1ST PRIZE: BART RUBIK

This photograph conveys complex, shifting meanings through the beauty of its form and composition, inviting viewers to look beyond the image itself. Highly expressive and masterfully composed, it captures a moment that invites curiosity and leaves us wanting to know more about the event. – ANDREA MODICA

What better choice of aesthetic to capture a collective grieving moment, a long tradition that reiterates the grief of a mother for the loss of her son? To sustain and enhance the power of the aesthetic, the photographer has filled the frame with dark shades, allowing just a few patches of light to highlight the humanity of the procession. The frame is overwhelming, heavy, and meaningful, just like the performance it captures. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – La Desolata: Voices of grief. In the Italian city of Canosa di Puglia, the Desolata procession transforms the streets into a landscape of mourning. Led by Maestro Ezio Masotina, hundreds of black-veiled women chant the Stabat Mater, a medieval hymn of sorrows, turning a centuries-old Holy Saturday tradition into a visceral, collective expression of the Virgin Mary’s grief.

2ND PRIZE: WAI HONG LO

This photograph evokes multiple layers of meaning through its composition and use of light, inviting viewers to form their own interpretations. The description of the place is both seductive and well framed;  the wheel embodies a compelling tension between beauty and fear. – ANDREA MODICA

Industrial, bare, and silent, the landscape wears its monochrome outfit with grace. The aesthetic underlines the unfinished aspect, the expectation of a colored future, and the overtaking of the natural environment. The composition is immediate but includes leading lines and details that keep the viewer longer, like any good documentary photo should. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Before The Turn, Central Harbourfront, 2014. The Hong Kong Observation Wheel rises unfinished above a landscape of cranes, barricades and broken ground. In the foreground, a lone worker watches as the city builds its new landmark against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour. A record of the moment of a city in transition.

LÁSZLÓ TÓTH

The black and white aesthetic fits fine-art photography like a glove. It enhances the metaphor, produces an abstract look, and helps create an atmosphere. This image takes the viewer where it wants to, leaving no room for second guesses. It’s intentional and luring, artful and demanding, graphical and smooth. It’s impossible to look away. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Spiral to the Tower.

MICHAEL KNAPSTEIN

It’s a simple composition with few visual elements, magnificently realized. The clarity and dynamic range are impressive and produce a very appealing contrast of textures. Elements complement each other harmoniously. One can hear the hay’s soft rustle and feel the urge to touch it. The shooting angle emphasizes a way of life rather than an aleatory moment, the sky in the background providing a universal character. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Hay Bale. From a series capturing the true essence of the American Midwest.

GAVIN LIBOTTE

The image highlights the photographer’s exquisite ability to notice the unnoticeable, the beauty of the little things, the fleeting moments that can carry so much meaning. This is the decisive moment when shadows come to play, when darkness fills the space with meaning, when fragmented shapes capture our attention. We are extremely lucky to witness this scene. – LIFE FRAMER

ALBERTO MINACAPELLI

The photographer devoids the scene of color as a means to showcase our shared humanity. In this photograph, the aesthetic connects, builds bridges between cultures and reminds us of the many things we have in common. The composition is simple and immediate, a documentary style that suits the subject and lets it be as it is, without any judgment. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Everyday life. In the lush rainforest of Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, members of the Kogi community gather around a natural pool to bathe and wash clothes. An ordinary moment of everyday life, deeply connected to the surrounding landscape, where water is both a shared resource and an integral part of the community’s daily rhythm.

MAARTEN SLOCK

With a broad dynamic range and an excellent composition, the photograph connects the human feeling to the space around it. It emphasizes the role of architecture as a reflection of and a catalyst for our emotions. The vertical perspective, the intersections of light and shadows, and the natural manner in which the architecture frames the character highlight the photographer’s attention to detail and ability to see the bones of a scene rather than just its exterior. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Grundtvig’s Church (Grundtvigs Kirke), Copenhagen, Denmark.

VALERIO LEONE

It’s a pleasure to look at this composition and imagine the landscape, the people’s pace, and their mindset. Everything falls into place beautifully thanks to the imperfect symmetry and unusual contrast. In black and white, the photograph belongs to no place in particular and has no cultural identity, both aspects that make it appealing to a large audience. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A group of tourists is walking on top of a dune. The photo was taken in the morning, but the sun was already high in the sky, at Deadvlei, a part of the Namib Desert near Sossusvlei in Namibia. I liked the long shadows cast by the people and the distance between them.

CHLOE KRITHARAS DEVIENNE

A powerful portrait that puts humanity first, the photograph is emotional. Composition and aesthetics work together to convey the scene’s narrative. Closeness, a confined space, a disempowering camera angle that eliminates borders, and two hopeful gazes are the elements that stick with you. The image’s softness speaks volumes about the photographer’s artistic voice. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – This image is from a long-term project on the refugee crisis, which I worked on over four years in Greece. Most of the images are portraits captured throughout the refugees’ journey–starting from their arrival on the Greek islands, then Athens ,through their passage to the Macedonian border, and during their stay in various camps where I volunteered. I tried mostly to capture peaceful moments, approaching each person with respect and intentionally avoided photographing vulnerable moments where they were exposed, choosing instead to focus on their resilience and optimism, even in the most difficult and hard circumstances.

PHILIP MYERS

The viewer becomes the viewed in this extreme black and white image. Like a chessboard, the graphic background makes the character stand out whilst providing structure and direction. Contrast is the main focal point, and what a catchy one it is. Creative, nonconformist, playful, and profound at the same time, the image plays with your imagination to encourage you to challenge your perspective. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – The Audience.

MACIEJ KAROŃ

An unusual shooting angle, a daring aesthetic, and a lovely subject matter come together to create a memorable photograph. The composition is minimalist, and the message is straightforward. Emerging from the darkness, the children grow towards the light. The subliminal metaphor is extremely powerful. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A family of swans.

BEAU BEARD

A picturesque scene becomes dramatic in black and white, conveying more than one meaning. The foreground is playful and sweet; the background is menacing. Part of the image is about catching the present moment; part of it is about a future that may not be so delightful. By choosing the black and white aesthetic, the photographer has created an impactful image that keeps the viewer engaged. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – My daughter, hiding in the Cahaba Lillies in the Cahaba River. These only bloom once per year. A true moment in time, that will become more and more rare as this watershed becomes a remnant of it’s past beauty and prowess.

KIM JIHOON

The photograph has an incredible dynamic range and highlights the photographer’s art of mastering highlights and shadows. By choosing to shoot in black and white, the photographer made light the main subject, and what a magnificent subject it is! The composition conveys not only warmth and joy, but also the blend of natural and human-made, the scale of everything, and the harmony that should (and sometimes does) shine through. An impressive shot from all points of view. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Beach Fun Beneath the Sunset. Against the backdrop of a sprawling urban beach, the silhouettes of two children appear utterly joyful. Wrapped in a breathtaking sunset, the day comes to an end.

YITAO WANG

This is a mesmerizing shot, a puzzle that requires deciphering, a graphic novel that’s both yours and the photographer’s. The black background creates a timeline and makes the subjects stand out. At the same time, it plays with geometry and textures, leading lines and silhouettes in a perfectly straight yet very ambiguous manner. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Beijing, China.

MIRIAM NEAL

Resembling lomography, the photograph has a certain dose of experimental, haste, and movement that, against reason, makes it a very appealing shot. It’s the crowding of elements that tells the story, the mix of blur and clarity that underlines growth, the overlapping of textures that emphasizes personalities. One can’t settle on an element, just like life never stops for no one. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – From the series Where I’m Raising Them, documenting four siblings.

STEFAN GROEPPER

Fine art portraiture in black and white can be epic or lyrical, and can capture actions or emanate feelings. This photograph acts as an inspiration, creating space for inner thought and meditation. Ultimately, it’s not about the ones in front of the camera but about the viewers. Carefully constructed, with beautiful contrast, lighting, and textures, the composition is artistic and alluring. Once the beauty catches you, you are given stillness and silence as tools for exploring your inner universe. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A Quiet State is a body of work rooted in presence rather than narration. The images do not describe – they remain. Bodies, landscapes, and fragments appear with equal weight, emerging as states of being rather than symbolic readings. Nothing seeks attention. Nothing performs. The figures are turned inward, often withholding their gaze. Movement is reduced to posture, balance, and breath. Even when the body is exposed, it is not revealed. Strength exists without display, intimacy without invitation. Silence gathers density here, forming a space in which form, light, and stillness converge.

This series focuses on what endures when gesture falls away. It invites the viewer to slow down and remain, allowing perception to replace interpretation.

MAHESH BALASUBRAMANIAN

Silhouettes, the ultimate black and white expression, require not only imagination and good technique, but also a fresh perspective, a unique angle, and a story. This image delivers all of these and more. It is gracious and dynamic, aesthetically appealing and informative. It checks the documentary purpose of photography without dismissing its role as a visual art. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Fishing at first light, Chennai, India, 2013.

LELAND BOBBE

The photograph underlines the huge creative potential of black and white photography. A recognizable shape can build a completely different narrative because, in black and white, it plays with our imagination and breaks the norms. The composition is far from regular, the focal point is far from expectation; the perspective is one of a kind. Despite all this, the viewer will remember the photograph and will have a story to tell about it. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Black Swan.

ROSETTA BONATTI

So simple, yet cinematic and moving! The picture is atemporal and universal, highlighting the amazing energy of black and white photography. A few lines and shapes can create harmony, a well-balanced composition, and a story each of us interprets differently. The image is deep, and layered, inviting the viewer on a journey of discovery of people and of their own paths. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Humanity Between the Lines.

ASAKO NARUTO

What we see is not reality, but the interpretation our minds give to reality. This is an endless playground for black and white photography, beautifully showcased by this shot. It’s not so much about what the photographer wanted to say, but about what the viewer chooses to see. The game of light and darkness, shadows, shapes, and lines is fascinating. Where this absurd scene can take us is only a matter of imagination. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “They ,by Them. A talking shadow, shifting through subtle metamorphoses. An incomplete presence, suspended between existence and absence. The “someone” we perceive is a phantom formed at the intersection of movement and light.