Twelve finalists of this year’s Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) have been revealed. They were selected from around 2,700 photographers from 104 countries.
"The photo projects by the twelve finalists are characterised by enormous diversity,” said Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director & Director General of Leica Galleries International. “The way each of these photographers perceives the world, and how they artistically interpret the theme of the competition - the interaction between people and their environment – makes every portfolio unique in its own special way.”
Now in its 37th year, the total proze pool for the competiton this year is 80,000 euros. The winner in the main category will receive a cash prize of 25,000 euros and Leica M-System equipment (a camera and lens) valued at an additional 10,000 euros. The winner of the Newcomer Award will receive a cash prize of 10,000 euros and will also be presented with a Leica rangefinder camera and lens. In addition to the two main categories, ten further submissions to the competition will receive prizes of 2,500 euros.
The complete portfolios from the categories ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Award’ and ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Award Newcomer’ can now be viewed at www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com.
The finalists
• Terje Abusdal, Norway: ‘Slash & Burn’
• Clara Chichin, France: ‘Under the eyes that few minutes exhaust’
• Yoann Cimier, Tunisia: ‘Nomad’s Land’
• Aleksey Kondratyev, Kyrgyzstan: ‘Ice Fishers’
• Sergey Melnitchenko, Ukraine: ‘Behind the Scenes’
• Gideon Mendel, South Africa: ‘Drowning World’
• Dominic Nahr, Switzerland: ‘Fallout’
• Ekaterina Sevrouk, Germany: ‘Fremd bin ich eingezogen’
• Viktoria Sorochinski, Ukraine: ‘Lands of No-Return’
• Vera Torok, Hungary: ‘Accidentally on Purpose’
• Emilien Urbano, France: ‘War of a Forgotten Nation’
• Patrick Willocq, France: ‘You cannot pick a stone with one finger’
