The Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2024: Shortlisted Nominations Revealed

The anticipation builds as Leica Camera AG announces the twelve photographers who have made it onto the shortlist for the prestigious Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) 2024. This year marks the 44th edition of the award, renowned globally for recognizing excellence in photography.

The shortlisted series are now available on the LOBA website, where each will be presented in more detail in the coming weeks. The excitement continues to grow as the identities of the winners of both the main and newcomer categories will remain a mystery until the award ceremony on 10th October. This grand event will take place at Leica headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany, accompanied by a celebratory gathering.

The selection process for LOBA 2024 began with 80 international photography experts from around 50 countries submitting their proposals. The jury then deliberated to finalize the shortlist and determine the winners for the main and newcomer awards. The LOBA Newcomer Award is specifically for photographers under the age of 30, with nominees proposed in collaboration with major international photography institutions and universities from 20 countries.

Following the 10th October award ceremony, all shortlisted series will be showcased in a grand exhibition at the Ernst Leitz Museum in Wetzlar, supported by WhiteWall. The exhibition will feature a comprehensive catalogue and will later tour Leica Galleries and photo festivals worldwide.

LOBA is one of the most prestigious and well-endowed photography awards. The main category winner receives 40,000 euros and Leica camera equipment worth 10,000 euros, while the Newcomer Award winner receives 10,000 euros and a Leica Q3 camera.

LOBA 2024 Shortlist Series (Main and Newcomer Categories)

• Forough Alaei: The Underneath of the Calm Streets of Iran
• Anush Babajanyan: Nagorno-Karabakh War and Exodus
• Emily Garthwaite: Tears of the Tigris
• Ksenia Ivanova: Between the Trees of the South Caucasus
• Maria Gutu: Homeland
• Lucas Lenci: Inattention Era
• Adriana Loureiro Fernandez: Paradise Lost
• Sara Meneses Cuapio: Raízhambre (Root Hunger)
• Davide Monteleone: Critical Minerals – Geography of Energy
• Ingmar Björn Nolting: An Anthology of Changing Climate
• Tong Niu: Express Delivery
• Etinosa Yvonne: It’s All in My Head

Members of the 2024 LOBA Jury

• Dimitri Beck, Head of the Photography Department at Polka (magazine, gallery, factory), France
• Per Gylfe, Director of Education at the International Center of Photography (ICP), New York, USA
• Ciril Jazbek, Photographer and LOBA Newcomer Winner 2013, Slovenia
• Amélie Schneider, Head of the Picture Editorial Department at Die Zeit, Germany
• Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director and General Representative of Leica Galleries International, Austria

Stay tuned for more updates as the LOBA 2024 progresses, and be sure to visit the LOBA website to explore the stunning works of this year’s finalists.