Unity Through Diversity: Leica Camera Announces Winners for its Sixth Annual Leica Women Foto Project Award
A prestigious initiative dedicated to celebrating and empowering visual storytellers with a unique feminine perspective
Today, paying homage to International Women’s Day, Leica Camera announces the winners of its sixth annual Leica Women Foto Project Award. This year’s theme, "Unity Through Diversity," prompted photographers to submit a photo essay exploring the importance of connection in times of division, expressed through the feminine perspective.
This year’s awardees: Priya Suresh Kambli (US), Jennifer Osborne (Canada), Koral Carballo (Mexico), and Anna Neubauer (UK) were selected by a panel of notable 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.
“Each year, our expansive applicants continue to inspire the community through reflection and celebration,” said Karin Kaufmann, Art Director, Chief Representative of Leica Galleries International. “The Leica Women Foto Project draws remarkable talent that showcases individuality at the forefront of their work. Each artist selected as an awardee have such a unique approach to photography and how it resonates with their own narrative.”
The Leica Women Foto Project serves to spotlight the way we diversify our communities through visual stories and emphasize female empowerment by its creators. This award has played a key role in broadening the reach of visual narratives, providing grants in collaboration with Women Photograph, Women Street Photographers and Photoville.
6th Annual Leica Women Foto Project Winners
“Archive as Companion”
US Awardee: Priya Suresh Kambli
Priya Suresh Kambli’s work is deeply personal and rooted in the context of the migrant experience. Inspired by an exhibition of vernacular hand-painted Indian studio portraits from The Alkazi Foundation, she began intervening with her family archive to explore themes of identity, memory, and belonging. Over the course of her twenty-year practice, Priya has revisited, reimagined, and recontextualized family portraits and heirlooms, building an archive that connects her to both her ancestral roots and her adopted land. Through her work, she reflects on absence and loss, navigating family dynamics to document their lives with a thoughtful and composed narrative.
“Fairy Creek”
Canada Awardee: Jennifer Osborne
Jennifer Osborne’s captivating photo series takes viewers deep into the heart of the Fairy Creek protests, where activists 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 raw, unfiltered moments of those first days. She continued to document the protests for the first three months of enforcement, witnessing firsthand the courage and commitment of the activists. From diverse backgrounds, these individuals camped in tents and vehicles, fighting tirelessly to preserve the land. Through powerful imagery, Osborne highlights their unwavering solidarity and determination, showing how every moment spent defending the forests was a battle not only for the land but for future generations. This series, which documents the now-dismantled blockades and the trees they fought so hard to protect, underscores the profound significance of their environmental struggle.
“Blood Summons”
Mexico Awardee: Koral Carballo
Koral Carballo’s photographic essays blend photography and oral history to explore the search for identity among Afro-descendant and mestizo communities in Veracruz, Mexico. Through powerful imagery, she uncovers the roots of complex family trauma, inviting viewers to reflect on their own connections to the past. 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 historical injustices. With this work, Carballo calls for reparation, aiming to foster connection rather than division, and invites viewers to engage with these stories and their own histories.
“Ashes from Stone”
UK Awardee: Anna Neubauer
Anna Neubauer’s ongoing documentary project, Ashes from Stone, is a powerful photo essay that portrays individuals who defy societal norms of beauty, strength, and identity. Through striking portraits, Neubauer showcases people from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds in empowered settings, amplifying marginalized voices and encouraging audiences to rethink 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 narrative, deepening the connection with and humanizing the subjects, fostering empathy, and promoting a greater understanding of diversity.
Please visit https://leica-camera.com/en-US/leica-women-foto-project/about for more information on the 2025 Leica Women Foto Project Award.
100 years of Leica:
Witness to a Century
In 2025, Leica Camera AG is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Leica I, the first 35mm mass-produced camera, which was introduced to the public at the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1925. This groundbreaking camera exceeded all expectations with its compact, portable design, unlocking new possibilities in photography. Under the theme 100 Years of Leica: Witness to a Century, Leica Camera AG commemorates this milestone that transformed photography worldwide. Throughout the year, Leica will host international events in major cities including Dubai, Milan, New York, Shanghai, and Tokyo, showcasing cultural projects and exclusive special product editions. The highlight of the celebration will be the anniversary week in June at the company’s headquarters in Wetzlar. Additionally, the global Leica Gallery network will feature high-caliber exhibitions showcasing works by renowned photographers.
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About Leica Camera
Leica Camera AG is an international premium manufacturer of cameras, lenses and sports optics products with over 150 years of company history. As part of its growth strategy, the company has expanded its business to include mobile imaging (smartphones) and the manufacture of high-quality eyeglass lenses and watches and is represented in the home cinema segment with its own projectors.
Headquartered in Wetzlar (Germany) and with a second production site in Vila Nova de Famalicão (Portugal), Leica Camera AG has a global network of its own sales companies with over 120 Leica Stores. The company employs 2,400 people and achieved a turnover of 554 million euros in the 2023/24 financial year.
The Leica brand stands for excellent quality, German craftsmanship and industrial design combined with innovative technologies. An integral part of the brand culture is the promotion of the culture of photography with around 30 Leica Galleries worldwide, Leica Academies and international awards such as the Leica Hall of Fame Award and the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA).