Rene Matić has won the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2026, one of Europe’s leading photography awards. The artist was announced as the winner of the £30,000 ($39,964) prize at The Photographers’ Gallery in London on Thursday by author and broadcaster Liv Little.
Matić, who was born in Peterborough, U.K., in 1997, received the award for their exhibition “AS OPPOSED TO THE TRUTH,” which was on view at CCA Berlin from November 8, 2024, through February 15, 2025. The exhibition featured new photographs, installations, and sound pieces, drawing on themes of identity, belonging, class, and family. Matić was also nominated for the 2025 Turner Prize.
The artist’s diaristic photographs document everyday moments with a direct sense of intimacy. In “AS OPPOSED TO THE TRUTH,” those images appeared alongside collected objects, film, and sound. The prize, presented in partnership with the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, recognizes artists and projects considered to have made a significant contribution to international contemporary photography in Europe over the previous 12 months.
Shoair Mavlian, director of The Photographers’ Gallery and chair of the jury, said Matić’s work is “rooted in community and belonging—and their power both to heal and bring people together.” She added that the artist’s “raw and honest photographs bring a story of Britain today to audiences outside the U.K.”
The other shortlisted artists were Jane Evelyn Atwood, Weronika Gęsicka, and Amak Mahmoodian, each of whom received £5,000 ($6,661). Work by all four shortlisted artists is on view at The Photographers’ Gallery through June 7, 2026. The exhibition will then travel to the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation at The Cube in Eschborn, where it will be on view from September 3, 2026, through January 17, 2027.
This year’s jury comprised Anne-Marie Beckmann, director of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation; Iranian photojournalist Newsha Tavakolian; Elisa Medde of Foto Colectania Foundation, Mark Sealy of Autograph Gallery, and Mavlian as voting chair.
