Leica Camera AG have announced the beginning of submission phase and announcement of members of the international jury for the 2017 edition of this long-established photographic competition

Professional and up-and-coming photographers can submit entries to prestigious competition between 1 March to 10 April 2017

This competition, The Leica Oskar Barnack Award, is now opening into the entry stages. From 1 March to 10 April 2017, professional photographers and up-and-coming photographers aged up to 25 from around the world can submit their portfolios.

Full terms and conditions, as well as entry forms, will be published on the dedicated website atwww.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com from 1 March.

To take part, entrants must submit a series of ten to twelve images, in which the photographer perceives and documents the interaction between people and their environment in a creative and ground-breaking style. Series of photographs captured in 2016 and 2017, or work from long-term projects including at least some photographs taken in this period, are eligible for submission.

An international jury of experts will choose the twelve finalists for the ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Award’ and the ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Award Newcomer’ from all the entries received. This year’s jury members are:

Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director & Chief Representative Leica Galleries International (Salzburg, Austria)

Michelle Dunn Marsh, Executive Director, Photographic Center Northwest; Publisher, Minor Matters Books (Seattle, USA)

Christian Pohlert, Managing Picture Editor, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Frankfurt, Germany)

Douglas So, Founder and Director of F11 Foto Museum (Hong Kong, China)

Scarlett Coten, Photographer and Winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2016 (Paris, France)

Winners of both categories and the ten other finalists will be honoured during a gala event and their work will be presented at a major, six-week exhibition in Berlin.

The shortlist will be announced in June 2017. With prizes amounting to a total cash value of 80,000 euros, the ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Award’ is one of the industry’s most prestigious photographic competitions. The winner in the main category will receive a cash prize of 25,000 euros and Leica M-System equipment (a camera and lens) valued at an additional 10,000 euros. The winner of the Newcomer Award will be presented with a cash prize of 10,000 euros and will also receive a Leica rangefinder camera and lens. In addition to the two main categories, ten further submissions to the competition will each be awarded with prizes of 2,500 euros.