Black and White Photo Awards have announced the winner of their third competition! Sharing the best of monochrome photography in a range of categories, Haikun Liang has been revealed as the overall 2024 winner for his striking photograph Destroy Together, which captures a vibrant moment during the Spring Festival in China.
This year, there was also a Special Prize for Creativity, sponsored by SanDisk, which went to László Tóth for the image Spiral to the Tower. The next competition will open for entries in January 2025.
Absolute Winner: Haikun Liang, Destroy Together
The Spring Festival is a major traditional festival among Chinese people, among which the lion is known as a mascot for celebrating good luck and driving away demons and evil spirits during the festival. In Deqing County, Zhaoqing City, China, it is said that there was already a folk custom of “frying lions” during the Spring Festival in the Song Dynasty. On the 15th day of the first lunar month, everyone took turns lighting firecrackers and throwing “lions” until the lions were blown to pieces, symbolizing the drive away evil and praying for peace in all seasons and a bountiful harvest.
From Black and White Photo Awards: In its third edition, the Black and White Photo Awards have reaffirmed their status as one of the most promising black-and-white photography competitions in recent years. Held between January 1 and June 15, this latest edition reached new heights of participation and support, with nearly 5,000 photographs submitted from various parts of the globe. Since its inception in 2022, more than 3,000 photographers have joined this event celebrating mastery in black-and-white photography.
As in previous editions, the competition took advantage of World Photography Day on August 19 to announce its winners. This year, the prizes have increased significantly thanks to the support of new sponsors. In this edition, the Special Prize for Creativity, sponsored by SanDisk Professional, was one of the most outstanding awards, granting the winner a SanDisk Professional PRO-G40 SSD (2TB), the fastest of its kind. Additionally, the winners of the Street and Portrait categories will receive access to the cutting-edge AI-based photo editing suite from Retouch4me, along with their cash prizes.
The title of Absolute Winner of the Black and White Photo Awards 2024 went to Haikun Liang for his striking photograph “Destroy together,” which captures a vibrant moment during the Spring Festival in China. The image shows a young man wearing a mask and hood, holding firecrackers in full explosion, encapsulating the cultural tradition of “frying lions” to ward off evil spirits and pray for peace and prosperity. A magnificent photograph that undoubtedly deserves the €1,000 prize awarded by SanDisk.
The Special Prize for Creativity by SanDisk Professional was awarded to László Tóth for his innovative work “Spiral to the tower.” This unique image combines multiple superimposed frames of a flock of birds, forming a spiral that stands out for both its conceptual creativity and technical execution.
The winners of the different categories include Florian Kriechbaumer in Architecture with “Architectural Playground,” Zhenhuan Zhou in Street with “Baker Street Station 3,” Van Dong Nguyen in Portrait with “Pottery village girl,” Anup Shah in Fauna and Flora with “Explosion,” and Matteo Strassera in Landscape with “The Dune.” In addition to the exposure and prestige that comes with winning this award, each of these photographers will be rewarded with €150.
Staying true to its commitment to black-and-white photography, the Black and White Photo Awards continue to highlight and reward exceptional works, such as the prizes for the second winners in each category, who will be rewarded with €100 each, as well as the traditional honorable mentions. Enjoy all these photographs, as well as the finalist images, in the competition’s winners gallery on their website: https://bwphotoawards.com/en/2024-award-winning-photos/
To the already prestigious jury panel composed of Joel Tjintelaar, Julia Anna Gospodarou, Charles Paul Azzopardi, and Kazutoshi Kawakami, this year Spanish photographer Néstor Rodan has joined. His incorporation reinforces the competition’s mission to establish itself as a reference in its category, valuing black-and-white photography as the timeless art that it is.
The third edition of the Black and White Photo Awards has definitively placed it among the most distinguished photography awards, and work is already underway to bring the Black and White Photo Awards 2025 to the level expected of such a competition. The next edition will open on January 1, and based on the success of previous years, it is sure to be full of surprises while maintaining the competition’s commitment to celebrating the timeless power of black-and-white photography.
This year, the Black and White Photo Awards not only increased the value of its prizes (exceeding €5,500), but also surpassed any possible expectations, setting a new participation record that once again amazed its organizers. The story of black-and-white photography continues to be written, and the Black and White Photo Awards 2025 are ready to raise the bar even higher.
Further reading:
- 200 years of photography: celebrating pioneer Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
- Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2024 shortlist announced
- AP Picture of the Week – Your best photos shared!
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