Summary
- The Kraszna-Krausz Book Awards announced their 2026 winners.
- Sasha Kurmaz won the Photography Book Award with Red Horse.
- Onyeka Igwe won the Moving Image Book Award.
- The two winners shared the £10,000 prize.
- The Photobook Weekender will take place on 4 and 5 July 2026 in Brighton.
The Kraszna-Krausz Book Awards have announced their 2026 winners, with Sasha Kurmaz’s Red Horse named the overall winner of the Photography Book Award.
The £10,000 prize was shared between Sasha Kurmaz for Red Horse and Onyeka Igwe, who won the Moving Image Book Award with June Givanni: The Making of a Pan-African Cinema Archive.
The recognition carries weight, as the Kraszna-Krausz Awards are considered an important platform for photography and moving image books, highlighting publications that combine strong visual storytelling, historical value and artistic approach.
Sasha Kurmaz’s Red Horse
Red Horse, published by Éditions Images Vevey, brings together the visual diary Sasha Kurmaz has kept since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The book includes personal documentary photographs, found images, collages, drawings and objects found in the street. Through this material, Kurmaz records the experience of living under constant threat, without limiting the work to straightforward photographic documentation.
Kurmaz described the award as a deeply moving moment, noting that Red Horse is not simply a photography book, but a deeply personal story documented and embodied through artistic means.
The Moving Image Book Award
In the Moving Image Book Award category, the winner was Onyeka Igwe with June Givanni: The Making of a Pan-African Cinema Archive, published by Lawrence Wishart.
The book was created in collaboration with BAFTA-winning curator and film programmer June Givanni. The publication examines her private archive, which spans more than 40 years of African and Caribbean cinema history.
Igwe focuses on the role female influence has played in shaping the history of Pan-African cinema, while also highlighting films and creators who treated cinema as a political and artistic tool.
Photobook Weekender in Brighton
This year, the awards are collaborating with POST, an arts space in Brighton, for the Photobook Weekender.
The event will take place on 4 and 5 July 2026 and will present the winning titles, along with artist talks, workshops and discussions around the photobook.
The initiative shows that the photobook remains a living creative field, where photography meets history, personal testimony and political memory.
What we think
This year’s Kraszna-Krausz selection shows how important the photography book remains as a storytelling medium. Red Horse stands out because it turns a contemporary traumatic reality into a personal and artistic archive, while Onyeka Igwe’s book reminds us of the power of archives in preserving stories that often remain on the margins.
Frequently asked questions
Which book won the Kraszna-Krausz Photography Book Award 2026?
Red Horse by Sasha Kurmaz won the Kraszna-Krausz Photography Book Award 2026.
Who won the Moving Image Book Award?
Onyeka Igwe won with June Givanni: The Making of a Pan-African Cinema Archive.
What was the prize money?
The total prize was £10,000, shared by the two winners.
What is Red Horse about?
The book is based on Sasha Kurmaz’s personal visual diary from the period of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
When is the Photobook Weekender taking place?
The Photobook Weekender is scheduled for 4 and 5 July 2026 in Brighton.
