This year’s Celebration of Photography was a truly special occasion. Alongside this year’s award recipients, many past winners, nominators and gallerists helped make the anniversary a vibrant reflection of what the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) has represented since 1979: photography as a space for human encounters, as an art of seeing and understanding, and as a bridge between cultures and generations.

The LOBA award ceremony stirred emotions, sparked inspiration and captured imaginations – becoming a moving tribute to the power of photography and the individuals behind the camera. With heartfelt thanks to the photographers who shine light on stories with empathy, courage and passion, Leica highlighted the LOBA’s key purpose: to spotlight the moments that define our shared memory.

The 45th LOBA edition powerfully affirmed photography’s vital role in shaping our understanding of the world. It creates encounters, demands accountability and sustains a timeless dialogue between vision and humanity.

2025 LOBA Winners: Alejandro Cegarra and Serghei Duve

The main LOBA prize was won by photographer Alejandro Cegarra, who was born in Venezuela in 1989 and lives in Mexico. He already won a LOBA in 2014, at a time when he was still a newcomer. His winning series this year, The Two Walls, came to life in the border region between Mexico and the US, where many migrants become stranded due to restrictive asylum policy, often in hopeless circumstances. Cegarra’s compassionate imagery centres chiefly on the personal destinies of those he photographs. LOBA Newcomer Serghei Duve, who was born in Moldova in 1999, presents his family’s enduring connection to their homeland of Transnistria in his extraordinary series Bright Memory. This is a region that declared independence from the Republic of Moldova 35 years ago and remains internationally unrecognised, with support primarily from Russia to this day.

2025 Shortlist Shown in Major Exhibition at Ernst Leitz Museum

The vernissage of the LOBA exhibition was the standout event on the evening of 9 October. Alongside the two winning series, the full 2025 LOBA Shortlist – featuring 10 additional entries – is being showcased in an impressive exhibition at the Ernst Leitz Museum until 11 January 2026. The works reflect contemporary themes and pressing global issues: the impact of the climate crisis, the devastation of war and its toll on civilians, the causes and consequences of displacement and migration, experiences of social exclusion and political repression, as well as the remarkable self-empowerment of marginalised communities. The 2025 LOBA exhibition is a powerful showcase of courageous narratives and poignant destinies, which – amid harsh realities – also unveils moments of hope and resilience.

Further information can be found at www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com

Celebration of Photography: Event Dedicated to Encounters and Exchange

The afternoon preceding the vernissage was completely devoted to the LOBA. A panel discussion, along with numerous conversations on the fringes of the official programme, vividly brought the LOBA’s history to life and affirmed the significance of this award, now regarded as one of the most esteemed in the world of photography. This year’s diverse supporting programme was once again enriched by workshops and guided tours for the guests. This offered participants in the Celebration of Photography a firsthand glimpse into the diverse facets of the Leitz-Park and the historic landmarks of Leica’s legacy.

Leica Camera AG offers its sincere thanks to all employees, partners and supporters who once again helped make this year’s Celebration of Photography a truly unforgettable experience. Special thanks are extended to WhiteWall and the vineyard Weingut Leitz.

100 Years of Leica: Witness to a Century

In 2025, Leica Camera AG is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Leica I, which was first presented to the public at the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1925. As the first 35 mm still camera to be mass-produced, it exceeded all expectations. With its compact and handy format, it opened up a whole range of new photographic applications. All around the globe, Leica Camera AG is celebrating 100 years of continuous camera production and the camera that revolutionised the world of photography, under the motto “100 Years of Leica: Witness to a Century”. Cultural projects and extraordinary special-edition products will be launched throughout the year at international events organised by the Leica national subsidiaries in the major cities of Dubai, Milan, New York, Shanghai and Tokyo. The anniversary week, which took place at the company’s headquarters in Wetzlar in June, marked the high point of the celebrations. On top of that, visitors can look forward to top-class exhibitions in the worldwide network of Leica Galleries with works by outstanding photographers.

Please find further information at:

Leica Camera AG
Global Corporate Communications 
E-Mail: press@leica-camera.com