Leica Oskar Barnack Awards 2026: Faizulin, Stevens and Sinis Take Top Honors
Leica has revealed the recipients of the 2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA), which features the inaugural LOBA Women Grant. The top honor went to Russian photographer Damir Faizulin for his work "Preserving Nature as Preserving Ourselves," which explores the connection between humans and nature in Dagestan. Born in Uzbekistan in 1986, Faizulin began his photography journey in 2020. The Newcomer Award was presented to American Laila AnnMarie Stevens for her "Clayton Sisterhood Project." Italian Valentina Sinis was awarded the first LOBA Women Grant for "The Last Butterflies," highlighting Kurdish women in Iraq. Faizulin receives €40,000 and a Leica kit, while Stevens and Sinis each get €10,000, with Sinis also receiving a Leica Q3 and professional support. The jury featured Jane'a Johnson and Celina Lunsford.
Key facts
- Leica announced the 2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award winners and the inaugural LOBA Women Grant.
- Damir Faizulin won the main LOBA prize for his series "Preserving Nature as Preserving Ourselves," documenting Dagestan in the North Caucasus, southern Russia.
- Faizulin's series was selected from over 400 entries nominated by more than 130 photographic experts worldwide.
- Laila AnnMarie Stevens won the Newcomer Award for "Clayton Sisterhood Project," about her sisters and nieces who moved from Queens to Clayton, North Carolina.
- Valentina Sinis is the first LOBA Women Grant winner for "The Last Butterflies," on Kurdish women in an armed resistance in Iraq.
- Faizulin receives €40,000 and a Leica kit worth €10,000; Stevens gets €10,000 and a Leica Q3; Sinis receives €10,000, a Leica Q3 and professional support.
- The 2026 LOBA jury included Jane'a Johnson (MoMA), Celina Lunsford (Fotografie Forum Frankfurt), Paolo Pellegrin and Gu Zheng (Fudan University).
- The next chapter of Sinis' "The Last Butterflies" will be showcased at LOBA next year.
Entities
Artists
- Damir Faizulin
- Laila AnnMarie Stevens
- Valentina Sinis
- Jane'a Johnson
- Celina Lunsford
- Paolo Pellegrin
- Gu Zheng
- Karin Rehn-Kaufmann
- Dmitry Markov
- Anna Zakharova
- Amber N. Ford
- Soran Qurbani
Institutions
- Leica
- Leica Oskar Barnack Award
- LOBA Women Grant
- The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Fotografie Forum Frankfurt (FFF)
- Fudan University School of Journalism
- The New York Times
- Fashion Institute of Technology
- Leica Galleries International
- PetaPixel
- Leica Camera AG
Locations
- Dagestan
- North Caucasus
- Russia
- Uzbekistan
- Kaliningrad
- South Jamaica
- Queens
- New York
- United States
- Clayton
- North Carolina
- Iraq
- Germany
- Italy
- China
- Shanghai
- Frankfurt
- Khunzakh
- Tsovkra
- Megeb
- Chokh
- Mochokh
- Makhachkala
- Bayside
- Rego Park
- Mount Vernon