Hunter valley photographer Sharron Leppien and Sydney’s Gaanesh Prasad have shared the
honours in the 2019 Mono Awards, the inaugural Australian and New Zealand photography
competition that sought to find the best black and white imagery in the region.
Run by Australian Photography and Capture, a judging panel
of nine of Australia and New Zealand’s finest photographers
judged the more than 2,000 entries in the competition, which
gave entrants a simple brief: the best single black and white
image across one of two categories, People and Places.
Leppien’s winning People-category image, captured in
Madagascar, shows a fleeting moment as a boy plays with a tyre
in the shadow of the island’s iconic Baobab trees. For judge John
Crawford, the image was a standout in a hugely competitive field.
“It’s striking and unique, with all the elements perfectly
placed. A beautiful image,” he said.
Gaanesh Prasad’s image Fly High was the result of more
than two hours patiently waiting at the Wings over Illawarra
airshow for the perfect moment to unfold.
“I always wanted to capture an image connecting the
spectators to the airshow above,” he explains.
“I happened to see a veteran holding his hand and covering
his eyes blocking the sun light as he was watching the warbirds
coming down, and so waited for the moment to happen.”Entrants competed for a prize pool in excess of
$10,000 in cash and prizes in the competition, thanks to
sponsors Momento Pro, Momento Photo books and Kudos
Cameras, with the winners each taking home $2,000 cash,
a $1,000 Momento Photo book prize and a $500 Kudos
cameras voucher.
Over the next few pages you can see the top 10 images in
each category, as well as the lists of our top 20 entries across
the two categories. Later in September, the public will have the
opportunity to vote for their favourite images across the top 30
images in each category in our People’s Choice vote, with the
winner for each category taking home the People’s choice crown
and a $250 Momento Photo books voucher. Keep an eye on the
Australian Photography Facebook page to get involved.
Finally a huge thank you to everyone who entered the
Mono Awards. Black and white photography has a rich
history in Australia and New Zealand and, judging by the
quality of entries in our first dedicated black and white
competition, its future is in very safe hands.MAJOR SPONSOR SUPPORTING SPONSOR