LSI Announces Opening of its 2026 Photography Grant Competition
2026 marks the 10th year of the LSI Photography Grant. In addition to its annual project-based grant, LSI launched an annual Women in Photography Grant in 2022. Both grants are supported by the LSI Philanthropy Fund and Leica North America.
LSI’s mission is to give back to the photography community by providing financial aid and recognition to deserving photographers who are working on a photography-based project.
“The power of an image and a photographer’s project to spark action, raise awareness or simply prompt us to pause and consider is undeniable. The LSI Photography Grant provides needed financial support to ensure the power of photography remains deeply rooted in our world,” shared William Fagan, LSI president.
The Big Picture
Photographers globally are invited to enter for consideration; using a Leica/Leica gear is not a requirement. Detailed guidelines can be found using the grant application link. The grant recipient will receive $7,500 USD and a Leica camera and lens.
The Timeline
Friday, July 24, 2026 | Competition Opens
Friday, September 4, 2026 (or when the first 200 grant applications have been received)
The Process
The grant award process will have two phases: preliminary and finalist. The juorrs for both phases are the same (see bios below).
Preliminary Phase:. Each Jury member will review the qualified applications and select ten candidates to be considered for the final phase. This year we are limiting the number of applications to 200, which a committee of LSI members will pare down to 100-125 pre-vetted applications for you to consider.
Each jury member will rank their ten selected candidates from 1 (highest rank) to 10 (lowest rank). A point system based on the combined ranking from each jury member will determine the top ten candidates to progress to the final phase.
Finalist Phase: Each jury member will review the final ten candidates and rank them from 1 - 10 in the same manner as the Preliminary Phase. The combined list of final candidates will be shared with all jury members in ranked order from 1 to 10. Jury members will meet to review the candidates and arrive at a decision together for the grant winner.
Meet the 2026 Judges
Sandra Eisert has been the Picture Editor of The Washington Post, ran the US Southern Network for AP’s Washington, D.C., bureau, became Design Director & Senior Graphics Editor of Silicon Valley’s visually acclaimed San Jose Mercury News and was Art Director of WEST magazine. She became the Senior Editor & Director of Graphics and the first journalist for MSNBC.com where her design permanently changed the face of the internet.
She also spearheaded creation of the Pentagon’s Public Web Program and was the White House’s first Picture Editor, working with David Hume Kennerly. She has edited, designed or created strategy for over 100 books with over 8 million copies in circulation. She is a former NPPA Newspaper Picture Editor of the Year, shares a key part of a Mercury News Pulitzer, is a two-time distinguished alumna of Indiana University and recipient of NPPA’s two top awards, the Sprague and Costa. She now works directly with photographers via Zoom at TheProfessionalEye.com.
Michael Foley is Gallery Director, Leica Gallery New York. He joined Leica in 2023 as the Gallery Director of the New York Meatpacking Store & Gallery. Foley opened his eponymous gallery in the fall of 2004 after 14 years working with notable photography
galleries, including Fraenkel Gallery, Howard Greenberg Gallery, and Yancey Richardson Gallery. In 2002, Foley continued his interest in educating and working with artists by serving on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts, Fashion Institute of Technology, and International Center of Photography, where he teaches and lectures on contemporary photography issues at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Foley lives in Manhattan with his wife, Maya, and son, Jack.
Trish Lambe is the Artistic Director/ CEO of Photo Museum Ireland, Ireland’s national centre for contemporary photography. She leads the artistic programming team and the development of the museum’s artists’ archive collection initiative. She has curated solo and group exhibitions featuring leading Irish and international artists, and programmed
national and international commissions, exhibitions, events, and symposia that address key issues in contemporary photography.
Recent projects include Shane Hynan’s Beneath I Beofhód, a series of survey exhibitions addressing key socio-political issues co-curated with Photo Museum Ireland’s curatorial team, and the co-curation of the award-winning Akihiko Okamura's ‘The Memories of Others’ exhibition and photo book. She is a nominator, juror, and portfolio reviewer for national and international artists' awards and commissions, most recently the Deutsche Börse Prize, LSI Women in Photography Grant, Prix Pictet, Format Festival, Rencontres d’Arles, Encontros da Imagen, Braga, and the Creative Europe Project Groundswell Awards.
Mary-Irene Marek is Vice President of Marketing at Leica Camera USA, where she leads marketing strategy, partnerships, and community initiatives that celebrate photography as both an artistic practice and a cultural force. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to supporting photographers and visual storytellers by creating opportunities that foster connection, education, and creative expression.
She began her career with the Eastman Kodak Company during a period of profound transformation in the imaging industry, witnessing firsthand the evolution from analog to digital photography. That experience shaped her belief that photography is far more than a technology. It is a powerful medium for preserving history, documenting culture, and revealing the human experience.
Before joining Leica Camera USA, Mary-Irene held senior marketing leadership roles at Adorama, where she worked closely with photographers, filmmakers, educators, and industry partners to develop programs that elevated both emerging and established voices. Across every stage of her career, she has remained committed to strengthening the photographic community and creating meaningful opportunities for artists to share their work.
Today, she champions initiatives that connect artists with audiences through exhibitions, educational programming, original content, and cultural partnerships. A passionate advocate for emerging photographers, Mary-Irene believes the future of the medium depends on supporting new voices and creating spaces where creativity can flourish. She is honored to regularly serve as a juror for photography grants, exhibitions, and awards, bringing both industry perspective and a deep appreciation for the power of visual storytelling.
Tom Smith | During his 15-year tenure as Director of the Leica Akademie USA, Tom A. Smith became a familiar face within Leica Society International (LSI). He supported LSI event planning and Leica on Loan programs across the United States, and was instrumental in establishing the first LSI Photographers Grant in 2016, marking a new chapter in LSI's history
and creating an ongoing tradition. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Tom has built a career centered on experiential learning and technical training.
Before joining Leica, he worked with photography students, camera dealers, and many of the industry's most respected photographers through roles at The Disney Institute and Nikon USA. In 2026, Tom took a leap of faith and relocated to Naples, Italy, where he continues to pursue travel, photography, and the perfect Neapolitan pizza in equal measure.
