The Mono Awards 2026 – Top 50, People Category
From candid family moments to arresting portraits of complete strangers, these are the Top 50 entries selected by our judges in this year's People category.
Related links
The Mono Awards 2026 – Top 50, Places Category
The Mono Awards 2026 – Top 50, Animals Category
Australian Photography: The Mono Awards 2026 presented by Synology: The winners!
The Guardian: In black and white: the 2026 mono photography awards in pictures
Digital Camera World: It carried more emotional weight than i had realized...
Winner, People category
'Childhood' by Carly Goldsmith
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Carly Goldsmith photographed her two youngest children playing together in her backyard one afternoon, capturing an unposed moment as the afternoon sun cast a defined shadow across the fence. Goldsmith says the ordinary moment took on greater emotional weight when she reviewed the image later. |
Runner-up, People category
'Jin' by Ross Mclennan
Ross McLennan's 'Jin' forms part of a series titled Ortho Surfers. Shot on 8x10 Ilford Ortho film after McLennan ran out of panchromatic film, the portrait was also used to test a semi-stand development process intended to extend the film's dynamic range.
3rd, People category
'Shadow Play' by Fiona Bowring
Fiona Bowring's Shadow Play captures her friend Jill playing with light and shadow against a gallery wall.
4th, People category
'Worrior Woman' by Phil Duval
A woman wearing an elaborate headdress is photographed at a Viking festival.
5th, People category
'Sarah Alzoubi at home' by Carly Earl
Portrait of Sarah Alzoubi in her Sydney home.
6th, People category
'Vitelli Mafia' by Ben Connolly
7th, People category
'Christmas Day' by Leo Farrell
8th, People category
'Drift' by Ainhoa Emaldi Azcue
9th, People category
'Passage' by Karen Waller
10th, People category
'Hello, Heaven, Hello' by Jordan Newton
11th, People category
'Becoming' by Heidi Margocsy
12th, People category
'Me, Myself and I' by Axel Calvet
13th, People category
'Before the storm' by Brian Hodges
14th, People category
'Generations' by Guy Templeton
15th, People category
'Underwater reflection' by Chris Wood-Willems
16th, People category
'Elilith shadow of silhouette' by Nick Pasitchnyj
17th, People category
'Eyes full of wonder' by Emma Stubbs
18th, People category
'First Shave' by Rebecca Wang
19th, People category
'In the Footsteps of a Master' by Dragoljub Zamurovic
20th, People category
'She's Here' by Kate Zarboch
21st, People category
'True Resilience' by Benji Hardwick
22nd, People category
'Ancestral' by Fernanda Pedroso
23rd, People category
'Caught Napping' by Eric Wong
24th, People category
'The Weight Above' by Fernanda Pedroso
25th, People category
'Kite Boys' by Tania Ross
26th, People category
'Wonder' by Gemma Cole
27th, People category
'After Loss, Before Hope' by Amanda Wheatley
28th, People category
'A different view' by Scott Jamieson
29th, People category
'Man at Fatehpur Sikri' by Richard Misquitta
30th, People category
'Freewheeling' by Jodie Stallard
31st, People category
'A Nomadic Life' by Michelle Lawford
32nd, People category
'Between Us' by Karen Moffatt-McLeod
33rd, People category
'Intention' by Heidi Margocsy
34th, People category
'A life lived' by Shanelle Watters
35th, People category
'Emerging' by Heidi Margocsy
36th, People category
'To Have and to Hold' by Donna Lauridsen
37th, People category
'Sky seated from above' by Nick Pasitchnyj
38th, People category
'Walking On Water' by Alex Coppel
39th, People category
'The First Ripple' by Fernanda Pedroso
40th, People category
'Smoko' by Stephen Pidgeon
41st, People category
'Spin Cycle' by Dean Lewins
42nd, People category
'Blakey Johnston' by Bec Lorrimer
43rd, People category
'The weight of flowers' by Donna Dickson
44th, People category
'Samantha Harris' by Bec Lorrimer
45th, People category
'The Moment In Between' by Heidi Margocsy
46th, People category
'King of the Castle' by Lachlan Mayfield
47th, People category
'A man of the mountains' by Beth Baker
48th, People category
'Seeking light through darkness' by Blake Sharp-Wiggins
49th, People category
'The Wild God' by Jordan Newton
50th, People category
'Varanasi Sadhu' by Richard Misquitta
