipate on a small cypress swamp in the southeastern United States. The older cypress trees part symmetrically to allow a single young cypress to peer through."
#31. Minimalism – Photographer of the Year: "A Foggy Day" by Alexandra Thannhäuser
"A timeless scene unfolds in the midst of a busy city. The fog softens the skyline, revealing the tower in quiet silhouette. Below, the movement of a lone figure contrasts with the vertical and horizontal lines, bringing life to the still geometry of the scene."
#32. Minimalism – Silver: "A Scene at The Sea" by Jingyi Zhang
#33. Minimalism – Silver: "It All Starts With a Lullaby" by Thomas de Franzoni
#34. Minimalism – Bronze: "Run" by Marusa Puhek
"The photo Run beautifully embodies contrasts. Black and white, life and death, freedom and captivity, stillness and movement—just like life itself, where harmony is found in contrasts.
#35. Nature – Photographer of the Year: "Vulture perched on a log during the rain" by Fabrício Peixoto Da Silva Mello
#36. Nature – Silver: "Sharkfin, Mt. Whitney and Moon" by Thomas Kelsey
"Sunrise after a two day snow storm, the clouds parted and Mt. Whitney appeared with fresh snow as the moon set."
#37. Nature – Bronze: "First sunsets of summer in the city" by Stefano Pasquini
#38. Portrait – Photographer of the Year: "Siblings" by Beatrice Heydiri
#39. Portrait – Silver: "Freckles beauty" by Martin Krystynek
#40. Still Life – Photographer of the Year: "Lilies" by James Flanagan
#41. Street – Photographer of the Year: "Boy at Water Sprinkler" by Scarlett Freund
"On a sultry day in Budapest, a young boy cools off by jutting his head under a public sprinkler."
#42. Street – Bronze: "Two and Three" by Zili Zhang
"The appearance of the world depends on where we stand. It keeps changing and seems always in a chaos, until in certain moments, order emerges."
#43. Travel – Photographer of the Year: "Sunday Morning Urban Landscape" by Scarlett Freund
"On a quiet Sunday morning, an older man walks through the empty streets of Pamplona, all shops shuttered. His feet echo off the cobblestones. The absence of crowds magnifies every detail and store sign. In that stillness, he is witness and participant in the city’s secret life before it awakens."
#44. Travel – Bronze: "People and Pastoralism" by Trevor Cole
"Many people are inextricably connected to their livestock and beasts of burden.
The peoples of the Ilemi triangle are all pastoralists. Their bond with their livestock is inextricably connected to their environment and their subsistence farming systems have a small ecological footprint."
#45. Wildlife – Photographer of the Year: "The Philosopher" by Stafford Robinson
#46. Wildlife – Silver: "Leopard Seal & Iceberg" by Matthew Smith
"A large leopard seal in front of an iceberg at the Antarctic Peninsula."
#47. Wildlife – Bronze: "One-Eyed King" by Zhengjie Wu
"One eye lost, yet his gaze pierces with defiance. This portrait of a one-eyed lion, captured in Tanzania, speaks of battles survived and strength earned. In black and white, his scars are not flaws—but medals of endurance, written in flesh, framed by silence."
#48. Wildlife – Bronze: "The Argument" by Vicki Santello
"A Lappet-faced vulture flew into a kill zone where a black-backed jackal was feeding on scraps from a nearby carcass. The sudden arrival of the lappet-faced vulture was unwelcome and met with fierce resistance. However, the jackal was no match for the largest of all vulture species."
