Leica hosts 4th annual Women Foto Project

The 2023 Leica Women Foto Project will grant generous awards to winners from the United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, and Canada

The Leica Women Foto Project (LWFP), now on its fourth run, aims to emphasise the importance of both women photographers and subjects by encouraging entries that “bear witness to humanity”. Focusing specifically on female perspectives, Leica hopes to “reframe how we see, think, and express our visual narrative” and solidify its commitment to diversity and inclusivity. This year, Leica is expanding the project to participants from the UK, Mexico, and Canada – in addition to the US – in an attempt to promote accessibility. Current partnered initiatives include Women Photograph, ConnectHer Film Festival, and Las Fotos Project.

To apply, all candidates must be legally resident in the US (50 states), UK, Mexico, or Canada (excluding the province of Québec) and at least 21 years old at the time of entry. Applicants should submit ten images, taken between 2019 and 2022, using any camera make or model; no smartphone photography will be accepted. Applicants will be judged on the quality of their photography, their dedication to the medium, and the sophistication of their project, as assessed by the judges’ panel. This year’s jurors are 14 female-identifying photographers, photo editors, gallery directors, and media personalities from distinguished publications, including National Geographic, the Washington Post, and the New York Times.

The Foto Project’s four winners (one from each region) will be announced on 8 March 2023 via Leica US and Leica UK’s websites, newsletters, and Facebook and Instagram pages. Each winner will receive $10,000, plus a Leica SL2-S camera and a Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH. lens, to help fund a personal photography project. Previous winners of the LWFP include Anna Boyiazis’ “Finding Freedom in the Water”, which focuses on Zanzibari women and girls who are learning to swim; Matika Wilbur’s “Project 562”, which documents the lived experiences of Native Americans; and Karen Zusman’s “The Super Power of Me”, which celebrates young people of colour.

Applications to the 2023 LWFP close 7 November 2022 at 11:59 pm EST. Best of luck!