The Mono Awards 2026 is open for entries

28 January 2026
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We're delighted to announce the eighth edition of our annual black and white photography competition, The Mono Awards, presented by Synology, is now open for entries.

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

Em Hacon, Mum Said Don't Break The Clothesline, runner-up, People category, The Mono Awards 2025.
Em Hacon, Mum Said Don't Break The Clothesline, runner-up, People category, The Mono Awards 2025.

For 2026, entrants will compete for a prize pool valued at more than $12,500, including A$10,000 in prize money and three Synology BeeStation NAS units valued at $789 each.

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 a special competition, and one that has developed into a real celebration of black and white over the past eight years,” said Mike O'Connor, Editor of Australian Photography.

“What we love the most is how it has developed a real life of its own. It provides a platform for work that otherwise would never get seen by a wider audience.”

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

As in past years, the best 90 entries will be published in a special edition of Australian Photography magazine in September 2026, creating a tangible legacy of the finest images. 

Places category Winner, Will Eades, The heights of Akron. Will Eades’ Places category winning image The Heights of Akron was captured on the U.S. Plains during a storm chase through eastern Colorado. “As the storm structure matured, a violent tornado dropped in front of us, casting dramatic shadows and creating a surreal interplay of light and dust,” he says.“I knew it would be a strong image due to the sheer scale, movement, and the balance between chaos and form — all of which translate powerfully in black and white.”
Places category Winner, Will Eades, The heights of Akron. Will Eades’ 2025 Places category winning image The Heights of Akron was captured on the U.S. Plains during a storm chase through eastern Colorado. “As the storm structure matured, a violent tornado dropped in front of us, casting dramatic shadows and creating a surreal interplay of light and dust,” he says.“I knew it would be a strong image due to the sheer scale, movement, and the balance between chaos and form — all of which translate powerfully in black and white.”

In addition, winners and runners-up will be announced at australianphotography.com, capturemag.com.au and themonoawards.com.au.

Early Bird entry pricing is on until 23 March 2026 and the competition closes 8 June 2026.

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

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