Vietnamese writer wins prize at Monochrome Photography Awards

Long revealed that his work “The Reach” that claimed the title in the amateur conceptual category uses stark contrast to invite viewers to reflect on invisible barriers in society.

The image features two hands reaching toward each other against a simple background of black and white paper. One hand is stained black with ink, while the other remains clean.

In addition to the award, one of Long’s black-and-white photographs was selected as the cover image for Heart Rhythm, a scientific journal published by Elsevier, in early January 2026.

The Monochrome Photography Awards 2025 awarded first prize to Confrontation by Iranian artist Ali Zolghadri. Second and third prizes went to “I See Only What I Want to See” by Swedish artist Ylva Sjogren and “Between Worlds” by Hong Kong–based artist Angela Wong.

In addition, 40 Honorable Mentions were also presented to artists from various countries. An estimated 8,000–10,000 entries were submitted to the competition in 2025.

Tran Phi Long is a medical doctor and novelist known for his works of fiction, including the short story collection “Thời đại Sodom” and the novel series Đối - Hòa - Hỗn - Tận. In recent years, he has shifted his creative focus from writing to visual art, including painting and photography.

Long said his approach to conceptual photography is strongly influenced by the ideas of French artist Marcel Duchamp, who argued that art should engage the intellect rather than serve purely visual pleasure.

Photos of Vietnamese landscapes honoured at 35AWARDS Photography Award

VOV.VN - Two shots taken by local photographers Nguyen Minh Tu and Bui Van Hai have been named among the top 100 in the drone photography category of the ninth 35AWARDS, an international event created in 2015 by the professional photo community 35photo.pro.