All About Photo 2025 Contest: 25 Best Black and White Photographs (26 photos)

All About Photo magazine presents the winners of its 49th competition, dedicated to the enchanting beauty and emotional depth of black and white photography. This issue features the work of 25 talented photographers whose portfolios stand out for their technical mastery, storytelling, and unique vision.





These works from 11 countries and three continents remind us of the timeless value of monochrome images in visual culture. Black and white eliminates distractions and brings the focus back to what matters: light, shadow, emotion, and form.

Top Prizes were awarded to:

1st Place: Astrid Verhoef (Netherlands) for her work "Balance," a stunning visual exploration of harmony and surrealism.

2nd Place: Antonio Denti (Italy) for his series "Difficult Lives," which captures with genuine compassion the strength of spirit in people facing life's challenges.

3rd Place: Lynn Brightfeller (USA) for her series "People I Know," a profound, personal, and introspective portrait journey.

Winners will receive a cash prize of $1,000. All 25 winners will be featured in the print issue of AAP Magazine.

1. "Balance," Astrid Verhoef



2. "Wonderland," Russ Rowland

3. "Mobius," from the "Leaf Shapes" series, Bimi Young



4. "Masquerade" from the "Amber Coast" series, Monika Maroziene



5. "The Coming Darkness" from the "Lonely Places" series, Margaret Halabi



6. Ethiopia, "An Extraordinary Man" from the "Dreamy Memories of Africa" ​​series, William Ropp



7. "The Girl," Elena Donskaya



8. "Captured in a Frame" from the "Half Visible" series, Janica Genova



9. "Behind These Eyes" from the "Street Portraits" series, Alex Gabchug



10. "Hard Lives," Antonio Denti



11. James Martin in the "Chefs in Lockdown" series, John Carey



12. "Steam," Klaus Lenzen



13. Tibetan Monk from the "Black and White" series, Eric Van Den Brulle



14. "Shadows of the Sacred," Lorenz Berna



15. "Powerful Heritage" from the "Ivory Guards" series, Florian Krickbaumer



16. "Arrested Protestor and Horse" from the "Resist" series, Prescott Lassman



17. “Shabbat” from the series “On the Streets of Los Angeles”, Julia Dean



18. “The Magic of the Circus”, Giuseppe Cardoni



19. "I See Only What I Want to See" from the series "A Kind of Solitude," by Ylva Sjögren



20. Untitled #3 from the series "Ashes from the River Bottom," by Sebastian Machado



21. "The Path to Adulthood," Thibault Gerbaldi



22. "Bathing Pier at Niendorf" from the "Two Minutes from the Sea" series, Ralph Dreyer



23. "Decommissioned," Luciano Gerini



24. "City Life 20472" from the "City Life" series, Kevin Lyle



25. Stacy and Miss Kitty from the "People I Know" series by Lynn Brightfeller