Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2024 Winners
In the 44th edition of the prestigious photography award, the LOBA jury selected Italian-born, Swiss-based photographer DAVIDE MONTELEONE (link to photographs, biography, statement) with his series “Critical Minerals – Geography of Energy,” for the main prize, while Moldovan photographer MARIA GUTU won the LOBA Newcomer Award for her “Homeland” series. The two winning series were selected from a field of around 250 submissions, which had been previously presented to the LOBA jury by roughly 80 international photography experts from around 50 countries.
Jury statement Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director and Chief Representative Leica Galleries International: “On behalf of the whole LOBA 2024 jury (Dimitri Beck, Head of the Photography Department at Polka; Per Gylfe, Head of the Education Department at the International Centre of Photography (ICP); Ciril Jazbek, photographer from Slovenia and 2013 LOBA Newcomer Award-winner; Amélie Schneider, Head of the Picture Editorial Department at Die Zeit, Germany, and myself), I would like to heartily congratulate the two winners of the Leica Oskar Barnack Awards. Both series are as different as they are convincing, in their approach to the basic constant of the LOBA, which questions the relationship of people to the environment.”
Jury statement Dimitri Beck: “The LOBA is surely a milestone in the international photography scene and plays a key role in promoting good visual storytelling. Presenting a shortlist of twelve photographers and their works is important to explore the diversity of visions and stories happening nowadays.”Jury statement Amélie Schneider: “In times of war, crises and social insecurity, photography remains the medium with which to reach and touch people’s emotions, and to make world events tangible.”Jury statement Per Gylfe: “The LOBA plays a crucial role in the international photography scene by highlighting and celebrating exceptional photographic work from around the world, and also encourages the ongoing dialogue about the role of photography in society.”
The LOBA is amongst the most highly endowed and prestigious awards in the field of photography: the winner of the LOBA receives 40,000 euros and Leica camera equipment valued at 10,000 euros, while the winner of the Newcomer Award receives 10,000 euros and a Leica Q3.
On 10th October the two winners have been honoured during the award ceremony and as part of an exhibition showing all twelve shortlisted series, within the framework of the Celebration of Photography in Wetzlar, Germany. After the exhibition at the Ernst Leitz Museum in Wetzlar, the LOBA 2024 series will be shown in other Leica Galleries and at photo festivals around the world.
The LOBA 2024 catalogue complementing the exhibition, introduces the complete picture series and background information from the full LOBA 2024 shortlist.
The realisation of the exhibition of the winning and shortlisted series is supported by WhiteWall.
Further information about this year’s winners is available at:
