2 Vietnamese win ‘honorable mentions’ at international black-and-white photography awards

Viet’s photo of farmers cycling by a lone tree on the outskirts of Hanoi on a winter morning was honored in the “Fine Art” category.

Farmers cycle on the outskirts of Hanoi on a winter morning. Photo by Tran Tuan Viet

He said: “I had to get up at 3 a.m. to get to this place. I stood in a field on a winter morning and waited for over an hour to capture this moment.”

Chinh was honored in the “Street” category for a photo showing two men plowing a field that looks rocky on the Dong Van karst plateau in the northern province of Ha Giang.

Two men plow a field on Dong Van karst plateau in preparation for a new crop. Photo by Vu Xuan Chinh

Italian photographer Natalia Serzhanova was the overall winner in the professional category, winning the title of Monochrome Photographer of the Year and a US$2,000 award. Her winning image is a conceptual self-portrait expressing grief after the loss of a parent.

Considered one of the world’s most prestigious awards for black and white photography, this year they attracted thousands of entries in the abstract, architecture, street, portrait, landscape, beauty, nature, fine arts, and nude categories.