Allora Gallery - "Black & White" International Photography Contest and Exhibition Open Call
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
• Allora Gallery
• Deadline: June 27th, 2026
• Category: Black & White Photography
• Prize: Solo Exhibition + Exposure
• Entry Fees: Yes
• REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE
Colour often defines what we first notice in a photograph, but black and white reveals what lingers beneath the surface. In the absence of colour, the eye begins to move differently. It follows light across skin, traces shadows through architecture, and notices the quiet tension between darkness and illumination. The world becomes distilled into tone, form, texture, and emotion. Black and white photography is not simply a visual style — it is a way of interpreting reality.
Light becomes more deliberate in monochrome. A face emerging from shadow can feel cinematic, vulnerable, or timeless. A landscape reduced to gradations of grey can appear ancient, dreamlike, or strangely unfamiliar. Street scenes become studies in movement and contrast. Texture gains weight and presence: fog softens edges, rain reflects light, worn surfaces tell stories through every detail. By removing colour, black and white photography often reveals emotional truths that might otherwise remain hidden.
We are interested in photographs that fully explore this relationship between light, shadow, and meaning. We seek work that uses monochrome intentionally — not as an afterthought or aesthetic filter, but as an essential creative decision. What changes when colour is taken away? Does the image become quieter or more intense? More distant or more immediate? More abstract or more honest? We encourage artists to think deeply about why an image belongs in black and white and what that choice allows the photograph to communicate.
Submissions may include portraiture, landscape, documentary photography, street photography, architecture, still life, abstraction, experimental processes, and hybrid practices. We welcome both traditional and contemporary approaches, as long as the work demonstrates a strong understanding of monochrome as a powerful visual language. We are especially drawn to images where black and white heightens mood, sharpens meaning, and creates an experience that colour could not achieve in the same way.