Leica Camera announces winners of the sixth annual Leica Women Foto Project Award 

Today, Leica pays homage to International Women’s Day, and announces the winners of its sixth annual Leica Women Foto Project Award under the theme of “Unity Through Diversity”.

This year’s theme, “Unity Through Diversity,” prompted photographers to submit a photo essay exploring the importance of connection in times of division, from a female perspective. 

This year’s winners, Priya Suresh Kambli (US), Jennifer Osborne (Canada), Koral Carballo (Mexico), and Anna Neubauer (UK), were selected by a panel of judges ranging from award-winning photojournalists to renowned contributors to the world of photography. The selected winners from each of the regions will receive a Leica SL3 camera, a Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH lens, and a $10,000 USD cash prize. 

As part of the celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the Leica I, the seventh Annual Leica Women Foto Project Award 2026 will be integrated into the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA). This award is celebrated every autumn at Leica World in Wetzlar, Germany — the headquarters and home of Leica Camera’s production facilities. 

Karin Kaufmann, Art Director and Chief Representative of Leica Galleries international, said that the LOBA continues to inspire the community through reflection and celebration. Commenting on the Leica Women Foto Project, she said that it attracts remarkable talented artists with individuality at the forefront of their work.

She went on to say that each artist selected as an winner has a unique approach to photography and how it connects with their own narrative. “I am very pleased to integrate the Leica Women Foto Project into LOBA as a third independent and important category. It is essential to provide visibility and support to emerging female talents in photography.” 

The Leica Women Foto Project serves to highlight communities through picture documentaries. This award has played a key role in expanding the reach of visual stories, providing grants in collaboration with Women Photograph, Women Street Photographers and Photoville. 

6th Annual Leica Women Foto Project Winners:

USA: Priya Suresh Kambli

“Archive as Companion”

Priya Suresh Kambli’s work is deeply personal and rooted in experience of migrants. Inspired by an exhibition of vernacular hand-painted Indian studio portraits from The Alkazi Foundation, she started to explore themes of identity, memory, and belonging. 

Over the course of her twenty-year practice, Priya has revisited, reimagined, and reframed family portraits and heirlooms. In the process she built an archive that connects her to her ancestral roots and her adopted land. Through her work, she reflects on absence and loss, while navigating family dynamics to document lives using a visual narrative. 

Canada: Jennifer Osborne 

“Fairy Creek” 

Jennifer Osborne’s captivating photo series takes viewers deep into the heart of the Fairy Creek protests, where protestors came together to protect the old-growth forests of Vancouver Island.

Osborne began documenting life within the protest blockades a week before enforcement began, capturing the unfiltered moments of those first days. She continued to document the protests for the first three months of enforcement, witnessing firsthand the commitment of the demonstrators. 

These individuals camped in tents and vehicles, and fought to preserve the land. Osborne highlights their solidarity and determination, showing how every moment spent defending the forests was a battle not only for the land today, but for future generations.

This series, which documents the now-dismantled blockades and the trees they fought so hard to protect, underscores the significance of the environmental struggle as an example of “unity through diversity”, according to Leica. 

Mexico: Koral Carballo 

“Blood Summons” 

Koral Carballo’s photographic essays blend photography and oral history in the search for identity among Afro-descendant and Mestizo communities in Veracruz, Mexico. Carballo uncovers the roots beneath complex family trauma, inviting viewers to reflect on their own connections to the past and to discover their own unity.

Her project Blood Summons (or La Sangre Llama), a popular Mexican saying referring to the call to search for one’s ancestors, represents both her personal journey and a broader exploration of past actions. With this work, Carballo calls for “reparation”, aiming for connection rather than division. 

UK: Anna Neubauer 

 “Ashes from Stone”

Anna Neubauer’s ongoing documentary project, “Ashes from Stone,” is a powerful photo essay that portrays individuals who defy societal norms. Neubauer’s striking portraits show people from various backgrounds, amplifying their voices and challenging audiences to rethink their traditional views of femininity and strength. 

The project challenges stereotypes, redefines beauty, and embraces narratives around family, relationships, and motherhood. Each photograph is accompanied by a personal story that humanises the subjects, fostering empathy, and promoting a greater understanding of differences. 

For more information please visit:

2025 Leica Women Foto Project Award

100 Years of Leica: Witness to a Century 

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