Love Black & White?
This one’s for you.
LensCulture is thrilled to announce the return of our Black & White Photography Awards!
We’re seeking remarkable photographic work that plays with the dynamic relationship between light, dark and all the tones in between. Texture, shape, line and form are often hailed as the heroes of black and white photography. Show us how you’re interpreting these design elements (or abandoning them altogether!) to create contemporary monochrome images and series.
Through this competition, our aim is to uncover photographers from diverse backgrounds and experience levels, and connect them with global audiences and career-changing opportunities. This year, we’re thrilled to exhibit the winners in New York City during the inaugural Paris Photo New York, an international fair dedicated to photography!
Scroll down for more information about the exhibition, award benefits, our international jury.
Don’t forget, if you enter a series or 5+ images you’re eligible for a free submission review - submit today to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity for feedback and growth!
Closed for new entries.
Exhibition in NYC|Free Submission Review|Career Launching Exposure|International Photo Festivals Exposure
All winning photographers for this award will be exhibited in April next year at Caelum Gallery in Chelsea, New York City’s vibrant art and gallery district. The exhibition will be our first of 2020 and we’re thrilled to present the work of LensCulture photographers alongside another first, the inaugural Paris Photo New York! This brand new fair dedicated to photography will bring many international experts and professionals to the city, presenting a unique opportunity for your work to be seen by influential people in the industry. Exhibiting artists, media, photo editors and industry insiders will be invited to join us at an opening reception for a night of art appreciation and networking.
Be Seen by our
International Jury
Lesley A. Martin
Creative Director
Aperture
United States
About Lesley »

Lesley A. Martin is creative director at the Aperture Foundation and publisher of The PhotoBook Review. She has edited numerous photobooks, including Takashi Homma’s Tokyo (2008), Rinko Kawauchi’s Illuminance (2011), LaToya Ruby Frazier’s The Notion of Family (2013), and recent books by Richard Misrach and Gregory Crewdson. Lesley cofounded the Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards and has curated exhibitions for Aperture. Her writing on photography has been published in Aperture, FOAM, Ojo de Pez, and Lay Flat among other publications and she currently teaches a graduate course on the photobook at the Yale University School of Art.

Jessica Dimson
Deputy Photo Editor
The New York Times Magazine
United States
About Jessica »

Jessica Dimson is the deputy director of photography at The New York Times Magazine where she assigns, produces, and edits photography for covers, special issues, photo essays and features. Prior to that, she worked as a photo editor on the national and metro desks at the New York Times and was the photo editor for the 2016 presidential campaign. Previously, Jessica was a photo editor at Vanity Fair and Departures magazine. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Publication Designers, American Photography, The Art Directors Club, and Pictures of the Year International.

Shahidul Alam
Photographer, Social Activist
Bangladesh
About Shahidul »

Shahidul Alam (born 1955) is a Dhaka-based photographer and writer. He is the founder of the Drik Picture Library (1989), the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute (1998), and Chobi Mela International Photography Festival (2000). He has published Nature’s Fury (2007), Portraits of Commitment (2009), My Journey as Witness (2011), and Best Years of My Life (2016). He has received many awards, amongst them the Shilpakala Padak from the President of Bangladesh (2014), the Humanitarian Award from the Lucie Awards (2018), and the Infinity Award (2019). He was imprisoned by the government of Bangladesh for 107 days in 2018. He is one of Time Magazine’s Persons of the Year 2018. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and a Visiting Professor of Sunderland University. His book “My journey as a witness” has been described by John Morris as “The most important book written by a photographer.”

Louise Fedotov-Clements
Director
FORMAT Festival & Director of QUAD
United Kingdom
About Louise »

Louise Clements is Artistic Director of QUAD, a centre for contemporary art and film, and Co-Founder and Artistic Director/Curator of FORMAT International Photography Festival, one of the UK’s leading contemporary photography and media festivals. As a curator, she has initiated and curated many commissions, publications, mass participation art, film and photography programmes and exhibitions around the world. Louise regularly writes about photography for catalogues and magazines in both print and online media including:Next Level, South Korean Photography, co-editor of Hijacked III UK/AUS, PHOTOCINEMA, and she is Editor at Large for www.1000wordsmag.com. She is an international photography juror and nominator, and a regular portfolio reviewer at festivals and galleries throughout Europe, America and Asia.

Andreas Müller-Pohle
Artist & Publisher
European Photography
Germany
About Andreas »

Andreas Müller-Pohle is a Berlin-based media artist and the founder and publisher of European Photography, an independent art magazine for international contemporary photography that celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. He has published the major works by media philosopher Vilém Flusser, available in the ten-volume Edition Flusser, including the seminal Philosophy of Photography, and has been a visiting professor and lecturer at institutions in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Andreas has worked with photography and media projects since the late 1970s, the most current being Hong Kong Waters and Studies on Traffic. His works have been widely published and exhibited and are included in numerous private and museum collections worldwide. In 2001, he was awarded the European Photography Prize from the Reind M. De Vries Foundation, a one-time distinction for his achievements in photography.

Barbara Tannenbaum
Curator of Photography
The Cleveland Museum of Art
United States
About Barbara »

Barbara Tannenbaum has organized more than 100 exhibitions during her three-decade career as a curator and academic. From 1985 through 2011, she was chief curator at the Akron Art Museum, where she grew the photography collection from 500 to 2,500 works. She has authored numerous publications including books on TR Ericsson, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, and print-on-demand photobooks, and lectured throughout the U.S. and in Canada, Brazil, and China. As Curator of Photography at The Cleveland Museum of Art, Barbara’s shows in progress include Ilse Bing: Queen of the Leica; Signal Noise: Aaron Rothman; and Bruce Davidson.

Catherine Hug
Director
Catherine and André Hug Gallery
France
About Catherine »

Catherine and André Hug founded their gallery in Paris in 2000. Located in the heart of the artistic and historic Saint Germain des Prés neighborhood, the Catherine and André Hug Gallery offers a photographic program that compares historical series to the most contemporary expressions. They have presented the work Susan Meiselas, Raymond Depardon, Philippe Chancel, Kourtney Roy, Joni Sternbach, Reine Paradis, Mona Kuhn, and many more. Catherine has a degree in communications and works as a sales director for 15 years prior to opening the gallery with her husband.

Jim Casper
Editor-in-Chief
LensCulture
The Netherlands
About Jim »

Jim Casper is the editor-in-chief of LensCulture, one of the leading online destinations to discover contemporary photography from around the world. As an active member in the contemporary photography world, Casper organizes annual international photography events, travels around the world to meet with photographers and review their portfolios, curates art exhibitions, writes about photography and culture, lectures, conducts workshops, serves as an international juror and nominator for key awards, and is an advisor to arts and education organizations.

“Color is descriptive. Black and white is interpretive”
— Elliot Erwitt
Free
Submission
Review
© Alain Schroeder
Enter a series or 5+ images to this award and get a FREE written review of your submission. This is a unique opportunity to receive valuable feedback on your work from one of our experienced industry professionals to help you moving forward creatively, conceptually and professionally.
Plus, you’ll get a free LensCulture Portfolio Account to share your work with our global audience of over three million!
Read what LensCulture’s community of photographers is saying about our reviews:
Jon Lardizabal
United States
The main reason I submit to these calls is for the direct feedback. I’ve done about 4 now and each one has given me a completely fresh insight of how to improve professionally. Each one has been very detailed and revitalizing. Thank You!”
See Jon’s Full Review
Aditya Deshpande
India
Every time I participate in one of your events I get wiser and better as a photographer. The review on my Street Photography competition submission has been of immense help and the details of input on how to improve further is much appreciated.
I would like to thank you for this opportunity and also congratulate you on the work you guys are doing for the photography community.”
See Aditya’s Full Review
Chad Lee
South Korea
“I can’t express how grateful I am for your accurate, insightful and inspirational review. After I read the review several times everything that had seemed vague before, is now clear. Thank you so much. I hope one day I will be able to say that this is one of the biggest game changers for my photography career.
See Chad’s Full Review
B+W
Competition
Gallery
Just by entering, your work will be reviewed by our editors for immediate exposure in our Competition Gallery and across all our online channels, reaching a combined audience of over three million. Entrants to our Awards receive massive online exposure throughout the competition, so enter your work early and take advantage of this opportunity! Note: While our editors review entries for inclusion on a daily basis, not every submission can be shown here.
You can click on the photos to learn more about the photographer. If you like someone’s work, share their submission on Facebook or favorite their image! Your support help increases the exposure for every participating photographer.
Career
Launching
Exposure
© Carolyn Moore

Angkor Photo Festival, Siem Reap Cambodia

Athens Photo Festival, Athens, Greece

Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival, Atlanta, GA, United States

Backlight Photo Festival, Tampere, Finland

Balkan Photo Festival, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belgrade Photo Month, Belgrade, Serbia

Biennial of the Possible Image, Liège, Belgium

BredaPhoto International Photo Festival, Breda, Netherlands

Brighton Photo Biennial, Brighton, United Kingdom

Brighton Photo Fringe, Brighton, United Kingdom

Budapest Photo Festival, Budapest, Hungary

Chania International Photo Festival, Chania, Greece

Circulation(s), Paris, France

Copenhagen Photo Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark

Cortona on the Move, Cortona, Italy

DarmStadt Days of Photography, Darmstadt, Germany

Emerging Talents Festival, Rome, Italy

Encontros da Imagem Photography Festival, Braga, Portugal

FestFoto, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Festival de Fotografia de Tiradentes, Tiradentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Festival della Fotografia Etica, Lodi, Italy

Festival Images Vevey, Vevey, Switzerland

Festival Internacional Fotografia Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile

Filter Photo Festival, Chicago, IL, United States

Focus on the Story International Photo Festival, Washington, D.C., USA

FOCUS Photography Festival, Mumbai, India

FORMAT, Derby, United Kingdom

FOTO SOLO, New York, NY, United States

Fotobok Festival Oslo 2020, Oslo, Norway

FOTOFESTIWAL - International Festival of Photography, Lodz, Poland

FotoLeggendo, Rome, Italy

Fotopub Portfolio Review, Novo Mesto, Slovenia

Gazebook: Sicily Photobook Festival, Punta Secca, Italy/Sicily

GETXOPHOTO International Photography Festival, Getxo, Spain

Head On Photo Festival, Bondi Beach - Sydney, Australia

Helsinki Photo Festival, Helsinki, Finland

Indian Photo Fest, Hyderabad, India

Indian Photo Fest, Madhapur, India

Internationaal Fotofestival Overpelt, Overpelt, Belgium

Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival Xiamen, China

Kaunas Photo Festival, Kaunas, Lithuania

Krakow Photomonth Festival, Krakow, Poland

Lagos Photo Festival, Lagos, Nigeria

Landskrona Foto Festival, Landskrona, Sweden

Liège Photobook Festival, Liège, Belgium

Los Angeles Festival of Photography, LA, CA, United States

LuganoPhotoDays, Lugano, Switzerland

Medium Festival of Photography, San Diego, CA, United States

MedPhoto Festival, Rethymno, Crete, Greece

Month of Photography Denver, Denver, CO, United States

Mostra São Paulo de Fotografia, São Paulo, Brazil

Obscura Festival, Penang, Malaysia

Odessa Photo Days Festival, Odessa, Ukraine

OFF_festival Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia

Organ Vida - International Photography Festival, Zagreb, Croatia

PHOTO IS:RAEL, Tel Aviv, Israel

Photo Kyiv, the International Art Fair, Kyiv, Ukraine

Photo Romania Festival, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Photography Festival Bialystok INTERPHOTO, Bialystok, Poland

Photolux Festival. International Biennial of Photography, Lucca, Italy

Photomed, Sanary-sur-mer, France

PHOTOMONTH East London, London, United Kingdom

PhotOn Festival, Valencia, Spain

PhotoVisa, Krasnodar, Russia

PondyPHOTO 2016, Pondicherry, India

Porto Photo Festival, Porto, Portugal

Rotterdam Photo, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

San Jose Foto Festival, San Jose, Uruguay

SCAN Tarragona, International Photography Festival, Tarragona, Spain

Street Photo San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States

Tbilisi Photo Festival, Tbilisi, Georgia

Tokyo International Photography Festival, Tokyo, Japan

Valongo, Valongo, Santos, Brazil

Verzasca Foto Festival, Valle Verzasca, Switzerland

Vienna PhotoBook Festival, Vienna, Austria

Warsaw Photo Days, Warsaw, Poland

Image: A screening of photographs from “The LensCulture Emerging Talent Awards” at the festival in Arles, France. Overlaid: Our growing list of festival partners.
Featured at international
photo festivals
Selected works will be screened at photo festivals and events worldwide. Over the past year, our winners and finalists were screened at festivals in the UK, Budapest, Italy, Japan, Serbia, The Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Spain, France, the US, and more.
LensCulture is continually forging new partnerships with leading photo festivals around the world (like FORMAT, Cortona on The Move, Lagos Photo Festival and more) to increase global exposure and showcase opportunities for the winners and finalists of our competitions.

Aaron Schuman, Director/Editor, SeeSaw Magazine, UK

Ada Takahashi, Director, Robert Koch Gallery, USA

Afton Almaraz, Senior Picture Editor, Getty Images, USA

Aida Muluneh, Founder and General Manager, Desta for Africa Creative Consulting PLC, Ethiopia

Alan Taylor, Senior Editor, The Atlantic, USA

Alessandra Capodacqua, Instructor, Photographer and Independent Curator, NYU, Italy

Alessia Glaviano, Senior Photo Editor, Vogue Italia and L'Uomo Vogue, Italy

Alex Webb, Photographer, Magnum

Alexa Becker, Acquisitions Editor, Kehrer Verlag Publishers, Germany

Alona Pardo, Curator, Barbican Art Gallery, UK

Amy Feitelberg, Photo Art Director, Square, USA

Amy Pereira, Photography Director, Curator and Consultant, USA

Amy Wolff, Photo Director, Hearst Digital Media, USA

Andy Greenacre, Director of Photography, Telegraph Magazine, UK

Ángel Luis González Fernández, Founder and CEO, PhotoIreland Foundation, Ireland

Anna Dickson, Visual Lead, Image Search, Google, USA

Anna Goldwater Alexander, Director of Photography, WIRED, USA

Anna Gripp, Editor-in-Chief, Photonews, Germany

Anna Walker Skillman, Owner/Director, Jackson Fine Arts, USA

Anne Bourgeois-Vignon, Executive Creative Director, Culture Trip, UK

Anne Farrar, Director of Photography, National Geographic Traveler, USA

Anne McNeill, Director, Impressions Gallery, UK

Anne Morin, Director, diChroma Photography, Spain

Anne Wilkes-Tucker, Curator, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA

Antony Dickson, Features Photo Editor, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong

Arianna Rinaldo, Artistic Director, Cortona On The Move, Spain

Ariel Shanberg, Executive Director, Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, USA

Azu Nwagbogu, Director, African Artists’ Foundation, Nigeria

Barbara Čeferin, Owner, Galerija Fotografija, Slovenia

Barbara Tannenbaum, Curator of Photography, The Cleveland Museum of Art, USA

Bernadette Tuazon, Director of Photography, CNN Digital, USA

Bevin Bering Dubrowski, Curator, Photography Specialist, BBD Photography, USA

Bisi Silva, Founder and Director, Centre for Contemporary Art, Nigeria

Bonnie Rubenstein, Artistic Director, CONTACT Photography Festival, Canada

Brett Roegiers, Photo Editor, CNN.com, USA

Brian Paul Clamp, Owner/Director, ClampArt Gallery, USA

Brian Storm, Founder & Executive Producer, MediaStorm, USA

Bronwen Latimer, Senior Photo Editor, The Washington Post, USA

Bruno Ceschel, Director, Self Publish, Be Happy, UK

Carlos Carvalho, Director, FestFoto de Porto Allegre, Brazil

Caroline Hunter, Picture Editor, Guardian Weekend Magazine, UK

Caroline Wall, Director, Robert Mann Gallery, USA

Catherine Edelman, Owner, Catherine Edelman Gallery, USA

Celia Davies, Curator, Arts Council England, UK

Celina Lunsford, Artistic Director & Chief Curator, Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Germany

Charles Guice, Founder/Director, Charles Guice Contemporary, USA

Charlotte Cotton, Curator & Writer, USA

Charlotte van Lingen, Head of Presentation, Museum Het Valkhof, Netherlands

Chelsea Matiash, Senior Editor, Digiital Storytelling, The New York Times, USA

Chris Littlewood, Independent Curator, Christopher Littlewood, UK

Chris Pichler, Founder & Publisher, Nazraeli Press, USA

Christopher McCall, Director, Pier 24 Photography, USA

Christopher Rauschenberg, Founding Member, Blue Sky Photographers' Collective and Gallery, USA

Christy Havranek, Photo Director, Huffington Post, USA

Clare Grafik, Head of Exhibitions, The Photographer's Gallery, UK

Claude Bussac, Director, PHotoEspaña International Festival, Spain

Corey Keller, Curator, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, USA

Corinne Tapia, Director, Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, USA

Cristina De Middel, Artist, Juana de Aizpuru, UK

Daphné Anglès, Journalist, The New York Times Paris, France

Daphne Palmer, Director, Fraenkel Gallery

Darius Himes, International Head of Photographs, Christie's, USA

Darren Ching, Owner, Klompching Gallery, USA

David Alan Harvey, Photographer, Magnum Photos, USA

David Campbell, Director, Programs, World Press Photo, Netherlands

David Chickey, Publisher, Radius Books, USA

David Drake, Director, Ffotogallery, UK

David Hurn, Photographer, Magnum Photos, UK

Deborah Klochko, Director, Museum of Photographic Arts, USA

Debra Klomp, Ching Owner/Director, Klompching Gallery, USA

Denise Wolff, Senior Editor, Aperture, USA

Dewi Lewis, Owner, Dewi Lewis Publishing, UK

Dimitri Beck, Director of Photography, Polka Magazine, France

Dina Mitrani, Gallery Owner, Dina Mitrani Gallery, USA

Donna Cohen, Photo Director, Bloomberg LP, USA

Dr. Shahidul Alam, Director, Chobi Mela Festival of Photography, Bangladesh

Ed Carey, Director, Gallery 291, USA

Eder Chiodetto, Independent Photography Curator, Brazil

Elena Boille, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Photo Editor, Internazionale, Italy

Elena Firsova, Managing Editor, Foto&Video Magazine Moscow Russian Federation

Elie Domit, Director, East Wing Gallery, Qatar

Elinor Carucci, Photographer, USA

Elisa Medde, Editor, FOAM Magazine, Netherlands

Elissa Curtis, Deputy Photo Director, The Wall Street Journal, USA

Elizabeth Avedon, Independent Curator, Photo Editor, USA

Els Barents, Photo Historian, Writer & Researcher, Els Barents, Netherlands

Emilia van Lynden, Art Consultant, Emilia Van Lynden Art Consultancy, Netherlands

Emma Bowkett, Director of Photography, FT Weekend Magazine, UK

Enrico Bossan, Project Head, Galerrie delle prigioni, Italy

Enrico Stefanelli, Founder, President and Artistic Director, Photolux Festival, Italy

Erik Vroons, Chief Editor, GUP Magazine, Netherlands

Evan Pricco, Editor-in-Chief and Web Editor, Juxtapoz Magazine, USA

Evgeny Berezner, Deputy General Director, ROSIZO State Museum & Exhibition Center, Russia

Felicia Anastasia, Founder & Creative Director, Anastasia Photo Gallery, USA

Fiona Rogers, Chief Operating Officer, Magnum Photos, UK

Fiona Shields, Head of Photography, The Guardian, UK

Francesca Morisini, Photo Editor at Condé Nast Italia

Francis Hodgson, Professor of Photography, University of Brighton, UK

Francoise Callier, Program Coordinator, Angkor Photo Festival, France

Fred Ritchin, Dean of the School, International Center of Photography, USA

Frits Gierstberg, Curator, Nederlands Fotomuseum, Netherlands

Gaia Tripoli, Photo Editor, The New York Times, UK

Gail Marowitz, Creative Director, The Visual Strategist, USA

Genevieve Fussell, Senior Photo Editor, The New Yorker, USA

Gilles Steinmann, Photo Editor, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland

Giulia Ticozzi, Photo Editor, La Repubblica, Italy

Greg Hobson, Curator of Photographs, National Media Museum, UK

Gunther Dietrich, Director, Photo Edition Gallery, Germany

Hamidah Glasgow, Executive Director/Curator, The Center for Fine Art Photography, USA

Hannah Watson, Director, TJ Boulting Gallery and Trolley Books, UK

Hideko Kataoka, Director of Photography, Newsweek, Japan

Ian Shive, CEO & Founder, Tandem Stills + Motion, USA

Iata Cannabrava, Photographer & Festival Organizer, Estudio Madalena, Brazil

Ihiro Hayami, Director, Tokyo Institute of Photography, Japan

Ishida Tetsuro, Curator, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Japan

Jacob Aue Sobol, Photographer, Magnum Photos, Denmark

James Estrin, Photographer/Lens Blog Editor, The New York Times, USA

Jean-Jacques Viau, Digital Marketing Manager, Leica Camera, Germany

Jeff Gates, Lead Producer, Smithsonian American Art Museum, USA

Jeff Moorfoot, Editor, BETA Developments in Photography, Australia

Jennifer Blessing, Senior Curator of Photography, Guggenheim, USA

Jennifer Murray, Executive Director, Filter Photo, USA

Jennifer Pastore, Executive Photography Director, WSJ Magazine, USA

Jenny Smets, Director of Photography, Vrij Nederland, Netherlands

Jessica Lim, Director, Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops, Cambodia

Jessie Wender, Photo Editor, The New York Times, USA

Joanna Milter, Director of Photography, THE NEW YORKER

Joanne Junga Yang, Director, Y&G Art, South Korea

Johan Sjöström, Curator of Exhibitions, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Sweden

John Duncan, Editor, Source Photographic Review, UK

Jolene Hanson, Director, The G2 Gallery, USA

Jon Jones, Head of Photography, Tortoise Media, UK

Jorge de la Torriente, Owner / Photographer, De La Gallery, USA

Juli Lowe, Director, Catherine Edelman Gallery, USA

Julien Jourdes, Co-Founder and COO, Blink.la, USA

Kacy Burdette, Photo Editor, Adweek, USA

Karen Davis, Director/Co-owner, Davis Orton Gallery,USA

Karen McQuaid, Curator, The Photographers’ Gallery, UK

Karol Hordziej, Artistic Director, Krakow Photomonth, Poland

Kathy Moran, Senior Editor, National Geographic Magazine, USA

Kathy Ryan, Director of Photography, The New York Times Magazine, USA

Kaycee Olsen, Art Consultant & Fine Art Appraiser, Kevin Barry Fine Art, USA

Kenneth Dickerman, Photo Editor, The Washington Post, USA

Kottie Gaydos, Curator & Editor in Chief, Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography, USA

Kristen Gresh, Curator of Photographs, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, USA

Lars Boering, Managing Director, World Press Photo, Netherlands

Laura Moya, Director, Photolucida, USA

Laura Pressley, Executive Director, CENTER, USA

Lauren Ford, Commissioning Director and Producer, Dazed Magazine, UK

Lekgetho Makola, Director, Market Photo Workshop, South Africa

Lesley Martin, Creative Director, Aperture Foundation, USA

Linda Benedict-Jones, Executive Director, Silver Eye Center for Photography, USA

Lisa J. Sutcliffe, Curator of Photography and Media Arts, Milwaukee Art Museum, USA

Louise Clements, Artistic Director, Derby QUAD Limited and FORMAT International Photography Festival, UK

Luc Rabaey, Owner, 44 Gallery, Belgium

Lucy Bell, Director, Lucy Bell Fine Art, UK

Lucy Conticello, Director of Photography, M Magazine, Le Monde, France

Maarten Schilt, Publisher & Gallerist, Schilt Publishing & Gallery, Netherlands

Magdalena Herrera, Director of Photography, GEO France, France

Manila Camarini, Photo Editor, D La Repubblica, Italy

Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, President & Founder, Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation for Documentary Photography & Film, USA

Marc Prüst, Artistic Director, Photography Consultant and Curator, Netherlands

Marcel Feil, Artistic Deputy Director, FOAM, Netherlands

Marcia Allert, Director of Photography, The Dallas Morning News, USA

Margaret Kelly, Director, Exhibition and Art Fairs, Pace/Macgill Gallery, USA

Margy Dudley, Owner, Open Shutter Gallery, USA

Marion Hislen, Déléguée à la photographie, Ministere de la Culture, France

Mark Murrmann, Photo Editor, Mother Jones, USA

Martin Parr, Photographer, Magnum Photos, UK

Mary Virginia Swanson, Photography Marketing Advisor, Educator, Author, USA

MaryAnn Camilleri, Founder, The Magenta Foundation, Canada

MaryAnne Golon, Director of Photography, The Washington Post, USA

Matthew Craig, Co-Founder and CEO, Blink, USA

Matthew Tucker, Broadcast Journalist/Picture Producer, BBC News Online, UK

Maya Byskov, Project Manager, Centrifuge, Germany

Mazie Harris, Assistant Curator, Getty Museum, USA

Meaghan Looram, Director of Photography, The New York Times, USA

Melissa Ryan, Deputy Director of Photography, Nature Conservancy Magazine, USA

Mia Diehl, Photography Director, Fortune Magazine, USA

Michael Dooney, Director, Jarvis Dooney Galerry, Germany

Michael Famighetti, Editor, Aperture Magazine, USA

Michael Foley, Owner, Foley Gallery, USA

Michael Hoppen, Owner, Michael Hoppen Gallery, UK

Michael Mack, Founder, MACK Books, UK

Michael Weir, Director/Founder, Belfast Photo Festival, UK

Michelle Dunn Marsh, Chief Strategist, Photographic Center Northwest, USA

Miyako Yoshinaga, Director, Mikayo Yoshinga Gallery, USA

Molly Roberts, Senior Photography Editor, National Geographic Magazine, USA

Monica Allende, Artistic Director, GetxoPhoto & Landskrona Foto Festival, UK

Moritz Neumüller, Academic Director of Photography, IED Madrid, Spain

Moshe Rosenzveig, Founder and Director, Head On Photo Festival, Australia

Muhammed Muheisen, Pulitzer Prize-winning Photojournalist, Netherlands

Mutsuko Ota, Editorial Director, IMA magazine, Japan

Nadav Kander, Award-Winning Photographer, UK

Nakamori Yasufumi, Assistant Curator, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, USA

Natalie Matutschovsky, Photography Art Director, Apple, USA

Natasha Egan, Executive Director, Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College, USA

Newsha Tavakolian, Photographer, Magnum Photos, Iran

Nicolas Jimenez, Director of Photography, Le Monde, France

Oliva Maria Rubio, Directora Artística de La Fábrica, PhotoEspaña

Olivier Laurent, Photography Editor, The Washington Post, USA

Patricia Lanza, Art Consultant & Creative Director, USA

Paul di Felice, Senior Lecturer in Visual Arts, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Paula Tognarelli, Executive Director, Griffin Museum of Photography, USA

Pavel Banka, Editor in Chief, Fotograf Magazine, Czech Republic

Paweł Szypulski, Curator, Krakow Month of Photography, Poland

Peggy Sue Amison, Artistic Director, East Wing Gallery, Qatar

Phillip Prodger, Senior Research Scholar, Yale Center For British Art, USA

Raffaela Lepanto, Photo Editor/University of the Arts London, UK

Rebecca Morse, Curator, Wallis Annenberg Photography Department, LACMA, USA

Regina Maria Anzenberger, Founder, Anzenberger Gallery, Austria

Régina Monfort, Photo Editor, FotoEvidence, USA

Richard A. Brooks, Deputy Photo Director, Asia Pacific, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Hong Kong

Richard Renaldi, Photographer, Richard Renaldi Photography, USA

Roger Archibald, Photo Editor, Society of Environmental Journalists, USA

Ron Haviv, Visual Journalist, Filmmaker, Co-Founder, The VII Foundation, USA

Roxanne Behr, Visuals Director, GQ Magazine, USA

Roy Kahmann, Founder & Owner, Kahmann Gallery | GUP Magazine, Netherlands

Rui Prata, Director, Museu da Imagem, Portugal

Ruth Offen, Director/Curator, WaterWorks Gallery, USA

Sacha Lecca, Deputy Photo Editor, Rolling Stone Magazine, USA

Sadie Quarrier, Senior Photo Editor, National Geographic Magazine, USA

Sam Barzilay, Creative Director, United Photo Industries and Photoville, USA

Sarah Leen, Director of Photography, National Geographic Magazine, USA

Sean Corcoran, Curator of Prints and Photographs, Museum of the City of New York, USA

Sean O’Hagan, Critic and Writer, The Guardian and The Observer, UK

Selva Barni, Founder & Editor, Fantom Editions, Italy

Serge Belet, Senior Exhibitions Manager, National Gallery of Canada, Canada

Shoair Mavlian, Director & Curator, PHOTOWORKS, UK

Silvia Mangialardi, Artistic Director, Encuentros Abiertos, Argentina

Simon Bainbridge, Editorial Director, British Journal of Photography, UK

Siobhán Bohnacker, Senior Photo Editor, The New Yorker, USA

Stacey Baker, Associate Photo Editor, The New York Times Magazine, USA

Stephen Mayes, Executive Director, Tim Hetherington Trust, USA

Stephen Perloff, Editor, The Photo Review, USA

Steven Evans, Executive Director, FotoFest International, USA

Sujong Song, Independent Photography Professional, South Korea

Susan Spiritus, Owner, Susan Spiritus Gallery, USA

Susan White, Photography Director, WeWork, USA

Susan Zadeh, Founder/Photography Director, Eyemazing Editions, Netherlands

Taj Forer, Cofounder, Fabl and Daylight Books, USA

Thomas Seelig, Director, Folkwang Museum, Switzerland

Todd Hido, Artist and Photographer, USA

Todd James, Senior Photo Editor, National Geographic Society, USA

Todd Tubutis, Director, Art Museum of West Virginia University, USA

Tomoka Aya, Owner/Director, The Third EyeGallery Aya, Tokyo, Japan

Ute Noll, Photo Director, Du Kulturmagazin, Germany

Volker Lensch, Photo Editor, Stern Magazine, Germany

Whitney Johnson, VP Visual Experiences, National Geographic, USA

Wim Melis, Curator, Noorderlicht Photography, Netherlands

Xavier Canonne, Director, Musée de la Photographie, Belgium

Xavier Soule, CEO, Agence VU & Gallery VU, France

Yasunori Hoki, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Super Labo Publishing, Japan

Yuko Yamaji, Curator, Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, Japan

Yumi Goto, Curator, Editor, Publisher, Founder, Reminders Project, Japan

Yuting Duan, Festival Founder and Director, Lianzhou Foto, China

Visibility With Industry Insiders & Galleries
All it takes is one set of eyes to change the course of your career. Share your work with us for industry-wide exposure and opportunities. If our jury ranks your submission highly through the judging process, you will be included in LensCulture Discoveries, our directory of top-rated photographers. We provide this directory to photography industry insiders and creative professionals to showcase photographers and their work to key decision makers including editors, book publishers, gallery owners, festival directors, creative directors, curators, and online media publishers.

Permanent Exhibition on LensCulture online gallery
LensCulture has become a key resource for discovering new photography work all over the world. All winners, finalists and juror’s picks for this award will be prominently featured in the permanent online gallery on our site.
This is a wonderful opportunity to have your work seen by thousands of people around the world with a true love and appreciation for photography.

Published in The Best of LensCulture, Volume 4
In partnership with Schilt Publishing, we’re thrilled to be planning for our fourth book, featuring the work of LensCulture’s award-winning photographers. This beautifully printed and unique collection of photographic work will be available for purchase and distributed to influential industry members worldwide.

International Press Exposure
Award winners receive press coverage from publications and media outlets around the world — the kind of exposure that can lead to viral, global recognition of your work. Winners, finalists and selected entrants have been featured in major publications including BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Internazionale, VICE, The Times of London, Huffington Post, Spiegel Online, The British Journal of Photography, and The Telegraph. Share your work with the world.
Be sure to check out our latest feature on The Guardian, a beautiful image gallery showcasing the work of our Art Photography Award-winners with the world.
Awards & Benefits
Series Award Winners
1st Place: $5000
2nd Place: $3000
3rd Place: $1500
Single Image Award Winners
1st Place: $3000
2nd Place: $1500
3rd Place: $1000
Jurors’ Picks
Each juror will select an individual Juror’s Pick to receive special distinction.
Finalists
25 Finalists will be selected.
Benefits
for All
© Ying Tang
When you share your work with us, you participate in our global community of over three million. The opportunities for connection, inspiration, and participation are endless — don’t miss your chance to get involved!
LensCulture is on a mission to discover the most imaginative, talented, creative photographers out there, regardless of location, age, background or experience level.
6 Winners8 Jurors’ picks25 FinalistsEditors’ Picks(1)Every Entrant
$15,000 in Cash Awards
Exhibition in NYC during Paris Photo New York
Black & White Photography Awards 2019 Online Exhibition
Visibility with LensCulture Insiders
Published in The Best of LensCulture, Volume 4
Featured in International Photo Festival Projections
International Press Exposure
Massive Exposure to our Global Audience of 3 Million
Submission Review by Photo Industry Specialist(2)
Opportunity to be in LensCulture Discoveries online directory of top-rated photographers(3)
LensCulture Portfolio Account(4)
Share your Work with the Global Photography Community
Opportunities for Immediate Exposure
(1)Editors’ Picks: During the competition, LensCulture’s editors will curate hundreds of entries for immediate exposure to our global audience through the competition gallery and our Facebook page.
(2)Submission Review: Available for all Series entries and 5+ Single entries
(3)Winners & Jurors Picks are automatically included in LensCulture Discoveries online directory.
(4)LensCulture Portfolio Account: Available for all Series entries and 5+ Single entries
Show Us
Your Work
© Siri Ekker Svendsen
There are no limitations on age, level, genre or location. For further information, please see our FAQ.
We’re open to ALL types of photography
fine art|portrait|landscape|architecture|interiors|alternative process|photojournalism|documentary|conceptual|still life|nature|street photography|abstract|experimental|staged|graphic
Closed for new entries.
Are you currently an enrolled student?
Get a 30% discount on your entry fee. Start your submission and select the option to register as a student. Your discount will then be automatically applied to your entry.
Why Enter Photography Awards?
There are many benefits to entering photography competitions beyond winning the top prize. We sat down with Lesley Martin, Creative Director at Aperture Foundation and Juror for this award, and asked her a simple question: why enter awards?
“I think it’s valuable to get the work out there and to be seen.”
Juror Lesley A. Martin, Creative Director at Aperture on the benefits of photo awards.
01.
Get organized
Just the process alone can be very valuable. Then, you have a little capsule set of materials that you can use to present yourself in any type of situation. It’s very good practice to organize yourself.

02.
Practise clarity and coherence
The process of making that tight edit is one of the most difficult things for a photographer to do when approaching a prize. Understanding how to put your best foot forward and how to edit to a very clear and concise visual statement about your work and your interests is really important.

03.
Put your work in front of the right people
It can be discouraging to not take home the grand prize, but from the other side, as a jury member, I often encounter work that I’ve kept in the back of my head and think about if I’m putting together a set of images or curating a show.

04.
Demonstrate commitment
Through repeat submissions, it’s very interesting to assess how individual photographers are developing their work and who is really committed, It’s just valuable to get the work out there and to be seen.
“I’ve been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors is black.”
— Henri Mattise
Success
Stories
© Leon Gregory
Recognition in the Global Photography Community
For 15 years, LensCulture has been committed to helping photographers of all levels move forward creatively and professionally. In that time, we have heard from hundreds of photographers who were able to achieve breakthroughs in their careers through participation in the LensCulture community.
  • Annabel O.
    The Netherlands
  • Peter Braunholz
    Germany
  • Sylvain Biard
    France
  • Tara Bogart
    United States
  • Matt Eich
    United States
  • Marcus DeSieno
    United States
  • Irmina Walczak
    Brazil
  • Sylvain Heraud
    France
  • Albarrán Cabrera
    Spain
  • Frank Herfort
    Germany
  • Sergio Garcia Gavaldà
    Spain
  • Sophie Gabrielle
    Australia
  • Ofir Barak
    Israel
  • Antonio Privitera
    Italy
  • Yoshikatsu Fujii
    Japan
  • Medina Dugger
    Nigeria
  • Philip Kanwischer
    Canada
  • Streetmax
    United Kingdom
  • Aaron Hardin
    United States
  • Weronika Gęsicka
    Poland
We respect artists’ rights
All photographers retain full copyrights for their own work. Period. Winners, Jurors’ Picks and Finalists grant LensCulture limited, restricted use of winning photos only to promote the photographers themselves and in connection with marketing the Awards competition itself. Details can be found in the Competition rules.
© Felice Douglas