LOBA 2025: Insight into the exhibition of the winners and shortlisted works at the Ernst Leitz Museum

The large LOBA exhibition in Wetzlar remains on display until January 11, 2026, and is available immediately for a virtual tour.

Anyone who has not yet had the chance to see the elaborate display of the current LOBA edition, only has a few weeks left to do so. A visit to the Ernst Leitz Museum is well worth it again this year; and now a virtual tour is also available. For the first time, the entire exhibition can be experienced as a 3D presentation.

On October 9, 2025, during the Celebration of Photography in Wetzlar, Alejandro Cegarra was honoured as winner of the Main category, while Serghei Duve received the Newcomer award. The same evening, the special exhibition area – which had been carefully concealed until that moment – was finally unveiled for the LOBA 2025 presentation. As in former years, the LOBA exhibition is a visual journey of discovery. 

In addition to the two winning series, the ten other shortlisted ones have a place within the elaborate setting. The two curators, Karin Rehn-Kaufmann and Inas Fayed, have given each series its own compelling appearance. The presentation design for the award-winning works, with their different formats, frames, and wall colours, provide surprising and varied insight into the 45th LOBA year. The diversity of LOBA is also reflected in this year's display. The works address current problems and pressing issues of our world: the consequences of the climate crisis; acts of war and the resulting hardships, especially for civilian victims; the causes and consequences of flight and migration; social exclusion and political repression; but also the exemplary self-empowerment of marginalized groups. Courageous and touching personal stories that, despite the tough reality, also reveal moments of hope and confidence.

Time and again, the interplay between the individual series presents viewers with exciting angles of sight, visual correlations and new perspectives.  
The LOBA 2025 is an intense experience – when viewed in person at the Ernst Leitz Museum, as a virtual tour, or through the comprehensive catalogue.

The exhibition at the Ernst Leitz Museum was realised with the kind support of WhiteWall.