Deadline: October 14, 2026
LensCulture Black & White Photography Awards 2026
Cash Prize / Exhibition / Fine Arts & Photography / October / Open to All / Publication391 views
Organizer
LensCulture
LensCulture
Location
International (global scope), winners exhibited in London during Photo London 2027
International (global scope), winners exhibited in London during Photo London 2027
Deadline
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Competition Category
- Series: a cohesive group of up to 10 images, judged as a unified whole, thematic or aesthetic
- Single Image: individual standout images, judged individually
Eligibility
- Age: participants must be 18 years of age or older
- Level: open to professional and amateur photographers alike
- Scope: international entry is accepted
- Authorship: entrants must be the sole copyright owner and creator of the submitted photographs
- Prior LensCulture awards: photographs or series previously awarded a cash prize in a LensCulture competition are not eligible for cash prizes in subsequent competitions; finalist selections without a cash prize remain eligible
- AI-generated work: purely AI-generated work is not accepted; modification of original photography with AI tools is acceptable when disclosed in the project statement, including the method and extent of modification
- Work timeframe: submitted work must have been made within the last 10 years
Entry Fee
- First single-image entry per person is free (one entry per person)
- Additional single images: $10 each
- 5 single images: $35
- Series (up to 10 images): $45
- Enrolled students: 30% off paid entry fees
- Optional written review: additional $25 (for qualifying submissions with 5+ single images or a series)
Prizes/Awards
Total cash grants of $10,000, distributed as follows:
Total cash grants of $10,000, distributed as follows:
- Series 1st Place: $3,500
- Series 2nd Place: $2,000
- Series 3rd Place: $1,000
- Single Image 1st Place: $2,000
- Single Image 2nd Place: $1,000
- Single Image 3rd Place: $500
Additional honors:
- Jurors' Picks: each juror selects an individual Juror's Pick for special distinction, with accompanying comments
- Finalists: 20 Finalists will be highlighted on the winners' page and in worldwide promotion, alongside Winners and Jurors' Picks
Additional benefits:
- Exhibition in London: winning photographers will be exhibited during Photo London 2027
- Solo Feature published on LensCulture – for top Series winners
- Permanent Exhibition in LensCulture Online Gallery – for winners, finalists and jurors' picks
- International Press Exposure – coverage of award winners in international media
- Visibility with Industry Insiders – inclusion of highly rated photographers in LensCulture Discoveries, the directory provided to editors, publishers, gallery owners, festival directors, curators and media publishers
- LensCulture Portfolio Account – available for all Series entries and 5+ Single entries
Core Introduction
The LensCulture Black & White Photography Awards 2026 is an international photography competition celebrating the expressive possibilities of monochrome imagery. Organized by LensCulture, the award invites photographers to submit compelling black-and-white work ranging from classic photographic approaches and darkroom processes to digital and experimental practices.
The LensCulture Black & White Photography Awards 2026 is an international photography competition celebrating the expressive possibilities of monochrome imagery. Organized by LensCulture, the award invites photographers to submit compelling black-and-white work ranging from classic photographic approaches and darkroom processes to digital and experimental practices.
Photographers may enter either individual images or a cohesive series, with series submissions allowing up to 10 photographs presented as a unified thematic or aesthetic body of work. Eligible photographs should have been created within the last 10 years.
The 2026 competition will recognize 33 photographers across prize winners, Jurors' Picks and finalists. The six top prize winners are scheduled to participate in a group exhibition in London during Photo London 2027. LensCulture is one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching resources for discovering contemporary photography talent around the world. Over 20 years, LensCulture has built a global online audience of more than three million photography makers, lovers and thinkers from 160 countries.
