Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2022: The winners

The two winners of the 2022 Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA), the renowned international photo competition that was held for the 42nd time this year, have now been selected.

In the main category of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, it was Kiana Hayeri – born in Iran and brought up in Canada – who convinced the jury of five. Her project, the “Written on the Ice, Left in the Sun” series, was proposed by no less than three nominators. For the Leica Oskar Barnack Award in the Newcomer category, it was German photographer Valentin Goppel who prevailed, with his “Between the Years” series. His work was submitted by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover.

Kiana Hayeri: Promises Written on the Ice, Left in the Sun
After the withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, it took only a few days for the Taliban to destroy all the achievements made in the areas of freedom of expression, women’s rights and education, and to instil fear and insecurity in their place. The photographer was born in Iran, in 1988, and brought up in Canada. She has been living in Afghanistan for eight years now; her work centres, in particular, around the living situations of women.

Valentin Goppel: Between the Years
Young adults in times of Corona: the series by the German photographer (born 2000) explores the impact of the pandemic on his generation. He, too, experienced the sudden break away from habits, and the feelings of insecurity that seemed to define people’s plans and the future. Corona was like a catalyser for an ongoing sense of disorientation. Photography, however, offered Goppel a tool with which to better understand his thoughts and fears, and enabled him to give the sense of forlornness visual expression.

The winner of the LOBA receives 40,000 euros and Leica camera equipment valued at 10,000 euros; the winner of the Newcomer Award receives 10,000 euros and a Leica Q2.

On October 20, 2022, the two winners will be honoured during an award ceremony, and an exhibition displaying all twelve shortlisted series will be opened, within the framework of a major Celebration of Photography. The 2022 LOBA catalogue, which will include the full series and background information concerning the winners and the ten shortlisted candidates, will accompany the exhibition. You can order the catalogue at the LFI shop.

Further information on this year’s winners can be found at the LOBA website.