Shortlist 2022 / Leica Oskar Barnack Award

Shortlist Overview

The 12 shortlisted candidates for the internationally-renowned Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) photo competition, that will be granted this year for the 42nd time, have been determined. In the coming weeks, all series will be presented in more detail.

Alessandro Cinque: Peru – A Toxic State

Alessandro Cinque travelled to the south of Peru a number of times, in support of the local indigenous population, who are faced with the social and ecological consequences of mining. Whenever the photographer returned from a journey, he brought back intensely emotional and, at times, shattering images. The resulting mammoth project, “Peru – A Toxic State”, delivers exemplary photographic proof that neocolonialism and neoliberalism are still serious problems.

Irene Barlian – Land of the Sea

Indonesia is one of the countries most severely affected by climate change. The Southeast Asian archipelago consists of over 17,000 islands; due to rising sea levels, most of them are at risk of flooding. Irene Barlian portrays people who counter this hopeless situation with their unwavering will to survive. The pictures are as haunting as they are empathic.

DOCKS Collective – The Flood in Western Germany

Schuld, Altenahr, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Dernau, Erftstadt: a full year after the flood disaster, the names of these communities in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia remain representative of entire regions that were directly affected by the heavy rain and ensuing floods. The DOCKS Photographer Collective have been to these locations time and again, to document the destruction and the suffering of the people, as well as the reconstruction efforts.

Léonard Pongo – Primordial Earth

Symbolic, suggestive and full of imaginary strength: in Léonard Pongo’s intuitive long-term project, themes such as creation, apocalypse and eternal recurrence are turned into an allegory for the history of humankind and the planet. Nature, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is the starting point.

Felipe Romero Beltrán – Bravo

The Río Bravo is the river that runs along the border between Mexico and the USA. For many, it represents the chance to reach a new country and a new life. For others, it means homeland and belonging. Felipe Romero Beltrán’s photographic essay explores the tensions in a place where the border is not a wall, but rather an area of transition.

Lynsey Addario – Women on the Frontline of Climate Change

Flooding, droughts, forest fires: in her series, American photojournalist Lynsey Addario captures the impact of climate change on daily life. Her camera focuses on women, from four different regions around the world, who fight against environmental destruction. With rich imagery, bold colours and accentuated sharpness, her photographs aim to inspire the viewer to be more aware of the need to care for the environment.

Victoria Razo – Haitian Migration Crisis

Rose Desmornes and her husband Jean Kely Dorjean are two, of more than 10,000 Haitians, who tried to cross the wall from Mexico into the United States last year. Photojournalist Victoria Razo met them, while she was working on a photographic project for National Geographic. She decided to spend a number of months accompanying the family, during their start in a new life.

Rafael Vilela – Forest Ruins: Indigenous Way of Life and Environmental Crisis in the Americas’ Largest City

The tiny territory that is home to the indigenous Guarani Mbyá people lies at the very north of the Brazilian metropolis of São Paulo. Surrounded by a green oasis, they live in six villages at the edge of the enormous city, which was largely built on forest ruins – an expression accredited to the indigenous philosopher and activist, Ailton Krenak.

Nanna Heitmann – Protectors of Congo’s Peatland

Gentle imagery to deal with a burning hot subject: Nanna Heitmann’s series introduces the inhabitants of the village of Lokolama in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They have banded together to defend the as-yet-untouched peatlands in their region: a place where an enormous quantity of carbon is stored; and if it were to be set free, it would have fatal consequences – for the whole planet.

M’hammed Kilito – Before It’s Gone

Oases are places of rich beauty, fertility and biodiversity. However, they are increasingly falling victim to climate change, and suffering from the consequences of dryness and drought. In his series, the Moroccan photographer explores an ecological system at risk of extinction – while also trying to rescue a piece of his country’s cultural heritage.

Shortlist 2022

The shortlisted candidates for the internationally-renowned Leica Oskar Barnack Award photo competition, that will be granted this year for the 42th time, are set.

Shortlist Overview

Alessandro Cinque: Peru – A Toxic State

Irene Barlian – Land of the Sea

DOCKS Collective – The Flood in Western Germany

Léonard Pongo – Primordial Earth

Felipe Romero Beltrán – Bravo

Lynsey Addario – Women on the Frontline of Climate Change

Victoria Razo – Haitian Migration Crisis

Rafael Vilela – Forest Ruins: Indigenous Way of Life and Environmental Crisis in the Americas’ Largest City

Nanna Heitmann – Protectors of Congo’s Peatland

M’hammed Kilito – Before It’s Gone