With entries from 64 countries, the 2025 Exposure One Awards: Photographer of the Year Contest is the most diverse edition to date – showcasing the universal appeal of black-and-white photography.
According to a statement released by the organizers: “The work of this year’s honorees affirms its lasting relevance, offering images that are both timeless and uncompromising in their vision. From mind-bending architectural photographs rendering our world as we’ve never seen it before, to powerful documentation of political demonstrations, to the raw drama of sport – these images are extraordinary. By joining the distinguished lineage of past winners, the 2025 award recipients further elevate the craft and continue to redefine what it means to create at the highest level in black and white.”
Scroll down to explore the list of this year’s award-winning monochrome images.
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#1 Le Mont–saint–michel Foggy Morning By Rolandas Urbonavicius
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#2 Roma, Italy By Alessandro Catinella
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#3 Lux By Arturo Gómez Sierra
Light descends in perfect symmetry, converging on a silent cross.
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#4 No Safety Net By Brian Morgan
Never – in my seven years spent with the Travelling Circus – did I consider shooting in anything other than Black and White. How else to capture the egalitarian nature of Circus, the aesthetic and grotesque, the achingly beautiful, happy and heartbreakingly sad manifestations of Circus life.
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#5 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.
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#6 Still Life: Femme Orange By Yuting Zhang
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#7 Mi Yo By Silvia Guillén
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#8 Keeping Up Appearances By Gerard Sexton
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#9 The Rhino And The Flock Of Birds By Alessandro Marena
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#10 Ling By Adam Amouri
Precision in every curve. The light sculpts her neck and glossy hair, where elegance meets art in a single frame.
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#11 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.
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#12 Vulture Perched On A Log During The Rain By Fabrício Peixoto Da Silva Mello
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#13 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?
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#14 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.
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#15 The Philosopher By Stafford Robinson
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#16 Calcium Forms By Haochen He
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#17 Solidarity Within The Muslim Community By Chris Mozyro
July 29, 2023. On that day, a significant protest took place in London, where Muslims gathered to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein ibn Ali, while expressing their outrage and demanding that European governments take a more serious approach to hate crimes against Muslims.
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#18 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.
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#19 Café By Loren Byers
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#20 She Became The Music By Ho Feng Shih
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#21 Loneliness By Francisco Saraiva
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.
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#22 Timeless Lines By Dulcie May
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#23 A Soft Reminder In A Sharp World By Frank Proost
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#24 Siblings By Beatrice Heydiri
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#25 Lilies By James Flanagan
The study of lilies.
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#26 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.
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#27 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.
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#28 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.
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#29 Midwinter Stop By Matt Hill
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#30 Outlook – Window Of Soul By Joachim Lindenthal
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#31 Eaton Canyon Fire, Altadena, California, 2025 By Hillary Greene-Pae
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#32 Framed Time By Haochen He
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#33 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.
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#34 Jump By Normunds Kaprano
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#35 Underground Beauty By Mario Schneider
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#36 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.
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#37 Twins By Mario Schneider
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#38 Bodyscapes By Dulcie May
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#39 The Stillness Between By Dennis Maida
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