Behind the Scenes: the Jury, 2025
Once again this year, it is going to be exciting to see who has won the LOBA awards in the main and newcomer categories. On April 29, this year’s jury met to discuss and decide on the shortlist and winning series. The pictures and film we’re presenting here offer a first glimpse into the meeting of the five jury members.
The excitement will grow as we approach October 9 – on that evening, the series and photographers who will be receiving the LOBA 2025 will be announced, during a festive ceremony. Until then, all the series may be seen in more detail on the LOBA website.This is the 45th edition of the LOBA, which has been granted continuously since 1980. In 2025, the award is an additional highlight in the series of events marking Leica’s jubilee year, which celebrates the history of Leica under the motto “100 Years of Leica: Witness to a Century”.
By April, approximately 120 experts from the photography scene in 50 countries had submitted their nominations for the LOBA 2025. The jury then chose its favourites from that rich collection of proposals. The jury this year was comprised of: Jane Evelyn Atwood, Photographer and LOBA-Winner 1997 (USA/France); Cyril Drouhet, Deputy Director of Photography at Le Figaro Magazine (France); Felix Hoffmann, Artistic Director of Foto Arsenal Vienna (Austria); Curt Holtz, Editor-in-Chief for Photography and Architecture at Prestel Publishing (Germany); and Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director and General Representative Leica Galleries International (Austria).
“This year’s Leica Oskar Barnack Award jury made its decision with great attention to and an understanding of the social power of photography,” Karin Rehn-Kaufmann summarised. This was preceded by intense deliberations about the individual series submitted.
“The atmosphere at Leitz Park was inspiring – it’s a place that fosters creativity and facilitates high-level exchange,” said Felix Hoffmann, before emphasising how strongly “the mood during the jury’s work was characterised by respect, openness, curiosity and productive discussions. I found the work with the other jury members extremely enriching – you could feel a shared passion for photography.”
Jane Evelyn Atwood and Curt Holtz agree with this sentiment. According to Atwood, “the jury meetings were very agreeable and friendly – wonderful people!” while Holtz added his thoughts regarding the atmosphere of the jury meetings, saying: “Excellent. The team was well composed with experts from all fields of photography - book publishing, magazine publishing, museum curatorial, and a photographer, together with Karin Kaufmann and the Leica team. The preparations going into the meetings were efficient and professional. The setting in the Leitz-Park was, of course, exceptional.”
So, who is the winner? We will have to wait until October 9. One thing is already clear, however: “The LOBA is a very important award, offered by a prestigious outfit, and everyone knows it’s high class, top, and great for you if you are lucky enough and good enough to get it. It gives exposure, and people look at your work with a different eye, probably, if you’ve won the LOBA,” says Atwood, speaking of her own experience as the LOBA winner in 1997.
“The LOBA has become a fixed point of reference on the international photography scene. It stands for quality, diversity and social relevance,” says Hoffmann. Once again this year, the quality of the photographs submitted was exceptional, as can be seen in all twelve series. Consequently, it was not easy to select the two winning series. “That, however, is precisely what speaks for the high quality of the entries. There were many outstanding contributions – making the selection was a challenge... but also a privilege,” Hoffmann adds, on behalf of the entire jury. “After intense deliberations, we reached a strong, coherent result that reflects the breadth of the competition.”