The Mono Awards 2025 presented by Synology is now open!

4 February 2025

We're delighted to announce the seventh edition of our annual black and white photography competition, The Mono Awards, presented by Synology, is now open for entries.

Places category winner, Wade Cramer, Flooded Fences. Wade tells us his striking minimalist image Flooded Fences was taken last year at Lake George on the way to Canberra. “We stopped as we had never seen the lake so calm,” he says. “There was such great light, and when I took the shot I had a monochrome image in mind. There is a beauty to the fence wires as they flow in and out of the water and then there is that juxtaposition between the flooding caused by lots of rain, a symptom of climate change, and the wind turbines as is a possible solution to climate change,” he says.
The Mono Awards 2024 Places category winner, Wade Cramer, Flooded Fences. Wade tells us his striking minimalist image Flooded Fences was taken last year at Lake George on the way to Canberra. “We stopped as we had never seen the lake so calm,” he says. “There was such great light, and when I took the shot I had a monochrome image in mind. There is a beauty to the fence wires as they flow in and out of the water and then there is that juxtaposition between the flooding caused by lots of rain, a symptom of climate change, and the wind turbines as is a possible solution to climate change,” he says.

Run in partnership with Capture, The Mono Awards 2025 is looking for the most talented black and white photographers.

For 2025, entrants will compete for a prize pool valued at more than $16,000, including A$12,000 in prize money and three Synology 4-Bay NAS systems and hard drives valued at $1,499 each.

Animals category winner, Guy Draper, The colony. “When travelling recently through Iceland we came upon a colony of gulls nesting in the cliffs above the ocean,” explains Guy Draper. “Gulls were coming and going with nesting material, courting, fighting and fishing for a feed. The rocks were dark, the gulls and their waste was white and I instantly knew this needed to be a monochrome shot. To me, this is a shot with a load of individual stories to tell, like those from the occupants of a high rise apartment building.”
The Mono Awards 2024 Animals category winner, Guy Draper, The colony. “When travelling recently through Iceland we came upon a colony of gulls nesting in the cliffs above the ocean,” explains Guy Draper. “Gulls were coming and going with nesting material, courting, fighting and fishing for a feed. The rocks were dark, the gulls and their waste was white and I instantly knew this needed to be a monochrome shot. To me, this is a shot with a load of individual stories to tell, like those from the occupants of a high rise apartment building.”

The largest competition for black and white photographers in the Southern Hemisphere, The Mono Awards attracted more than 4,000 entries last year.

“The Mono Awards is not just about the competition, it’s a celebration of the enduring power of black and white photography,” said James Ostinga, publisher of Australian Photography and Capture.

“We’re thrilled to be able to provide a platform for photographers to share their work and in the process raise the profile of black and white photography.”

The Mono Awards includes three categories: People, Places, Animals.

Entrants may make limited adjustments to their images in post-production but, importantly, images created or edited using generative artificial intelligence may not be entered.

One of the most anticipated elements of the awards is the publication of the best 90 entries in a special edition of Australian Photography magazine in September 2025.

This exclusive collection will provide lasting exposure for the photographers whose work resonates most with the competition’s judges. In addition, winners and runners-up will be announced at australianphotography.com, capturemag.com.au and themonoawards.com.au.

People category winner, Craig Stampfli, Reaching Out. Craig Stampfli's image was a collaboration with NSW model Joanne, and was captured in Ocean shores, just north of Byron Bay. “The intention with this image was to capture her hands as they escaped the surface,” he says. “I wanted her hands to be sharp and defined, with less focus on her physique. The added bonus with this split image was that her face was obscured by the water’s edge. Although Joanne is a remarkably beautiful woman, I have been working on a series of underwater portraits where the subject’s face is obscured.”
The Mono awards 2024 People category winner, Craig Stampfli, Reaching Out. Craig Stampfli's image was a collaboration with NSW model Joanne, and was captured in Ocean shores, just north of Byron Bay. “The intention with this image was to capture her hands as they escaped the surface,” he says. “I wanted her hands to be sharp and defined, with less focus on her physique. The added bonus with this split image was that her face was obscured by the water’s edge. Although Joanne is a remarkably beautiful woman, I have been working on a series of underwater portraits where the subject’s face is obscured.”

Early Bird entry pricing is on until 23 March 2025 and the competition closes 8 June 2025.

Photographers wanting to participate can find out more information and submit entries at www.themonoawards.com.au.