Black Box Gallery - Black and White Photography Contest
- 5 hours ago
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• Black Box Gallery
• Deadline: September 10th, 2026
• Category: B&W Photography
• Prize: Exhibition in Portland (USA) + Sales
• Entry Fees: Yes
• REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE
Black Box Gallery invites photographers to participate in a juried group exhibition celebrating the enduring appeal and creative versatility of black and white photography. From the earliest traditions of the photographic medium to contemporary artistic practice, black and white imagery has remained a powerful way of seeing and interpreting the world. Its absence of color allows photographers to explore the essential elements of an image—light, shadow, texture, shape, contrast, emotion, and composition—with remarkable clarity and intensity.
There is something inherently timeless about black and white photography. It can evoke a sense of nostalgia and history while also feeling bold, modern, and highly contemporary. The medium has traditionally been associated with luminous tonal ranges, strong compositions, and carefully observed details, yet today's photographers continue to challenge these conventions and discover new possibilities within the form.
This exhibition embraces both the history and the evolution of black and white photography. Contemporary photographers are invited to engage with the visual traditions that have shaped the medium while approaching them through their own personal perspectives and artistic languages. Whether the work is quiet and contemplative, energetic and experimental, documentary in nature, or highly conceptual, Black Box Gallery is interested in seeing a wide range of interpretations.
The exhibition will seek diversity not only in photographic style but also in subject matter, technique, concept, and approach. Photographers are encouraged to submit work that demonstrates a distinctive vision and explores what black and white photography can communicate in a contemporary context. The selected works will come together to create a dynamic exhibition that reflects the richness and continuing relevance of monochromatic photography.
Juror: Todd Johnson
The exhibition will be juried by Todd Johnson, founder and director of Black Box Gallery. Johnson earned his MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and has built a distinguished career spanning photography, curation, arts education, and arts administration.
He has participated as a photography portfolio reviewer for Photolucida in Portland, Oregon, Critical Mass, Dodho Magazine in Barcelona, Spain, and Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon. His experience as a curator includes independent exhibition projects at institutions and galleries such as Linfield College in McMinnville, Gallery Homeland and Mile Post 5 in Portland, The Waiting Room Gallery in Minneapolis, 4X Gallery in Portland, and The Gorilla Art Gallery in San Francisco.
With 25 years of experience in arts education and arts administration, Johnson has developed an extensive understanding of contemporary photographic practice and exhibition-making. His own photographic work has been exhibited throughout Oregon, including at the University of Oregon’s White Box Gallery, Marylhurst University’s The Art Gym, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Reed College, Linfield College, FalseFront Gallery, and Augen Gallery.
His work has also been included in exhibitions across the United States, including Bushwick Open Studios in Brooklyn, Carroll Square Gallery in Washington, DC, Hi Lo Gallery in Olympia, Davis and Cline Gallery in Ashland, Midway Gallery in Bloomington, and The Diego Rivera Gallery in San Francisco.
Through this exhibition, Black Box Gallery aims to bring together established and emerging photographic voices and highlight the continuing creative possibilities of black and white imagery.