Leica Unveils 2026 Oskar Barnack Award Winners

Faizulin’s winning series chronicles the delicate intersection of tradition and modernization in Russia's North Caucasus. Having moved to the region in 2021, the photographer sought to avoid oversimplifying the rapid changes brought by emerging tourism and architectural shifts. His work emphasizes the complexity of maintaining the balance between local heritage and the pressures of development. The main prize includes 40,000 euros and 10,000 euros worth of Leica equipment.

In the Newcomer category, American photographer Laila AnnMarie Stevens earned recognition for her Clayton Sisterhood Project. Her black-and-white photography explores contemporary queer kinship and the enduring legacy of Black womanhood, centered on her own family’s relocation from New York to North Carolina. Meanwhile, the LOBA Women Grant, which provides 10,000 euros and a Leica Q3, supports Valentina Sinis in her long-term study of Kurdish female fighters in Iraq. Sinis, who splits her time between China, Iraq, and Italy, intends to use the grant to document the personal toll and transformative nature of the armed resistance, with findings slated for next year’s exhibition.