South African documentary and portrait photographer, Lee-Ann Olwage, has been announced as a Global Grant winner of the international Fujifilm GFX Challenge Grant Program 2025.

The GFX Challenge Grant Program is a global initiative intended to nurture and develop the skills of creators, giving them the opportunity to create content on topics that have significant meaning to them, while gaining experience using Fujifilm GFX System gear.

As one of only five Global Grant winners, Olwage receives a $10 000 grant towards her project, as well as the use of a Fujifilm large format GFX System camera body and two GF lenses for the duration of her project.

On winning the Global Grant, Olwage says, “I am beyond thrilled to receive the Fujifilm GFX Challenge Global Grant. With this grant I will work on a very special project that has been two years in the making called Weaving Stars and Palm Leaves. I am excited to shoot with the Fujifilm GFX System over the course of the next year to explore the rich capabilities of large format storytelling.”

Olwage’s photography project is set to take her to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, where she will photograph the Amazigh women from this region. Through skills passed down through generations, the Amazigh women are guardians of a rug making tradition, weaving together personal narratives, collective histories and domestic life into traditional rugs.

Commenting on the project, Olwage states, “The Amazigh women create more than just rugs, they weave the very essence of their identity, their connection to nature and their spiritual journeys. Weavers draw inspiration from the landscapes incorporating symbolic designs that reflect their connection to the land and spirit world.”

However, Weaving Stars and Palm Leaves extends to the concerns brought about by climate change, which is increasingly present in Morocco. “Due to elevation-dependent warming, mountain regions experience more rapid and intense change than lower elevation regions. In the face of climate change, the continuation of the rug making tradition becomes even more crucial. This is because the weavers' knowledge of natural materials and dyes, their understanding of the land, and their connection to the rhythms of nature provide valuable insights into sustainable living,” Olwage notes.

Amanda Maddox, one of the judges of the GFX Challenge Grant Program, stated, “Throughout her career, Lee-Ann Olwage has demonstrated a deep commitment to documenting women’s stories from across the African continent. Her examination of Amazigh weavers in Morocco represents a continuation of such work and promises to be a sensitive, informative exploration of tradition, gender relations and environmental concerns.”

Now in its fifth year, the GFX Challenge Grant Program, sponsored by Fujifilm, awards five Global Grant Awards and 10 Regional Grant Awards in order to help aspiring creatives bring their imaging projects to life.

Joining Olwage as Global Grant winners are Hsu Hao-Han (Taiwan), Julia Siu-Yin Ngeow & Rebecca Basaure (USA), Yasutaka Seki (Japan) and Wang Jiayi (China). Fellow African, Manuel Michael from Nigeria, is one of ten regional grant winners, receiving $5 000 and the use of a GFX System camera body and two GF lenses for the duration of his project.

Olwage has selected the Fujifilm GFX100RF as her camera of choice for her travels, having used this rangefinder-style 102-megapixel camera before. “I have always been a big fan of the compact nature of the GFX100RF. This paired with the incredible image quality, video capabilities, true to life rich cinematic colour, and the interesting aspect ratio and exposure compensation dials make this my preferred camera of choice,” Olwage says.

At the conclusion of the production period, the award recipients’ final content will be exhibited on the fujifilm-x.com website. A series of exhibitions is also planned to showcase their work in various countries.

Olwage is no stranger to awards, having previously been a World Press Photo winner (2024, 2023, 2020), also winning, amongst others, an International Women in Photo Award, an Esperanza Pertusa International Photography Award and the Contemporary African Photography Prize in 2022. She is the second South African photographer to be selected as a Global Grant winner after Jodi Windvogel in 2023.

Weaving Stars and Palm Leaves will see Olwage travelling to Morocco for a month, alongside the Fujifilm GFX100RF, to photograph the Amazigh women.