Leica launches new LOBA Women Grant to support female photographers worldwide

Priya Suresh Kambli, from the Archive as Companion series; 2025 Leica Women Foto Project Award winner

(Image credit: Priya Suresh Kambli / Leica)

Leica has announced the launch of the LOBA Women Grant, a new international funding initiative designed to support and elevate the work of female photographers. Introduced as part of the prestigious Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the grant expands the LOBA program beyond its established Main and Newcomer categories, offering dedicated recognition and financial backing for women working on ambitious photographic projects.

Applications for the inaugural LOBA Women Grant will open on February 11 and close on March 15, 2026. Open to professional female photographers aged 21 and over, the grant is global in scope and invites applicants to submit proposals for new photographic series.

The successful recipient will be awarded €10,000 (approx. $11,751.65) in project funding, along with a Leica Q camera and professional support throughout the development and production of their work.

Leica Q3 digital camera — (Image credit: Gareth Bevan / Digital Camera World)

While the thematic focus of submissions is open, projects must align with the core ethos of the LOBA, which has long championed photographic storytelling that explores the complex and often fragile relationship between people and their environment. This broad framework allows photographers to approach the theme from personal, social, political, or environmental perspectives, encouraging nuanced and contemporary visual narratives.

The winning project will receive significant international exposure. As part of the LOBA award cycle, the completed series will be premiered in Wetzlar in October 2027, before touring selected Leica Galleries worldwide and appearing at major photography festivals. This extended exhibition program situates the grant firmly within Leica’s broader cultural commitment to photography, encompassing both art and documentary practices.

Leica LOBA awards logo

(Image credit: Leica)

With the introduction of the LOBA Women Grant, Leica strengthens its investment in long-form photographic work and signals a clear intention to create more structured opportunities for female photographers on the global stage.

By combining financial support, equipment, and institutional backing, the new grant aims not only to recognize talent, but to enable the creation of meaningful, career-defining photographic projects actively.

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For nearly two decades Sebastian's work has been published internationally. Originally specializing in Equestrianism, his visuals have been used by the leading names in the equestrian industry such as The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), The Jockey Club, Horse & Hound, and many more for various advertising campaigns, books, and pre/post-event highlights.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, holds a Foundation Degree in Equitation Science, and holds a Master of Arts in Publishing. He is a member of Nikon NPS and has been a Nikon user since his film days using a Nikon F5. He saw the digital transition with Nikon's D series cameras and is still, to this day, the youngest member to be elected into BEWA, the British Equestrian Writers' Association.

He is familiar with and shows great interest in 35mm, medium, and large-format photography, using products by Leica, Phase One, Hasselblad, Alpa, and Sinar. Sebastian has also used many cinema cameras from Sony, RED, ARRI, and everything in between. He now spends his spare time using his trusted Leica M-E or Leica M2, shooting Street/Documentary photography as he sees it, usually in Black and White.

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