Winners Contest info Judges About us FAQs Rules

Winners announced

© charlotte

In Black and White

A celebration of the craft of digital and analogue black and white photography.

Congratulations to this year's winners! View the winners here.

Contest info

Welcome to ‘In Black and White,’ presented by Photo District News (PDN)—one of the world’s leading photography publications. Enter your best single images or portfolios into four categories, and have your work judged by an esteemed panel for a chance to win top prizes. The grand prize winner will walk away with $2500 and their own profile in PDN’s prestigious print magazine. Other prizes include high value B&H gift cards, huge exposure in PDN’s online galleries plus various subscriptions.

Categories

There's no risk to enter

All photographers retain their copyright. Winning work will only be published in the print and online winners' gallery and in promotion related to the In Black and White photography contest.

Prizes

1 Grand prize winner

$2500

$750 B&H Gift Card

3 Category winners

$250 B&H Gift Card

12 Additional winners

(3 from each category)

ALL WINNERS will be featured in the online gallery, which is promoted on PDN social media and distributed through email with a reach of 500,000+. All winners also receive a one-year PHOTO+ Basic Membership, which includes subscriptions to PDN and Rangefinder magazines, discounts to PDN and RF competitions, vendor discounts, an online photography portfolio and more!

Entry fee

Extended Deadline

1 category - $35 USD $25 USD
2 categories - $63 USD $45 USD
3 categories - $84 USD $60 USD
4 categories - $98 USD $70 USD

Enter between 1 and 6 images per category. When entering multiple images into a category, the images will be judged as a group and must be visually related.

Save 30% off entry fees

Photo+ members can earn 30% off entry via a unique code that will be included on a PDN email. If you’re unsure of your membership details, or want to find out more on getting membership, please get in touch with PDN. Get in touch >

Judges

David J. Carol

David J. Carol

David J. Carol is a photographer, writer, curator, editor, teacher, lecturer and publisher. He recently retired after 25+ years as the director of photography at Outfront Media to become the editor-in-chief of Peanut Press Books. He is the author of four monographs and has extensively juried competitions and reviewed portfolios for major photo publishers and festivals.

Sharon Ber

Sharon Ber

Sharon Ber is the Art Director at PDN where she collaborates with editors to create the monthly magazine. Previously she worked at WWD and with fashion brands Kenneth Cole, Betsey Johnson and BCBG Max Azria at Geneva Watch Company.

Jeffrey Kane

Jeffrey Kane

Jeffrey Kane has lived and worked in New York City since 1983, much of that time spent hunkered down in Black + White darkrooms. He is currently a co-founder and operating partner at LTI-Lightside Photographic Services. He lives happily with his wife, son and two hairy cats on the Upper West Side.
Photo credit: Geoffrey Berliner

Boogie

Boogie

Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, Boogie began photographing rebellion and unrest during the civil war that ravaged his country during the 1990s. Growing up in a war-torn country defined Boogie's style and attraction to the darker side of human existence. He moved to New York City in 1998. He has published eight monographs, including IT'S ALL GOOD (powerHouse Books, 2006), , BELGRADE BELONGS TO ME (powerHouse Books, 2009), BELGRADE GUIDE (New Moment, 2017) and MOSCOW (out in Nov 2018). He has shot for high profiled clients and has been published in world renowned publications. Boogie lives and works between Brooklyn, New York and Belgrade, Serbia.

More judges to be announced.

About us

Photo District News (PDN), the award-winning monthly magazine for the professional photographer, has been covering the professional photographic industry for over two decades. Every month, PDN delivers unbiased news and analysis, interviews, and portfolios of the latest photographic work. PDN delivers the information photographers need to survive in a competitive business—from marketing and business advice to legal issues, photographic techniques, new technologies, and more.

PDNOnline covers breaking news stories and delivers in-depth features on the photo industry, including interviews and profiles, reports on new products both analog and digital, and information on useful sources for professional photographers. PDNOnline’s photo essays and galleries explore the work of photography’s masters and today’s emerging talent.

Find out more

Frequently asked questions

What is an entry?

An entry consists of a single image, or a photo series, in addition to an entry fee and completed data fields. You can only make one entry into each category, however that entry can be a single image or a series.

What is a photo series?

A photo series includes two to six images that convey a story around a particular theme.

What are the contest categories?

There are 4 categories:
1) Landscape and Nature in Black and White
2) Fine Art in Black and White
3) Portrait in Black and White
4) Photojournalism in Black and White

Who can enter?

The 4 awards categories are open to anyone aged 13 and above, of any nationality.

Any entrant under 18 on Wednesday 24th October 2018 must gain the permission of a parent or guardian to enter the competition. Entrants under the age of 13 on Wednesday 24th October 2018 are not permitted to enter.

You can find other eligibility criteria here

What are the key dates?

The opening date of the competition is Thursday 9th August, 2018.

The closing date for entries is 12:00 (UTC) on Wednesday 10th October, 2018. An extended deadline of Wednesday 24th October will be issued after October 10, 12:00 (UTC) with a 40% late fee increase per purchase.

The overall winners of the awards will be announced on Wednesday 21st November 2018 at 12:00 (UTC).

How many images can I enter?

You can enter 1-6 images images in each of the 4 categories. When entering multiple images into a category, the images will be judged as a group and must be visually related.

How much does it cost to enter?

The cost is based on the number of categories you purchase an entry for. Buying an entry for a category allows you to enter between 1 and 6 images into that category. When entering multiple images into a category, the images will be judged as a group and must be visually related. Unused images bought for one category cannot be used in other categories. For example if you want to enter 3 categories, you must purchase entry into 3 categories.

August 9 - October 10

1 category - $25 USD

2 categories - $45 USD

3 categories - $60 USD

4 categories - $70 USD

October 10 - 24

1 category - $35 USD

2 categories - $63 USD

3 categories - $84 USD

4 categories - $98 USD

* Multiple categories must be purchased in the same transaction to benefit from the discounts listed above.

PDN members get a 30% discount on all purchases when they enter the code as distributed on PDN’s member network. Please contact PDN to find out more on your membership, or to sign up.

An additional discount on the price of entry bundles of 5%, 10% or 20% is available for Photocrowd Challenger, Pro or Master subscribers, respectively.

Can I enter the same image into multiple categories?

Yes, the same image can be entered into multiple categories, if you consider that it fits the brief for each category you enter it into.

How many times can I enter the awards?

Each photographer can enter each awards category once, using one Photocrowd account.

Can I withdraw or swap an image once I’ve entered it?

If the awards are still open for entries then at any time you can remove an entered image and enter a different one in its place. Once the deadline for entries has passed, and judging is underway, images cannot be removed or swapped out for other images.

Do I have to sign up to Photocrowd to enter?

Yes, there’s a simple signup process to register on Photocrowd, which will then give you full access to ‘PDN presents… In Black and White’.

Can images be taken on a phone?

Yes, images can be taken on any device capable of producing a digital image of sufficient size for entry. For full guidelines on minimum image requirements see the image preparation section below.

Do images have to be taken in the US or UK?

No, ‘PDN presents… In Black and White’ is an international competition and you may enter photographs taken anywhere in the world.

Can I enter a photo that has previously won another photo awards?

Yes.

Is there a minimum size for images?

There is a recommended minimum file size of 2500 pixels on the shortest side. Full guidelines on image requirements are provided in the image preparation section below.

Can I submit retouched images?

There are no restrictions on the use of digital manipulation. More information on image requirements are provided in the image preparation section below.

How should I prepare my images for submission?

Full guidelines on image preparation are provided in the image preparation section below.

Should I watermark my images?

No, we will appropriately credit all winning photographers.

Will my images be sold?

No. You retain copyright to your photograph and the Sponsors may not sell your photo entry for a fee. All entries may be posted online so that viewers may view all competing entries. And winning entries may be used in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest for a period of 24 months from the date winners are notified.

Image preparation

File type

Images should be saved as jpegs at the highest quality available, with a colour profile attached. Either the RGB or sRGB colour profiles are recommended. Digital scans from film are also eligible providing they meet these technical guidelines.

Image size and resizing

Whilst no image sizes will be rejected at upload, winning images will be required to be printed, and so must be of sufficient quality to allow this. it is therefore advised that images measure a minimum of 2,500 pixels on the shortest side after any cropping. Where images submitted are smaller than this, it will be assumed that this is the largest image size available to the photographer, and may affect that image’s chances of winning. The submission of larger file sizes is encouraged if available.

There are Photoshop and other image software tutorials online that show you how to best resize an image.

Image Manipulation

There are no restrictions regarding the manipulation of images using software or other techniques in these awards, provided that all imagery is the exclusive work of the submitting photographer and does not include any element that is the copyright of another.

Image sharpening, noise reduction and colour saturation

Excessive sharpening, noise reduction and color saturation techniques should be avoided. We appreciate that entrants will attempt to prepare their entries to optimise appearance and appeal on screen, and this may include these techniques. Excessive use of any or all of them can result in an entry that will be unsuitable for printed media and therefore become invalid as a result.

Image descriptions

We encourage photographers to include a description about their work during the upload process. This is a great way to tell a story or other interesting facts about your image. The judges and the crowd will be able to read this while rating to give them insight into how you came about the shot.

Metadata

We would advise all entrants to add copyright information in the metadata of all submissions.

Rules

The PDN presents… In Black and White Awards are hosted on Photocrowd.com, and Photocrowd’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy apply.

In addition please note the following in relation to these awards:

Sponsors

The sponsor of PDN In Black and White (the “Contest”) is Emerald Expositions, LLC, 100 Broadway, 14th floor, New York, NY 10005 (the “Sponsor”).

Term

The Contest begins August 9 and ends October 10, 2018, at 12:00 pm UTC (the “Entry Deadline”). An Extended deadline of October 24, 2018, at 12:00 pm UTC (the “Extended Entry Deadline”) will be permitted after the Entry Deadline with a 40% increase per entry late fee. All entries must be received by the Extended Entry Deadline.

Who may enter

Employees of Photo District News® and Sponsor, and each of their affiliates, subsidiaries and agents, and their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such individuals, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win a prize. Entrants between 13 and 18 years of age as of the date of entry, must have the permission of a parent or guardian. Anyone below the age of 13 is not permitted to enter. CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

How to enter

To enter please visit www.photocrowd.com to register an account for free. Once the registration process has been completed, visit www.photocrowd.com/pdn to enter the competition. Images are advised to have a dimension of at least 2,500 pixels on the shortest side, to allow for the printing of winning images, and to have a color profile attached.

You may enter 1-6 images in any of the categories.

No mail-in entry is available for this Contest.

Each Entry consists of a single photographic image or photo portfolio, and an entry fee.

Each submitted photograph, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material taken by the Contest entrant. By entering the Contest, entrant represents, acknowledges and warrants that he or she is the sole owner of the photograph and possesses full power and authority to enter the photograph in the Contest, and that the photograph does not infringe any copyright or violate any other intellectual property rights. The entrant agrees to indemnify Sponsor and its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any and all third party claims arising from the entry and use of the photograph in connection with the Contest.

Photographs that include sculptures, statues, paintings, works of art, or any other copyrighted or trademarked material may be accepted as long as they do not infringe, or reasonably appear to infringe, upon the intellectual property rights of any third party, provided that entrants must be prepared to provide a release form as described below in "Third Party Releases/Licenses." When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close up of another person's art.

If the Photograph includes the name, image, likeness or other personal attribute of any person, you must be prepared to provide a signed written personal release from all such persons whose name, image, likeness or other personal attribute appears in the Photograph submitted, authorizing use of the Photograph as provided below in "Third Party Releases/Licenses." If you are unable to provide a personal release, upon request by Sponsor and in the form provided by Sponsor, then your entry may be disqualified.  

The entries will be judged in accordance with the Judging Criteria, as defined below. The photograph must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Sponsor, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content. Photographs deemed inappropriate will be disqualified.

Online entries must be made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, internet domain owner, or other person or organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

Categories

Categories are specified on the homepage of the Contest website.

Competition prizes

Prizes are specified on the homepage of the Contest website.

Judging

Contest consists of two (2) rounds of evaluation. In Round One, a panel of PDN experts in photography (the "Judges") will each review a portion of the entries and select a group of entries in each Category to proceed to Round Two. In Round Two, the Judges will collectively select, from among the entries selected in Round One, a winner in each Category. Limit one prize per winner.

Sponsor reserves the right not to award all prizes in the event an insufficient number of eligible entries meeting the minimum judging criteria are received, as determined by Sponsor and Judges in their sole discretion.

Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, photographic quality and effectiveness in expressing the contest theme. Winners will be published in December in Photo District News'  online winners' gallery.

Decisions of the Sponsor and Judges are final and binding.

Entrant licenses/releases

If the photograph contains any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, and/or if any persons appear in the photograph, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the photograph, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the photograph in the manner set forth in these Official Rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any photograph is under the age of majority in their state/province/territory of residence the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.

By participating, ALL ENTRANTS grant the Sponsor and its designees, licensees or affiliates (the "Authorized Parties") a non-exclusive, worldwide license, through June 2019, to reproduce, distribute, display and post the entries online so that viewers may view all competing entries. In addition, each WINNER grants to the Authorized Parties a license for use of his/her winning entry in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known, including but not limited to, print or digital publication in PDN magazine showcasing the winners, and promotions related to the contest. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use.

Third party releases/licenses

Winners authorize Sponsor to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the photograph entry in connection with PDN In Black and White, in any media now or hereafter known, including but not limited to: publication in Photo District News ® showcasing the winners; PDN In Black and White live gallery; the PDN In Black and White Website and on pdnonline.com; and in exhibits and promotions related to the PDN World In Focus 2018. Winners authorize Sponsor to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the photograph entry in connection with the promotion of the PDN In Black and White for up to two (2) years.

Limitation of liability

By participating, entrants agree to release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor and each of its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in this Contest or any Contest-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder.

Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission; communications line failure; theft or destruction of or unauthorized access to Contest entries or entry forms; or alteration of entries or entry forms. Sponsor is not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrants' or any other persons' computers related to or resulting from participation, uploading or downloading of any materials related to this Contest.

Conditions

This Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Certain restrictions may apply. Entries void if the Sponsor determines the entry to not be an original, or if the entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error or obtained through fraud or theft.

Participants also agree (a) to be bound by these Official Rules; (b) that the decisions of the Judges are final on all matters relating to the Contest; and (c) if he/she wins that Sponsor may use each winner's name, photograph, likeness, and/or voice in any publicity or advertising relating to the Contest or future promotions without compensation or approval (except in Tennessee and where prohibited by law). All federal, state and local taxes, fees and surcharges on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. In the event that the selected winner(s) of any prize are/is ineligible or refuses the prize, the prize will be forfeited and Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may choose whether to award the prize to another entrant.

Right to cancel or suspend contest

If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, due to infection by computer virus, bugs, worms, trojan horses, denial of service attacks, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual(s) who tamper with the entry process, and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. If Sponsor elects to cancel or terminate the Contest, Sponsor will not retain any rights in the submitted photographs and will return the entry fees.