1ST PRIZE:ENIKO BARNA

I love the idea that one does not need to travel to exotic places to create an outstanding image. Instead, it only need take great observation and a creative mind. I like the unique point of view and how the photographer used the power lines to create the composition. – LARRY LOUIE

The sky is the limit for parental love. That seems to be the message of this photograph. Its unusual shooting angle and the clever integration of power lines into the composition put the subject in perspective and create a strong focal point. The stork’s nest in the background is just another nice touch. This image proves that color is not the ultimate ingredient for an amazing shot. The black and white aesthetic can be equally powerful as long as the photographer understands that any subject comes with a story. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Safe place.

2ND PRIZE: JOHN WALMSLEY

The boy in the foreground has a magnetic look and the two girls with the house in the background added to the unique composition. Normally a lesser photographer would center the kids in the photo but in this case I like how the shooter intentionally decentered them. – LARRY LOUIE

This environmental group portrait almost defies the rules of composition. The subjects are crowded intentionally, to leave room for the mundane background of their lives. Nevertheless, their facial expressions gather all childhood moods in one place. The image is rich in symbolism, paradoxically well-balanced, and extremely appealing. The viewer can’t help but look around, from one face to another, from foreground to background, looking for clues and emotionally responding to each find. – LIFE FRAMER

KIRILL MUNYABIN

An almost binary image, this portrait speaks volumes about the contradictions we live with every day. They are inside us, the angel and the devil who counsel every action, but also outside us, in beauty standards, social customs, preconceptions, and narrow views. The black and white aesthetic is a very good choice because it increases the drama of the image and emphasizes the light-darkness contrast. It also enhances the graciousness and smoothness of the lines, creating an atemporal feminine portrait. – LIFE FRAMER

MICHAEL WIRTH

Here comes the surprise element, proving that photography will never cease to impress us. This surreal image is able to bring the viewer to tears or cause them to burst into laughter, which is exactly the magic of black and white photography. One can notice the austere environment and feel sorry for the majestic giraffe for not living in its natural habitat. Another can sense the ridiculousness of the moment and the playfulness of its subject. A third can be sensitive to both dark and light sides of the image. The photographer did a very good job. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Shanghai, China.

PETER FRANCK

One can describe this image as simple but artful, abstract but revealing, contrasting but homogenous. It is well-constructed and harmonious, playing the game of black and white, shadows and lights, perfectly. The photographer denotes technical skills, attention to detail, and rigor. However, there is so much soul in this image. It may be because it takes you home, brings back a memory, or fuels a dream. It may be because it resembles something you had and lost or something you yearn for. Regardless, it’s food for thought. Well done! – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – For years now, I’ve been working on a series called Lost. It’s a collection born of long, nocturnal walks–through streets, suburbs, alleys–without a camera, without anything but my own mind to guide me. The streets are empty, the air thick with silence, and yet in the stillness, stories begin to emerge. These walks–these late-night, half-conscious rambles–are the raw material, the unfurling tapestry from which the collages are constructed. Each collage reveals a building, once the center of something: a family, a workshop, a secret meeting place. Shelters of lives, intricately intertwined, as complex and simple as the interplay of black and white.

The scenes I walk through are quiet, almost impossibly so, like the stillness of a warm summer night or the eerie calm of a winter evening under a full moon. The streets become stages, and at any moment, a protagonist might step onto that stage. But these protagonists, at least under the strict, unyielding rules of photography–specifically the shutter speed of a full moon night, no flash–stand little chance of actually becoming visible. They’re ghosts, phantoms, caught in a delicate dance with light and shadow, never fully realized, always on the edge of being.

The images, when they eventually come together, pose a question. What will remain of us, from this fleeting moment, from this brief, frantic burst of existence? What echoes of our lives will last when we are gone? The answer, if it can even be called that, is simple. Light and shadow. That’s all. The stark contrast between them, the subtle gradation of their interplay, is what survives–what holds meaning. The light, always breaking, always fragile, always temporary; the shadows, silent witnesses to the passage of time, stretching long and silent, unfurling like dark memories. And in that shifting balance, in the delicate dance between light and shadow, there is a trace of something else: a hint, an intuition, of the stories that have unfolded here. Stories that, for all their complexity, are as simple and inevitable as the turning of the earth itself.

In Lost there is no resolution, no definitive beginning or end. There are only moments, fragments, impressions–ghosts that wander in the spaces between what was and what is yet to come. These are the things that linger, long after the walk is over, long after the moon has set and the streets have emptied. The stories are still there, just out of reach, waiting to be remembered, waiting to be found.

HENGKI LEE

The solitary silhouette fills the space between the earth and the sky, inviting the viewer to reverie. It’s a fine art photo that takes a simple subject and a minimalist scene and transforms them into poetry. It may be the diffused light, the lost features, the clouds, or the wind that moves the grass. Whatever it is, whatever you see, it’s likely something meaningful to you and only you. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – I Beg Your Pardon.

JACQUES ETIENNE FABRE

The black and white aesthetic is often preferred by documentary photographers because it focuses the viewer’s attention on what’s relevant in the scene. This shot features contrast in all shapes. It encompasses light versus shadow, one versus many, fighting with words versus fighting with guns, foreground versus background, and many other contrasts. It’s clear that the photographer sensed the moment and paid attention to more than just technical properties and composition. The image is full of tension. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Black and white has always been a captivating way for me to photograph, focusing on the contrast between light and shadow–as if the scene unfolding before your eyes were a testimony to what the light is trying to reveal through the depths of its darkest places. Between different techniques and styles I share with you 4 years of a photographic journey around different continents and ecosystems. From chaotic cities to peaceful paradises.

Modern Democracy, the voice of justice. Streets Of Change. April 2023. Lyon, France.

DARIN BACK

Identifiers start rolling out as one lays their eyes on this image. Mother and daughter, women, indigenous people, age difference, human bodies, and so on. But the photographer saw behind all these cultural labels: they saw surfers. What is even more extraordinary is the masterful balance and the exceptional use of light that trigger a profound emotional response. It’s an image that makes one think how easily it is to become judgmental and lose focus. It also shows the importance of the photographer’s statement. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Unknown Surfers.

EDUARDO ORTIZ

Creating a swirl is a smart way to convey the energy of a festivity. This dynamic composition vibrates so hard that one can almost hear the music and feel the people’s enthusiasm. The subject is challenging to do justice by itself but is even more so when you try to approach it using the black and white aesthetic. The photographer exhibits a good knowledge of the subject, the courage to use unusual perspectives, and the playfulness to make the entire frame bounce with joy. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Plurinational state day, celebrating this country’s multiculturalism, La Paz, Bolivia.

MARTINA HOLMBERG

This portrait of two siblings is simple and efficient. A plain background, a childish pose, and a connection based on trust between photographer and subjects are all this image needs to be a great shot. It feels natural, sweet and memorable. Sometimes giving up color is all it takes to see the essence and capture raw emotions. Sometimes, the photographer must let go to receive something unique. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Two siblings wait for their mother to come out from the hospital in the village of Mimia in western Congo.

ANDREA TORREI

Black and white photography allows, even encourages, you to play with light and shadows. By adding the playfulness of the curtains and their transparencies and fluidity, the photographer infused the composition with multiple layers of meaning and mystery. It’s a simple story but artfully told, a mesmerizing fairytale that slowly reveals itself. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Hide and Seek.

KIM JIHOON

A simple gesture illustrates the journey of a lifetime, the reasons behind following a tradition, and the faith that lifts our spirits. This anti-portrait in muted tones of grey manages to show us much more than a revealing, color image could. Because the truth is often hidden between the deeper layers of our lives, written between the obvious lines, more personal than what we would like to believe. There is so much tenderness, warmth, and joy in this picture. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Lonely Goodbye. I talked to her because I felt sorry to let it pass. And she said she couldn’t show me her face, and instead greeted the beach from behind. I respect her religion and beliefs.

ROSARIO BEVILACQUA

The photographer captured this dramatic procession from the inside, showing us a perspective that would have otherwise remained unknown. Here, the strength of tradition meets the need for belonging, resulting in a tense, vibrant scene. The frame is busy, overwhelming, and impactful. One can sense that the photographer is not a spectator, rather a participant who was given the honor of immortalizing an otherwise immortal ritual. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – This black and white series captures the Good Friday procession in Agrigento, a central moment of Holy Week where the sacred and the popular intertwine in a shared journey. The images follow the bearers of the Vara as they move in silence and effort through the old town’s narrow streets, surrounded by worn walls and watchful eyes. Each frame is a fragment of tension and devotion: hands tightly gripping, faces marked by tradition, bodies becoming vessels of collective memory. My aim was to convey the emotional depth of this ritual–without exaggeration, but with respect and presence. A visual narrative of a faith that is passed down and renewed through action.

PETER MEZEI

Winter is especially photogenic when shot in black and white. In this composition, the details of frost and the lack of detail in fog create a beautiful contrast. So does the lonely, dark and small silhouette emerging from the endless white background. The vantage point and the main subject blend in perfectly. The entire scene is extremely natural, but at the same time, very well put together. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Winter fog.

ROBERTA VAGLIANI

It would have been the usual documentary shot if it weren’t for the one subject who acknowledged the presence of the photographer. Instead, the picture became bidirectional. It still shows a moment in the school life of a group of girls, but shows how photography can raise awareness and get us involved, too. The photograph becomes a bridge, urging us to stay silent and uninvolved no more. Education is, indeed, one of our saviors. Kindness is another. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – The Right to Know. Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”. This image was taken in a school in Zanzibar, where there are no desks, chairs or school supplies. All they have is a notebook, a pen and their memory. Knowledge is transmitted to them by a single teacher. In every person there is the possibility of transforming the world.

NOEL ROJO

Abstract, surreal and beautiful, this shot transforms a street moment into an artwork. The interplay of light and darkness is impeccable. The frame is busy but harmonious. There is rhythm, contrast, and guiding lines. The viewer will spend a lot of time just looking around, curious about how people in the picture live, what music they like to listen to, what they eat and drink, where they were going on that particular day, and what they were thinking about. And that’s a photographic goal reached. – LIFE FRAMER

LEWIS ABLEIDINGER

What an inspired idea to give the storm cloud most of the frame and let it show its true force! By using just levels of gray, the earth and the sky connect, and the horizon is blended in. The cloud becomes the main focal point, and what an impressive one it is. This is a skillful composition, which is not easy to do with a scene as empty as this one. Clearly, the photographer took the time to take in the environment and listen to its voice. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – St. Joe, North Dakota, US.

EMILIO FULIOTTI

A rough scene but an artful photograph comes to us from inside a sulfur mine. The environment creates a natural frame that the photographer takes advantage of to make the subject stand out. Light and shadow and variate textures work together to increase drama and create the contrast specific to black and white photography. The picture offers a complete sensorial experience, transcending the limits of 2D imagery. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A worker in the harsh sulfur mine near the Ijen Kawah volcano, Java Island, Indonesia.

THIBAULT GERBALDI

This symmetric composition fits perfectly with the concept of human-nature connection so present in Andean culture and many others around the world. Humanity couldn’t survive without animals and without the land we destroy with reckless exploitation. The photograph rememorates the past, documents the present, and raises awareness for the future. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A Symbiotic Relationship. Roccio stands among her alpacas, all facing the viewer with quiet strength–a moment that reflects the deep bond between Andean families and their animals. Alpaca farming is more than livelihood; it’s a living tradition passed down through generations, sustaining both culture and community. Despite the mounting threats of climate change and mining, this image speaks to the resilience of Andean life, where human and animal stand together in mutual reliance.

ANTONIO DENTI

Besides the dramatic subject that this image reveals to us, one can’t help but notice the way the composition helps convey the message. The photographer added depth by placing visual elements throughout the frame, from foreground to background, and forming an invisible leading line. The viewer is invited to feel the struggle of the characters firsthand and empathize with them. It’s an impactful, very memorable shot. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Dream of the Harder Life 01.