Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2024: the Winners
The Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) has honored outstanding photography since its inception in 1980, coinciding with the centenary of Oskar Barnack, the visionary behind 35mm photography and the Ur-Leica camera. Over the years, LOBA has built a prestigious archive of impactful work in photography and photojournalism.
In 2024, the award continues its tradition of recognizing the best in contemporary photography with two winners: Davide Monteleone and Maria Guțu.
Main Award Winner: Davide Monteleone – “Critical Minerals: Geography of Energy”
Davide Monteleone’s powerful series, Critical Minerals, explores the complex global supply chains for essential minerals such as cobalt, copper, lithium, and nickel—resources vital to the current transition towards renewable energy. Monteleone documents the mining regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chile, and Indonesia, uncovering the human and environmental costs behind these industries.
From laborers working in hazardous conditions to landscapes devastated by mining, Monteleone shines a light on the consequences of extracting these resources. His work emphasizes that the drive for “clean” technologies, such as electric cars and energy storage, often involves the exploitation of impoverished regions. Monteleone’s project critically examines the hidden connections between raw material extraction and the global economy, as well as the ethical dilemmas associated with energy transitions.
His series includes striking photographs, video, and data visualizations, offering a multi-layered narrative about the people and environments affected by the demand for these critical minerals. With an eye toward global supply chains and local communities, Monteleone’s work reflects the contradictions of pursuing more sustainable energy at the expense of human and ecological welfare.
About Davide Monteleone
Born in 1974 in Potenza, in Italy’s Basilicata Region, the photographer currently lives in Switzerland. He has a Master’s Degree in Art and Politics from the Goldsmith University London, and works as a curator and lecturer at many public and private institutions. As of 2001 he spent a decade living and working in Russia. His work as a visual artist and researcher encompasses the fields of image design, visual journalism and writing. For several years he has been focussing on climate issues in the tense relationship between economics and geopolitics. Monteleone has published numerous books and writes regularly for magazines such as National Geographic, TIME, and The New Yorker. His work has been exhibited many times. Among others, he has been honoured with the National Geographic Storyteller’s Fund, the National Geographic Society Fellowship, the Asia Society Fellowship, the Carmignac Photojournalism Award, the EPEA Award, the European Publishers Award and several World Press Photo Awards, among others. In 2020, he already made it onto the LOBA shortlist with his ‘Sinomocene’ series.
Newcomer Award Winner: Maria Guțu – “Homeland”
Moldovan photographer Maria Guțu wins the LOBA Newcomer Award for her introspective series Homeland, which takes viewers on a poignant journey through the Republic of Moldova. Guțu’s black-and-white images reflect the complexity of her emotions toward her homeland, a place filled with both natural beauty and socio-economic challenges.
Her series presents scenes of everyday life—children in nature, musicians playing traditional songs, and isolated moments of reflection. Yet beneath the surface, a deeper melancholy permeates her work, capturing the uncertainty, poverty, and the lost future prospects faced by many Moldovans. Her images offer a moving portrait of a country where a significant portion of the population has left in search of better opportunities.
Guțu’s personal connection to Moldova is evident in her photographs, which resonate with a mix of nostalgia, love, and frustration. Her portrayal of her homeland, where she grew up with her grandparents, captures both the peacefulness of the landscape and the harsh realities of life in one of Europe’s poorest countries. Through her visual storytelling, Guțu reflects the shared sense of longing, confusion, and perseverance among Moldovans.
About Maria Guțu
Maria Guțu was born in the Republic of Moldova in 1996. In 2020, she graduated in Cinematography from the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts in Chișinău, and in 2022 she completed studies at the Docdocdoc School of Modern Photography in Sankt Petersburg. She has received many recognitions for her work: among others, she is the winner of the VID Foundation Mentorship 2023. Guțu lives today in Glodeni, a city in the north-west of the Republic of Moldova.
Both winners exemplify the spirit of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award by addressing critical global issues through photography. Monteleone’s exploration of environmental geopolitics and Guțu’s heartfelt reflection on her homeland offer compelling insights into the modern world. The LOBA Award continues to be a beacon of excellence in the photography world, contributing to a greater understanding of humanity’s relationship with the environment.
The winners was honored at an award ceremony in Wetzlar, Germany, in October 2024. Monteleone received a cash prize of 40,000 euros along with Leica camera equipment, while Guțu received 10,000 euros and a Leica Q3. Both winners’ works, along with those of the shortlisted finalists, will be featured in an exhibition at the Ernst Leitz Museum in Wetzlar before touring internationally.
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