When photographer Alejandro Cegarra set out for the US-Mexico border in 2018, he wanted to capture the struggles of migrants in a way that highlighted universally human emotions. After nearly seven years and 35,000 photographs, Cegarra’s The Two Walls series has earned the photographer a major global title – in a photography competition that he didn’t even enter.
Cegarra (@alecegarra) was recently awarded the 2025 Leica Oskar Barnack Award for the series, a global award that doesn’t rely on entries by the recipients themselves, but on nominations from other photographers. This week, the jury also awarded the Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award, which considers only photographers under age 30, to Serghei Duve for his series on everyday nostalgia, Bright Memory.
Cegarra is the first photographer to win both the Newcomer Award, which he received in 2014, and the Oskar Barnack Award in the history of the competition.
The Two Walls is the culmination of a years-long project photographing the migrants and refugees at the US-Mexico border. Cegarra, who was born in Venezuela but now lives in Mexico, uses black and white photographs to document the struggles and harsh conditions at Mexico’s border.
“I worked on this series from 2018 to January of this year and was always between the borders,” Cegarra said. “I wanted to concentrate on humanity and universally human emotions. In total, I took 35,000 pictures – of which I chose 20 for the LOBA series.”
By focusing on the emotions universal across the human experience, Cegarra creates a striking visual representation of the migrant experience that speaks to viewers, no matter their background. Cegarra, who has been working as a photographer since 2012, has also previously received the Getty Editorial Grant and has twice received the World Press Photo Global Award for Long-Term Projects. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Bloomberg, National Geographic, The Washington Post, and TIME.
“Alejandro Cegarra’s path is particularly moving: As a former winner of the Newcomer category, he returns with his impressive series The Two Walls – a work which highlights the topics of division, migration, and human dignity with vivid imagery,” said Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, a jury member and the Art Director and Chief Representative of Leica Galleries International. “His graduation from newcomer to the main category is a first in the history of the award and shows how photographic voices grow and are becoming more urgent than ever.”
Newcomer Award: Bright Memory
This year’s jury awarded the Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award to Serghei Duve for the personal series Bright Memory. The series is inspired by the Russian expression, ‘Swetlaja Pamiat’ which means ‘Bright Memory,’ an expression often expressed after the death of a loved one.
The series began as a way for Duve to photograph his family and personal life, but it evolved to tell a story about identity, origin, and politics. Duve’s family is from Transnistria, a territory that became independent from Moldova in 1990, yet is still not internationally recognized. His family moved to Hanover, Germany, when Duve was one year old.
The series is about both everyday nostalgia and longing for home. “My work is about telling personal stories, but also about laying everything bare to draw attention to broader themes. I chose the title for this work after my grandfather died in March 2023 and one of my relatives offered his condolences with precisely these Russian words: ‘Swetlaja Pamiat’. Even if it’s actually just a cliché in Russian, these words touched me, and I found them to be very appropriate.”
Duve is currently studying Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography at Hanover University. The Newcomer Award is based on nominations from universities.
The awards are given annually, focusing on documentary photographers and work that highlights the relationship between humanity and the environment. Winners received both a cash prize and Leica gear. The winning photographs will be part of a traveling exhibition at Leica Galleries and photography festivals.
Additional information about the award and this year’s recipients is available at the award’s website.
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