Photo (clockwise from top left): Elena Kalinichenko, Ka’Vozia Glynn, Praise Hassan, Toma Hurduc, Trâm Nguyễn Quang, Zélie Hallosserie
Acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz has launched a new photography prize to promote emerging talent. Organized in collaboration with philanthropist and photographer Lisa Saltzman, the Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize has just announced the six international photographers who have been shortlisted for their talent and visual storytelling abilities.
The photographers, who hail from Ukraine, Nigeria, Romania, the Netherlands, the United States, and France, will have the opportunity to win a share of the $20,000 prize fund. Each photographer has demonstrated a distinctive voice and, through their portfolios, is an exciting glimpse into the next generation of photographic talent.
The six finalists—Elena Kalinichenko, Ka’Vozia Glynn, Praise Hassan, Toma Hurduc, Trâm Nguyễn Quang, and Zélie Hallosserie—were selected from participants in Annie Leibovitz’s mentorship program, part of her role as the first IKEA Artist in Residence. By pairing with Saltzman, a multi-award-winning New York-based photographer and film producer who started the Saltzman Foundation in 2020 to honor her late parents, she has helped amplify the talents of these young photographers on a global scale.
“My parents deeply admired and supported the work of Annie Leibovitz,” shares Saltzman. “This prize allows me to honor their legacy and continue their collaboration in a meaningful way. Art was a significant part of their lives, and I know they would be deeply moved by this initiative. It is so meaningful for me to collaborate with Annie a true legend.”
An esteemed panel of judges, which includes Drew Sawyer, Whitney Museum of American Art photography curator, and Vogue and Condé Nast creative director Raul Martinez, has evaluated the work of these young talents. In April, the winner, who will take home a $10,000 cash prize, will be announced. Second place will then win $5,000, with $2,000, $1,500, $1,000, and $500 going to the third through sixth-place winners, respectively.
Scroll down to learn more about the 2025 Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize shortlisted artists and view their work.
Photographers Annie Leibovitz and Lisa Saltzman have launched a new photography prize to promote emerging talent.
Group photo of shortlisted artists (Photo: © Monika Lundholm)
Here is a look at the six emerging photographers who were shortlisted for the Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize.
Elena Kalinichenko (Ukraine)
Ukrainian documentary photographer and photojournalist Elena Kalinichenko recently left her corporate job to focus full-time on her photography. Self-taught, Kalinichenko has a passion for storytelling and has spent the last several years documenting life in Ukraine during the war, including the preservation of folk traditions and the story of a soldier returning home after two years in captivity.
Photo: Elena Kalinichenko
Photo: Elena Kalinichenko
Photo: Elena Kalinichenko
Ka’Vozia Glynn (United States)
Splitting her time between Florida and Georgia, Ka’Vozia Glynn is a multi-media artist currently focusing on photography and filmmaking. Her work explores identity and community, often using the interplay between people and their environment to create a layered story.
Photo: Ka’Vozia Glynn
Photo: Ka’Vozia Glynn
Photo: Ka’Vozia Glynn
Praise Hassan (Nigeria)
Praise Hassan is a multidisciplinary artist, poet, and graphic designer working in Lagos, Nigeria. Her work spans documentary and fine art conceptual photography, digital art, poetry, music, and graphic design. She delves into themes of spirituality, mental health, and the interaction between personal identity and collective narratives.
Photo: Praise Hassan
Photo: Praise Hassan
Photo: Praise Hassan
Toma Hurduc (Romania)
Toma Hurduc is a documentary photographer currently working in Bucharest. His degree in cinematography greatly informs his work, particularly his interest in how light affects images. He regularly shoots on 35mm black and white film and experiments with printing methods as a way to “render the surreal.”
Photo: Toma Hurduc
Photo: Toma Hurduc
Photo: Toma Hurduc
Trâm Nguyễn Quang (Netherlands)
Trâm Nguyễn Quang is a cognitive neuroscience student who combines her research with analog photography. Through this medium, she often expresses feelings of nostalgia.
Photo: Trâm Nguyễn Quang
Photo: Trâm Nguyễn Quang
Photo: Trâm Nguyễn Quang
Zélie Hallosserie (France)
French photographer Zélie Hallosserie is currently finishing her photography studies in Belgium. Hallosseries enjoys documentary and social photography and has spent the last several years documenting the lives of refugees in northern France, close to the border of the United Kingdom. Her work focuses on themes of exile, and she spends a significant amount of time with the people she photographs, even organizing photography workshops at a refugee camp.
Photo: Zélie Hallosserie
Photo: Zélie Hallosserie
Photo: Zélie Hallosserie