2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award Commences
Leica Camera has announced the 5 jury members for the 2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) and commenced the selection process. The winner of the newly established 'LOBA Women Grant' will also be announced this year.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 10, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 11, 2026 at 00:24 (3h 24m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 04:01 (219h 36m after Collected)
The internationally prestigious photography competition, the 'Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA),' sends a powerful and important message about the role and significance of photographic expression in contemporary times through the latest photo series submitted from around the world. It also selects and awards outstanding series created by a diverse and international group of photographers. The jury for this year has now been finalized, and the evaluation process for LOBA, which has continued since 1980, has begun. Once again, the winners will be chosen based on nominations from a nominating committee. The finalists and winners for both the 'Main Category' and the 'Newcomer Category' will ultimately be determined by the following five jury members:
* Gu Zheng (China): Professor, School of Journalism, Fudan University, Shanghai
* Jane Johnson (USA): Curator and Researcher / Assistant Curator, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York
* Celina Lunsford (Germany): Artistic Director and Curator, Fotografie Forum Frankfurt
* Paolo Pellegrin (Italy): Photographer
* Karin Rehn-Kaufmann (Austria): Art Director and Global Director of Leica Galleries International
For detailed biographies of the jury members, please click here.
In May, the jury will deliberate at Leica Camera's headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany, to select the winners from a maximum of 12 finalists in each of the LOBA 'Main Category' and 'Newcomer Category.' Furthermore, the winner of the newly established 'LOBA Women Grant' will also be announced, and the awarded works will be exhibited next year.
For the Main Category, candidates are initially selected through nominations by over 130 photography experts from approximately 48 countries worldwide. Based on their individual expertise, each nominator evaluates a photo series comprising 15 to 20 images and recommends up to three photographers as award candidates. The prerequisite for receiving a nomination for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award is that the submitted work must be themed around 'the relationship between people and their environment.'
* Gu Zheng (China): Professor, School of Journalism, Fudan University, Shanghai
* Jane Johnson (USA): Curator and Researcher / Assistant Curator, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York
* Celina Lunsford (Germany): Artistic Director and Curator, Fotografie Forum Frankfurt
* Paolo Pellegrin (Italy): Photographer
* Karin Rehn-Kaufmann (Austria): Art Director and Global Director of Leica Galleries International
For detailed biographies of the jury members, please click here.
In May, the jury will deliberate at Leica Camera's headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany, to select the winners from a maximum of 12 finalists in each of the LOBA 'Main Category' and 'Newcomer Category.' Furthermore, the winner of the newly established 'LOBA Women Grant' will also be announced, and the awarded works will be exhibited next year.
For the Main Category, candidates are initially selected through nominations by over 130 photography experts from approximately 48 countries worldwide. Based on their individual expertise, each nominator evaluates a photo series comprising 15 to 20 images and recommends up to three photographers as award candidates. The prerequisite for receiving a nomination for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award is that the submitted work must be themed around 'the relationship between people and their environment.'