We are delighted to announce Steffi Reimers as the winner of the 2026 Photo London x Nikon Emerging Photographer Award.
Selected by the Photo London Curatorial Committee from a shortlist of 8 outstanding emerging photographers, the winner was announced as Steffi Reimers (represented by Contour Gallery, Rotterdam) during a special ceremony in the Nikon Gallery at Photo London on 14 May 2026. As part of the award, Steffi will receive a range of Nikon camera kit.
“At Nikon, our mission has always been to empower photographers to capture and share the world’s most powerful stories. Over the past six years of supporting The Emerging Photographer of the Year Award, we’ve had the privilege of championing many rising artists whose vision, curiosity, and craft transcend boundaries. We are proud to nurture their journeys, enabling them to craft images that both inspire and shape the ever-evolving landscape of photography.”
– Lucy Brice, Head of Marketing, Nikon Northern Europe
© Steffi Reimers, courtesy of Contour Gallery
Steffi Reimers (NL, 1995) is a Dutch photographer whose work explores themes of transience, history, and loss — narratives that often remain hidden from view. Through long-term projects, she is establishing herself as one of the new voices in contemporary Dutch photography. About the work: What memory does a landscape hold when it witnesses a crime? In Guilty Grounds, Steffi Reimers investigates the landscapes of Calabria, Southern Italy, revealing them as silent witnesses to the unsettling crimes and pervasive influence of the ‘Ndrangheta. Reimers’ work engages not only with landscape but also with forensic traces, employing specialized lighting to reveal subtle marks, textures, and traces left behind, echoes of human violence that the eye might otherwise miss. Through this forensic approach, the photographs capture hidden details: scars on the earth, remnants of past activities, and the silent testimony of spaces that have witnessed crimes.
About the Project:
What memory does a landscape hold when it witnesses a crime? In Guilty Grounds, Steffi Reimers investigates the landscapes of Calabria, Southern Italy, revealing them as silent witnesses to the unsettling crimes and pervasive influence of the ‘Ndrangheta. Reimers’ work engages not only with landscape but also with forensic traces, employing specialized lighting to reveal subtle marks, textures, and traces left behind, echoes of human violence that the eye might otherwise miss. Through this forensic approach, the photographs capture hidden details: scars on the earth, remnants of past activities, and the silent testimony of spaces that have witnessed crimes.
