Leica have named the winner of this year's Leica Oskar Barnack Award.

Lucia Nimcova has been chosen to receive the award for her photo project "Unofficial".

The pictures of the winning series were taken in 2007 in Slovakia. Taking her home town as an example, Lucia documented how time seems to have stood still since the fall of the Communist regime.

The Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2008 will be presented at the Arles photo festival from 8th – 13th July.

The award will be celebrating its 30th birthday next year. The central theme of the competition, which has been held every year since 1979 in memory of the inventor of the Leica, Oskar Barnack, is the relationship between man and his environment.

The preparation for next year‘s Leica Oskar Barnack competition will begin after the Arles festival. The closing date for entries is January 31st, 2009. Details will be published on the Leica Camera AG website, where the winning pictures will also be shown.

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