Leica is a brand that champions women photographers and, through the Leica Women Foto Project, it provides a platform to showcase powerful visual narratives through photography projects.
In addition to manufacturing some of the greatest mirrorless cameras and film cameras of all time, Leica continues to encourage and provide a platform for the underrepresented. Since its inception, the initiative has been a hotbed for incredible contemporary photography talent. Now, in its sixth year, it is open to new submissions.
This year's theme is titled 'Unity Through Diversity', calling for photographers to submit images that best represent the human condition and our shared experiences.
"The Leica Women Foto Project serves to empower the female perspective and its impact on today’s visual stories. We believe the shape of a story is reactive to the storyteller’s perspective, developing a narrative that too often is reflective of individual truths," says Leica.
"The Leica Women Foto Project encourages diversity and inclusion in visual storytelling to amplify voices typically underrepresented in photography, discovering the breadth of shapes formed by a single story".
Leica continues to encourage photographers to push the boundaries of visual storytelling while fostering diversity and underrepresented voices. For the third successive year, entries will be accepted from four regions of the US, UK, Mexico and Canada, with a winner being chosen from each.
The winners will each receive a Leica SL3 camera, a Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH lens, and a $10,000 (approximately $7,500 / AU$14,500) cash prize to help them further their submitted project and mission.
Submissions will be judged by a jury comprised of some of the most celebrated and influential women in photography, including actress Nikki Reed, filmmaker and entrepreneur Kathryn Boyd Brolin, photographer Mary McCartney, and Director of Leica Galleries worldwide, Karin Kauffman.
In addition, winners will have their work presented to esteemed directors from publications such as Aperture, The Times and The Washington Post who will evaluate submissions based on "quality of photography, the depth of the project, and a demonstrated commitment to the art of photography".
The call for entries for the 2025 Leica Women Foto Project Award is now open and closes on November 15 2024. Submissions are only accepted from residents from the US, UK, Mexico and Canada, and awardees will be announced on International Women's Day – March 08 2025.
You may also be interested in our guides to the best Leica cameras, the best Leica M lenses, and the best Leica alternatives.