Leica’s New LOBA Women Grant Supports More Female Photographers

Leica is folding its women-oriented photography grant in with the company’s flagship competition, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA). Alongside the usual Main and Newcomer LOBA categories, the annual competition will now include the new LOBA Women Grant, which is open to photographers worldwide.

Leica says the substantial funding provided by the LOBA Women Grant will help female photographers realize their creative goals and undertake new photography projects. The grant recipients’ work will be presented as part of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award exhibition, which debuts at Leica’s headquarters in Wetzlar before being showcased at various Leica Galleries and photography festivals worldwide.

The application period for the first LOBA Women Grant will open on February 11 and run through March 15, 2026. The LOBA Women Grant is for professional women photographers who are at least 21 years old. Interested photographers can apply for the grant for an ongoing project or a new one. Once the submission period ends, the corresponding LOBA jury, which changes annually, will evaluate the proposals and select a candidate. The goal is for the grant to help the winner complete their project in time for the following year’s Leica Oskar Barnack Awards.

The LOBA Women Grant comes with an endowment of 10,000 euros, or nearly $12,000 at current exchange rates. It also includes a Leica Q and continued support from Leica throughout the implementation and production phases.

It is an “open” theme, meaning that any topic is available to entrants. However, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award committee notes that a winning photographic series will typically address the relationship between people and the environment, whether social, cultural, or ecological.

“In addition to a critical approach to our societal, ecological or political challenges, we want to encourage women photographers to submit projects that, in particular, present hopeful perspectives, document inspiring approaches to solutions, or reveal ways to bring about change. Series that encourage and illuminate positive changes, are also an important part of the discourse and are very welcome,” says Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director and General Representative of Leica Galleries International. Rehn-Kaufmann manages the LOBA.

The LOBA Women Grant builds upon Leica’s rich legacy of supporting women photographers. Back in 2019, Leica Camera USA launched the Leica Women Photo Award. In the years since, the Leica Women Photo Award has expanded to include additional regions, including most recently, photographers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The LOBA Women Grant is open to photographers worldwide.

Photographers can enter on this page beginning on February 11, 2026.

Image credits: Leica