12 Finalists Announced for 2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award
The 46th Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) has revealed its twelve contenders for the Main Prize, selected by 130 experts from 48 nations. Among the finalists are Saher Alghorra (Palestine) for 'Witnessing Gaza'; Todd Antony (New Zealand) for 'Buzkashi'; Anush Babajanyan (Armenia) for 'The Aral Sea and the Battered Waters of Central Asia'; Damir Faizulin (Russia) for 'Preserving Nature as Preserving Ourselves'; and William Keo (France) for 'Extramuros'. Additional nominees include Slava Lyu-fa (Russia) for 'Inner Distance'; Valery Melnikov (Russia) for 'Mariupol: Open Wounds'; Benedikt Renč (Czech Republic) for 'Cairo'; Elliot Ross (Taiwanese-American) for 'A Question of Balance'; Annie Sakkab (Palestinian-Jordanian) for 'We Used to Watch the Rivers Go By'; David Sládek (Czechoslovakian-born, based in UK/Ireland) for 'People of Šumiac'; and Laila AnnMarie Stevens (USA) for 'Clayton Sisterhood Project'. The winners will be unveiled on October 8, 2026, in Wetzlar, Germany.
Key facts
- 12 finalists shortlisted for the 46th Leica Oskar Barnack Award Main Prize.
- Finalists selected from 130 nominators across 48 countries.
- First-ever LOBA Women Grant winner selected, to be presented in 2027.
- Winners announced October 8, 2026, in Wetzlar, Germany.
- Newcomer Award nominees from 28 international institutions in 18 countries.
- Saher Alghorra documents war in Gaza in series 'Witnessing Gaza'.
- Todd Antony photographs Buzkashi sport in Tajikistan.
- Anush Babajanyan covers Aral Sea environmental crisis.
- Damir Faizulin focuses on Dagestan's nature and people.
- William Keo explores Parisian banlieues in 'Extramuros'.
- Slava Lyu-fa documents Arctic communities in Russia.
- Valery Melnikov records Mariupol devastation from Russian invasion.
- Benedikt Renč captures Cairo's changing urban landscape.
- Elliot Ross examines water issues in Navajo Nation.
- Annie Sakkab studies water scarcity in Jordan.
- David Sládek portrays Slovak village Šumiac and its Roma community.
- Laila AnnMarie Stevens documents Black women in Clayton, North Carolina.
- LOBA established in 1980, awarded annually.
Entities
Artists
- Saher Alghorra
- Todd Antony
- Anush Babajanyan
- Damir Faizulin
- William Keo
- Slava Lyu-fa
- Valery Melnikov
- Benedikt Renč
- Elliot Ross
- Annie Sakkab
- David Sládek
- Laila AnnMarie Stevens
- Karin Rehn-Kaufmann
Institutions
- Leica Oskar Barnack Award
- Leica Galleries International
- PetaPixel
Locations
- Wetzlar
- Germany
- Gaza
- Palestine
- Tajikistan
- Aral Sea
- Uzbekistan
- Kazakhstan
- Dagestan
- Russia
- Paris
- France
- Arctic
- Mariupol
- Ukraine
- Cairo
- Egypt
- Navajo Nation
- United States
- Jordan
- Šumiac
- Slovakia
- Clayton
- North Carolina
- USA
- Queens
- New York City