Leica Oskar Barnack Award winners 2017

Norwegian photographer Terje Abusdal has won the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2017 with his long-term project, Slash & Burn. The Leica Oskar Barnack Award Newcomer 2017 was awarded to the Ukrainian photographer, Sergey Melnitchenko for his series, Behind the Scenes. The Newcomer category, for photographers aged up to 25 attracted around 800 entries.

Terje Abusdal was awarded 25,000 euro and a and Leica M camera and lens valued at an additional 10,000 euro for his long-term project which documented the Forest Finns who have been officially recognised as a national minority in Norway. He began the project as his diploma thesis at the Danish School of Journalism. During three years of research, he delved deeper and deeper into the traditions of the Forest Finns.

Abusdal used the question of how it’s possible to photograph something as immaterial as culture, especially one that has nearly died out as a starting point for the work. “I took certain elements of the past – fire, smoke and shamanism – and introduced them into the story.” Abusdal also wanted to explore the question of identity, migration, and belonging.

For his winning portfolio in the Newcomer category, Behind the Scenes, Sergey Melnitchenko documented dancers in a Chinese club where everything is hard reality. He received a cash prize of 10,000 euros and a Leica rangefinder camera and lens.